Shrimp Deaths

[Hungriee]

My tank's parameters are at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrates, 8.1 PH and has 440PPM of Calcium readings, with 0 Copper (clear). I had two blood fire shrimps, but one died by being too curious where he got sucked by my MJ1200. I bought two extra blood fire shrimps and acclimated them for 45minutes using the float method, and slowly adding tank water every 10 minutes. I measured the parameters from the bag versus my tank and yielded same parameters at 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrates and 8.1 PH.

Today, both my new shrimps died together at teh same spot in the tank. I found my hermits feeding on it and my tank smelled extra bad. I'm not sure what is causing these deaths but the only thing I noticed is my tank is real warm at 85 Degrees, using a glass therometer.

How can I lower the temperature in my tank during the summer? Is a chiller necessary? Whats the best chiller for the buck? Is it b/c my water quality is no good? I run a UV sterilizer (9W) through my filter along with two Powerheads (hydor and MJ1200) which causes enough flow. Theres plenty of LR for them to hide; now only one blood fire shrimp is alive. Could it be because only one shrimp is allowed per tank? I have a 37G AGA tank.

 

[Aquarist007]

In a 37 gal tank you should have a flow between 800 and 1600 gph. What Koralia are you using, the mj1200 only gives you 290gph

What lighting are you using--sometimes you can add a fan that blows across the surface of the water.

the prefered temp is 74-84 degress so just a touch high
Probably increased flow and a fan would do the trick

what you need to check with inverts esp is the salinity level in the bag they come in and compare it to your tank which should be 1.026
Quite often LFS keep their water at 1.018 which means you have to acclimatize the inverts much longer to bring up the salinty slowly
this could be a reason for the deaths of your shrimp

 

[Hungriee]

I have the Hydor Koralia 2; and I use a Filstar Xp3 Canister for extra flow. The filter only contains Activated Carbon and Phoszorb. The light I'm using is a Sundial T5HO; which has a fan in the back of the light. My salinity is only at 1.022 to 1.023. The hydrometer meter is in between both readings.

what's the best way to raise the salinity? will I have to change water and add more salt?

 

[fancyfish]

you may want to check for iodine too. usually too much iodine in the tank will kill them. Do you dose with this? run some carbon to take out what ever may be in the water. You may also want to use a toxic metal sponge such as this one from kent to take out what ever may be causing problems.
http://www.kentmarine.com/saltwater/filtration-media/toxic-metal-sponge.htm
As far as the temp, do you have fans in your canopy? if not you may need to place some. also a fan over your sump will help as well

 

[sassafrass]

Inverts need the most careful acclimation 2 hours will give them a better chance of survival. get a piece of rubber airline tie a knot in it to control the flow and start a siphon (1 or2 drops per second) when the volume doubles empty half do that at least twice.As far as temp goes a fan blowing across the waters surface will help a great deal just be prepared for increased evaporation,85 is not real bad but it is getting close.Remember nothing good happens quickly in reefing.
Lee

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12875569#post12875569 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hungriee
I have the Hydor Koralia 2; and I use a Filstar Xp3 Canister for extra flow. The filter only contains Activated Carbon and Phoszorb. The light I'm using is a Sundial T5HO; which has a fan in the back of the light. My salinity is only at 1.022 to 1.023. The hydrometer meter is in between both readings.

what's the best way to raise the salinity? will I have to change water and add more salt?

I would slowly build that salinity up to 1.026 by using salt water in your next couple of top ups

 

[snorvich]

Agree with above. Shrimp and other invertebrates are especially sensitive to salinity change. You should get, if you do not have already, a refractometer that is calibrated with pinpoint or Randy's solution.

 

[chatyak]

The cheapest chiller for the buck is a fan. Turn em' on high and point em' at the water