Crustacean deaths

[farfromsea]

Just when I thought things were on an upswing my pets started dying off

Skunk cleaner shrimp disappeared presumably dead and consumed by one of many bristle worms in the tank. Definitely NOT a molt. Gone for 3 weeks

Hermit crab has been missing a week. Typically goes and hides in the rocks occasionally but this is too long. Cannot remember his shell because they are all starting to look the same and the tank is full of empty ones

Living inhabitants
Turbo snail
Conch
Mollies x2 (I know silly yes)

Tank parameters all measured today
Salinity 1.028 (need an ATO and I need to top off I strive for 1.025)
Alk 7.7
Ca 425 ppm or 475 (not sure if should be measured from equivalence or endpoint)
Mag 1400
Nitrates 4 ppm (or higher but were supposedly 0 last week at LFS)
Phosphate 0

Am I murderer? Was planning to add fish to the tank after getting an ATO this month but now feel unprepared

 

[AwesomeDavid]

Did you do anything to the tank recently? The high salt content or the bristle worms could be a problem as well.

 

[farfromsea]

Crustacean deaths

No I don't dose anything. I added better lights and my monti caps have flourished, one growing 0.5 inches in a month (which for me is progress).

The salt does fluctuate with evap so it isn't like a constant 1.028

Also I thought bristles just ate dead things so I don't know how they would affect anything?

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[AwesomeDavid]

Can you test for ammonia? Also, are your rocks attached securely? Your conch or something else could have moved one of the rocks.

 

[farfromsea]

The rocks aren't secure because I was worried I would scape wrong and have dead spots in the tank. The fish aren't dead and so I'm confident there is no ammonia plus I have a Salifert badge in there.

Lastly doubtful the shrimp was crushed by a rock because they haven't moved (evident by tons of algae on the rock you can see the difference...I've moved the rocks to scrub before)


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[mcgyvr]

Stuff does die on occasion.. Thats life..

Some shrimp,etc.. will only live a few years.. And who knows how old it was when you bought it..

 

[AwesomeDavid]

Was the shrimp eating?

 

[Fiver]

One dead shrimp and one missing hermit doesn't sound overly alarming to me. That hermit could be alive somewhere you just can't see it. They're small. Good luck.

 

[farfromsea]

My tank is full of pods and I didn't feed often but I did feed within 7d before his death and the shrimp did feed.


And alright I guess I will calm down a little. I've been researching for weeks and near everyone seemed to report their shrimp living a year or more so I was thinking logically it can't be an age problem because it cannot be that the large number of respondents all had newborn shrimp or something to explain the long life of theirs.

I've ruled out heavy metal contaminants because of the coral growth and although my alk is a little low I don't feel like the amount of carbonate in solution would contribute to its death.

I do have a major problem with nutrients in the tank considering the insane amount of vermetids snails

But yes perhaps it is just age like many of the things that die. Quite disappointed as he was my first proper reef creature in the tank that I added. The crab came in the used sand


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[Fiver]

My peppermint shrimp died after a year. It sucked, but I look at the shrimps for sale in the stores, and they are much smaller (AKA, younger) than mine was when I got it.

By the way, I don't think it's silly to have mollies at all! What kind do you have? I've been looking for a wild-type male sailfin molly to add to my tank.

 

[farfromsea]

Oh I see. The guy at the store pointedly gave me a giant one because they don't have a guarantee on inverts and felt that anecdotally the bigger ones don't die so soon. Perhaps it was old then.

Doesn't wild-type refer to some sort of genetic lineage? Anyways I have sailfins, one creamsicle & one silver. Wanted them to mate but either I got two dudes on accident or they are sterile lol


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[mariahcolleen]

I love my creamsicle mollies! I dont think its silly to have mollies in saltwater at all. They add something that you cant get with another fish. My personal fav is the sailfin balloon mollies. They look like cute little fish pugs.

 

[farfromsea]

I love my creamsicle mollies! I dont think its silly to have mollies in saltwater at all. They add something that you cant get with another fish. My personal fav is the sailfin balloon mollies. They look like cute little fish pugs.

Do yours breed at all? I've had mine 5-6 months without any luck!


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