Another with problems with shrimplets

**edosan** · 17th Nov 2011, 03:57 PM

Hi, maybe you can help me. I have been reading a lot and making many changes on my CRS setup, and still my shimplets die, just a few survive (like 10%).

My tap water seems perfect for CRS (I live very close to the mountains), I also can breed Discus Fish just with my tap water.

PH: ~6.5
GH: 5-6
KH: 2-3
EC: ~250 us/ms
Temp: ~23,5 celsius

Aquarium: 120 lt
Filter: Canister (600 lt only bioballs) + 3 sponges (2 with air and 1 for the canister inlet)
Substrate: I have try: Fluval, Volcanic, and none, now I have volcanic black soil
Water changes once a week, 20%, dripping method. Aged water, and prefiltered with Active Carbon.
CRS: About 25, and a few bkk
Tank Old before any shrimplet apear: 3 months
Aditives: Nitrivec from time to time (extra bacteria), and Shirakura (yellow powder once a week)
Plants: Just moss
Feeding: Shirakura 1/4 of the normal size, every 2 days or so (no lefts behind) and small pieces of banana shell 1x1 for infusoria (shrimps love it) 1 piece every month or so.

Last week I count like 15 shrimplets (from 2 Mamas) and today none!
Sholud I do less water changes? (since is a big volume of water for 25 shrimps)

Donno whats is going on

maybe you can give me a hand? or tips?

**splur** · 17th Nov 2011, 04:43 PM

I can't really suggest what to do, I'm relatively new to this hobby as well.

I've had at least 75% survive, starting from 3 berried CRS giving around 25 shrimplets total. It's less than normal, but I bought them as juveniles and this is their first time being berried. It's been almost 4 weeks since the shrimplets came, and the count is still at around 20, and that's lazy counting.

I haven't changed the water once since they came in, only top-ups with RO. Nothing fancy about the filter, it's an old HOB AC50, substrate is ADA ASII. NH3: 0, NO3: 5 ppm, KH: 0-1 dH, GH: 5 dH, TDS: 90-100 ppm, temp: 72 F. I feed them Mosura BioPlus only, 1/6th scoop a day. If anything, it looks like I'm doing everything wrong, but they're surviving to my surprise. I expected a 5% survival from what everyone was telling me, I'm still skeptical but it's been almost 4 weeks.

(Got my KH and GH confused again, yours looks fine)

**edosan** · 17th Nov 2011, 04:51 PM

Also, what's your nitrate/ammonia?

Amonia = 0
No2 = 0
N03= less than 2ppm

One of the problems can be that I am changing to much water, for so few shrimps. Other I am thinking of is bad genetics (since the females where SS), donno ... still trying.

**splur** · 17th Nov 2011, 05:07 PM

Yeah, maybe stop WC altogether.

**edosan** · 17th Nov 2011, 06:04 PM

Thanks for posting splur! any more ideas?

**mordalphus** · 17th Nov 2011, 06:54 PM

You mentioned you're making many changes in your tank to attempt a higher survival rate. I think that is your problem. Stop changing things, baby shrimps hate change.

**edosan** · 17th Nov 2011, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by mordalphus

You mentioned you're making many changes in your tank to attempt a higher survival rate. I think that is your problem. Stop changing things, baby shrimps hate change.

Hi thanks for your answer.
Changes has been made over a long period of time (1 year at least) And only after check that shrimplets died. First no soil, females with eggs, 20 shrimplets 1 week all death, constant water change (dripping). Then I change to fluval stratum, same result, I think it can be too much water change. I will change 20% once a month.
That being said, you r right I will not touch anything else.