Dying during molting

[tsia]

Err one question where to get the Hikira Crab Food in Singapore LFS ? Please advise. I'm facing problems with my cherries dying during moulting. Thanks.

[silane]

tsia,

I do not think death during moulting is related to food. I suppose you are feeding them with Hikari Algae Wafer?

Death during moulting is likely due to water problem. Another quite remote possibility is overcrowded tank with little hidding space and hungry shrimps/fish.

[tsia]

Hi Fruitpie,
Thanks for the reply, my ph and Kh is ok. What would be the
possible cause or difference in water parameter that could cause this then?
Ammiona is also almost 0.
Please advise. Thanks. :p

[silane]

Hi Fruitpie,
Thanks for the reply, my ph and Kh is ok. What would be the
possible cause or difference in water parameter that could cause this then?
Ammiona is also almost 0.
Please advise. Thanks. :p


Before I make my guess, what do you feed them? How often and how do you do water change?

[tsia]

I feed them a agle wafer everyday, change water about 20% every week.

[simcb]

Err one question where to get the Hikira Crab Food in Singapore LFS ? Please advise. I'm facing problems with my cherries dying during moulting. Thanks.

Fruitpie is right. Its either the water condition is bad or you are not giving them enough varities of food.

Just a few question to understand the status of your tank:
Is yours a new tank? How old? How long the cycling period before you let in the shrimps? Did the shrimp finish the food you drop and is there any leftover? Did you remove those leftover and etc.

I have seen quite a few LFS that carries the above product. A few example would be the famous fish shop in Clementi Blk 328 and Aqua Nature in Eunos.
So far these are the shops i remember seeing them selling some but its still best to call them before going down.

[jojoecute]

Do take note of past few days weather are hot, shrimp tank without chiller temp minimum 29-30oC....

[tsia]

Fruitpie is right. Its either the water condition is bad or you are not giving them enough varities of food.

Just a few question to understand the status of your tank:
Is yours a new tank? How old? How long the cycling period before you let in the shrimps? Did the shrimp finish the food you drop and is there any leftover? Did you remove those leftover and etc.

I have seen quite a few LFS that carries the above product. A few example would be the famous fish shop in Clementi Blk 328 and Aqua Nature in Eunos.
So far these are the shops i remember seeing them selling some but its still best to call them before going down.

Hi thanks for the quick advise,
My tank is already 6 months old and cycling took about 1 and a half months before I added in the shrimps. The shrimps would normally finish the one pellet that I give them but I didn't give them anything else execpt for the agle wafer. That's why am thinking of giving them the crab food :D Thanks again.

[silane]

One pellet? That sounds a big amount to me, unless you have a large number of shrimps. The bad things about Hikari Algae Wafer is, it gets disintegrated very fast and get into the gravel, and this will foul the water if shrimps do not pick them up before the next feeding comes. Crab Crusine does not disintegrate.

Many people keeps Cherry shrimps with Hikari Algae wafer with good result. So I think the problem lies with your water quality or water change. You got to make sure the new water is close in parameters and temperature with the tank water and de-chlorinated.

[Walter]

Jojoe could be right too, the weather recently is very hot..

[tsia]

One pellet? That sounds a big amount to me, unless you have a large number of shrimps. The bad things about Hikari Algae Wafer is, it gets disintegrated very fast and get into the gravel, and this will foul the water if shrimps do not pick them up before the next feeding comes. Crab Crusine does not disintegrate.

Many people keeps Cherry shrimps with Hikari Algae wafer with good result. So I think the problem lies with your water quality or water change. You got to make sure the new water is close in parameters and temperature with the tank water and de-chlorinated.

Thanks for the advise, you guys are GREAT ;-)

Will clean up the wafer's when the shrimps can't finish it. And will monitor the water parameters closely. Hope everything turns out fine. ;-)

[vinyx]

One pellet? That sounds a big amount to me, unless you have a large number of shrimps. The bad things about Hikari Algae Wafer is, it gets disintegrated very fast and get into the gravel, and this will foul the water if shrimps do not pick them up before the next feeding comes. Crab Crusine does not disintegrate.

Many people keeps Cherry shrimps with Hikari Algae wafer with good result. So I think the problem lies with your water quality or water change. You got to make sure the new water is close in parameters and temperature with the tank water and de-chlorinated.

Can I ask where to get the Crab Crusine you have mentioned? What brand is it?

You are right the Hikari Algae wafer disintegrate very fast and I have to suck the leftover out the next day. Is there any other food for shrimps like Cherry and CRS?

[silane]

Crab Crusine is made by Hikari.

You may want to try Tropical Green Alage Wafers (http://www.shrimpnow.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3373) for your shrimps.

[vinyx]

Crab Crusine is made by Hikari.

You may want to try Tropical Green Alage Wafers for your shrimps.

Thanks. Will go and look for it and try out.

[tsia]

[QUOTE=fruitpie]Crab Crusine is made by Hikari.

QUOTE]

I found the Kikari Crab Cuisine at Y328 Aqua Star. It's SGD $4 a packet. I find this much better than the agle wafer becos it's very small pallet compared to the agle wafer and I just need to feed 5-6 pallets a day and my cherries will clean up all the pallet rather than the agle wafer which will disintergate. :rolleyes:

Thanks again for all the help from the experts in this forum.

[Walter]

Yes I think the crab pellet is good, but a variety of food is advised. As I believe they contain different nutrients. :) And you can break up the algae wafer into crumps to feed as "pellet". :) Feed sparingly too to prevent excess to disintegrate.

[tsia]

Yes I think the crab pellet is good, but a variety of food is advised. As I believe they contain different nutrients. :) And you can break up the algae wafer into crumps to feed as "pellet". :) Feed sparingly too to prevent excess to disintegrate.

That I'll do also and maybe feed some freeze dry bloodworms oso. Thanks again guys :joking:

[NanoDave]

Does anyone knows what food helps in moulting? I searched the web and it says iodide ... but what food contains iodide? :p

[simcb]

Does anyone knows what food helps in moulting? I searched the web and it says iodide ... but what food contains iodide? :p

Hi NanoDave,

If you look carefully under the food break down of Hikari Crab Cuisine, you will see Calcium iodate. Its a source of edible iodide supplement.

[tsia]

Hi NanoDave,

If you look carefully under the food break down of Hikari Crab Cuisine, you will see Calcium iodate. Its a source of edible iodide supplement.

Here's the ingredients from the package:

Fish Meal, Krill Meal, gluten meal, soyabean meal, corn, wheat flour, bran, brewers dried yeast, fish oil, garlic, enzyme, DL-methionine, astaxanthin, canthaxanthin, monosodium glutamate, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, menadion sodium bisulfitecomple (source of vitamin K), thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, choline chloride, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stablized vitamin C), inositol, salt, cobalt sulfate, aluminum hydroxide, sodium monohydrogen phosphate, magnesium sulfate, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, calcium iodate.


Don't ask me anything regarding these ingredients, I'm a chemistry Idot :p :joking:

[NanoDave]

Thanks simcb and tsia, I got a small pack of Hikari Crab Cuisine today. It's funny my shrimps don't really like it they're not eating them enthusiastically... :p

[simcb]

Thanks simcb and tsia, I got a small pack of Hikari Crab Cuisine today. It's funny my shrimps don't really like it they're not eating them enthusiastically... :p

Are your shrimps eating well with other types of food? Any food you have used before that they will react immediately? If they are not eating well, you might want to check your water parameters.

My diamonds are always hungry be it Tropica green algae waffer, crab feed or the special CRS feed, they always end up fighting over it even though i feed more than enough for all. They just cant resist to carry a piece of crab feed and swimming away with the whole piece so i have to break the crab feed into smaller pieces so that they dont "hug" the food for too long. :D

[tsia]

Mine's the same situation as Simcd they can't seem to get enough off the food :D :D :D

[NanoDave]

If your shrimps are always hungry for any food then I think you guys are underfeeding! :D

My water's pristine. I'm using a well cycled tank with filtration which has has been housing fish since a long time ago before I converted it into planted tank and replaced the fish with cherries. I don't usually check the water unless I see something unusual but I have been checking more than regulary ever since I introduced crs with my cherries.

Before I fed them this new food I was feeding them Oceanfree's SuperPlecory's sinking tablets that are formulated for bottom feeders and a sinking pellet called Zin. When I feed these food I could see them visually see them detect the food when they are near and they'll head straight for it. I've also seen them get into mini fights (harmless) over the food where they use their tiny claws and try to slap one another silly (something like that). I've even seen a smaller crs snatch a piece that was in the hands of a slightly bigger cherry and ran away with it. On top of this two food I also feed them veggies like cucumber, spinach and carrots. They don't fight over them but I could always see some of them clawing on the veggies. I've seen them eat crab cuisine but with nowhere near the zest they eat the other commercial food. It's like something they stumble upon and then take some bites instead of hunting them out... and I always see leftovers with crab cuisine, something that doesnt happen with the other foods..

Out of curiosity I have compared the ingredients of the 3 packaging and I found that the ingredients that superplecorys and zin have that crab cuisine does not have is 'spirulina' and 'vegetable extracts'.

I'll continue feeding them anyway because of the iodate though.. and hopefully some of the iodate leaches into the water :D