Shrimp dying new tank

SteveEPFD

New member
Hi all, I recently started a new 75 gallon bowfront corner tank. I used oceans best sand 80 pounds, 60 pounds of dried reef rock and some lava rocks for color. I used distilled water and reef salt.

The tank cycled and i started adding Skunk shrimp, snails, blue legged crabs from my old tank that we are getting rid of. The shrimp ate everything while in the old tank but didnt seem to eat in the new tank. After a week in the new tank (today) they both died in the last two days.

I have four firefish gobies and a red mandarin in the tank that seem to be doing just fine. Was the tank change to much for the shrimp?

The only change this week was my ph has been 7.9-8.0 and I asked my LFS and they suggested using tap water with a chlorine remover to raise the PH, they claim that's the only water they use for the store tanks. I mixed up 10 gallons of tap water (24 hours heated and salted and agitated) and tested it and it was 8.2 so i did the change. Is this a new tank problem for the shrimp or the water change? Or something else? Should i continue to use tap water to raise the ph or buy a ph up additive?

Today's test:
Salinity: 1.024
Nitrates: 10
Nitrites: 0
Ammonia: 0
PH: 8.0
 
Hi all, I recently started a new 75 gallon bowfront corner tank. I used oceans best sand 80 pounds, 60 pounds of dried reef rock and some lava rocks for color. can be a potential problem, I would remove. Lava rock can contain metals that may cause problems in a reef tankI used distilled water and reef salt.

The tank cycled and i started adding Skunk shrimp, snails, blue legged crabs from my old tank that we are getting rid of. The shrimp ate everything while in the old tank but didnt seem to eat in the new tank. After a week in the new tank (today) they both died in the last two days.

I have four firefish gobies and a red mandarin not a good idea in a smaller or new tank due to their diets. Read a bit about each new addition before purchasingin the tank that seem to be doing just fine. Was the tank change to much for the shrimp? hard to say exactly. Your parameters below look fine, but there are other things to consider as well. How closely did you match the parameters of the new tank to that of the old one where the shrimp came from? How carefully did you acclimate?

The only change this week was my ph has been 7.9-8.0nothing wrong with this. Don't "chase" the perfect pH, stability is much more important. and I asked my LFS and they suggested using tap water with a chlorine remover to raise the PH, they claim that's the only water they use for the store tanks. you are taking a risk doing this, and if the only reason you are is to raise pH, STOP! There are successful tanks that use tap water, but there are also many that experience problem (algae from the high phosphates in tap water for example). Get an rodi if you don't have one already. Don't worry about ur pH if it's in the 7.9-8 range. Look into other ways of raising it if it drops lower (I.e. Airstones)I mixed up 10 gallons of tap water (24 hours heated and salted and agitated) and tested it and it was 8.2 so i did the change. Is this a new tank problem for the shrimp or the water change? Or something else? Should i continue to use tap water to raise the ph or buy a ph up additive?

Today's test:
Salinity: 1.024
Nitrates: 10
Nitrites: 0
Ammonia: 0
PH: 8.0
 
Good bits of advice above. Your pH is fine where it is at now. Do not add pH buffers all this will do is temporarily raise pH. Since it is a new tank I would not sweat it to much. instead of checking pH you should check Alk, calc, Magnesium. There are some very good stickies in the reef chemistry forum that talks about pH and the relationship between Alk, calc and magnesium.

Also, do not use the tap water. FWIW the last time I checked my pH I think it was around where yours is. That was a few years ago. Good luck
 
Remove lava rock, don't use tap water, agree with what jon99 said about chasing ph #, 8.0 is fine, run a polypad to remove any metal contamination and wait before adding any more inverts.

Bad LFS, get your advise here, not from them any more. I find it interesting that they did not try to sell you some type of ph up product.

IMHO
 
Jon, i understand your concerns with the fish in a new tank but Ive raised both fish in my old tank and i believe i have a good handle it. This new tank i built copepod houses behind the rock display and seeded the tank with copepods and amphina pods in the tune of 10,000 approx (of course we dont "see" the copepods) but the new red mandarin does he is beautiful healthy and happy. He is waiting for his g/f in the old tank that is green and been with us for two years to be moved to the new tank down the road. Slowly moving fish weeks apart so i dont over bio the tank.

I never acclimated the shrimp before putting them in the new tank, thinking i had the same water, salt, temperature, and the new tank matured for two months before anything was added fish wise, and the parameters were the same numbers wise. I'm guessing this caused them not to be healthy and not eat which ended there time with us. I hate losing anything.
 
Julie they did sell me the chlorine remover product. What do you mean by a polypod? I do not plan on putting coral in this tank at all and i really like the way the lava rock looks, it breaks up the white of the reef rock and there glued already so i dont think i can safely remove them without redoing everything.
 
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10860927_10204509297664825_6727206266346809214_o.jpg
 
Julie they did sell me the chlorine remover product. What do you mean by a polypod? I do not plan on putting coral in this tank at all and i really like the way the lava rock looks, it breaks up the white of the reef rock and there glued already so i dont think i can safely remove them without redoing everything.

The chlorine remover will get rid of chlorine. But you could have copper pipes? Which is not invertebrate safe.. Not to mention the phosphates in tapwater, can cause huge algae issues.
 
By "Polypad", I think Julie was referring to a "Poly Filter" pad. It's a filter media that will remove potential contaminants such as metals out of the water. Be sure you get the actual "Poly Filter" not just any pad that looks similar... http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=17570

If you did not drip acclimate the shrimp then that was likely the reason they didn't make it. Bummer, but at least it sounds like the lava rock might not be the cause of your problem and you may be on the right course with everything your doing. Just drip acclimate next time and hopefully that solves the problem.
 
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