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Part of my shrimp or a parasite?

JackGulley

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My rili shrimp has these white “eyelashes” on it that I don’t remember seeing before and it’s kinda freaking me out. They writhe like fingers every now and then in a way that makes me really uncomfortable. They’re only on this specific spot. One of my other shrimp has a few of them in the same spot, distributed asymmetrically which makes me more worried that they’re not natural…
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The other shrimp

Compulsively scratching my face way too much rn 😖
 
No, those aren't a natural part of the shrimp's body. Something is growing on it. Ordinarily, shrimp clean themselves often enough that they don't get fouling organisms growing on them. Molting also helps shed off any unwanted pests. However, if shrimp are ill, they may not clean themselves as much and may not be able to molt properly, leading to things taking advantage and growing on them. I would keep an eye out on this shrimp and check for any signs of illness. Strange behavior would be the first thing to look for, I think.
 
I haven’t seen any unusual behavior; that said, I did lose a shrimp a few days ago, but didn’t think to check for whatever this is because I hadn’t noticed it yet. I’m generally confused, because I bought 8 shrimp about a month ago, and I hadn’t been paying attention to how many there were exactly since then, but since I got back from vacation last week I could definitely only see three (now two, one died).
 
You have a couple options, Make sure you identify and double verify correctly dosage before attempting to treat.


It seems pretty common with Rili shrimps.
 
false eyelashes coz she's going out partying tonight.

Add some salt to the tank.
Don't give them salt baths because it stresses everything in the tank and you leave the parasites in the main tank and only kill the ones on the shrimp. Treat the entire tank with salt.

SALT
You can add rock salt (often sold as aquarium salt), swimming pool salt, or any non iodised salt (sodium chloride) to the aquarium at the dose rate of 1 heaped tablespoon per 20 litres (5 gallons) of water. If there is no improvement after 48 hours you can double that dose rate so there is 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20 litres.

Keep the salt level like this for at least 2 weeks but no longer than 4 weeks otherwise kidney damage can occur. Kidney damage is more likely to occur in fish from soft water (tetras, Corydoras, angelfish, Bettas & gouramis, loaches) that are exposed to high levels of salt for an extended period of time, and is not an issue with livebearers, rainbowfish or other salt tolerant species.

The salt will not affect the beneficial filter bacteria, fish, plants, shrimp or snails.

After you use salt and the fish have recovered, you do a 10% water change each day for a week using only fresh water that has been dechlorinated. Then do a 20% water change each day for a week. Then you can do bigger water changes after that. This dilutes the salt out of the tank slowly so it doesn't harm the fish.

If you do water changes while using salt, you need to treat the new water with salt before adding it to the tank. This will keep the salt level stable in the tank and minimise stress on the fish.

When you first add salt, add the salt to a small bucket of tank water and dissolve the salt. Then slowly pour the salt water into the tank near the filter outlet. Add the salt over a couple of minutes.
 
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A full tank salt treatment isn't recommended for cherry shrimp.

Due to their inability to regulate internal salts in response to environmental changes it would be fatal to treat the whole tank. In addition a tolerable level of salt for the shrimps would be ineffective against Scutariella.

If you need to treat the whole tank I suggest using another method, with Praziquantel medication, like api general cure.
 
Don't use general cure. It contains an antibiotic called metronidazole. Antibiotics should not be used unless the fish have a known bacterial infection that hasn't responded to normal treatments. Look for praziquantel on its own if you want to treat flat worms and flukes.
 
Two of my shrimp have now molted and lost the parasite. Do you think I still need to worry about treating the tank?
 

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