# Why can't I get shrimp to stay alive?



## Solarfall (Jul 24, 2009)

Today I bought 3 peppermint shrimp from a great saltwater LFS I found about 20 miles away, I also got some Cerith and Astrea snails. I acclimated everything in around 2 hours, give or take 15 mins. My snails are fine, they just sat there for the first few hours but most of them are now wondering around the tank. But 2 of the 3 shrimp have already died within 8 hours of being released into the tank. The 3rd is MIA, so I'm guessing it's probably dead and stuck in a powerhead intake or something. A few weeks ago I picked up a coral banded shrimp that died after about a day. I have about 20 snails now, a mixture of nassarius, cerith, and astrea, and I have like 4 or 5 hermits, all of which are doing great. I also have a cinnamin clown and a chocolate chip starfish that have been in the tank for like a month. I don't understand why I can seem to keep anything but shrimp in this tank.

It's a 55g with 10g sump, my params are:
Ammonia: .1 or less
Nitrire: 0
Nitrate: 20
Calc: 460
PH: 8.3
Salinity: 1.024

Now I realize that my nitrates are higher than a perfect tank, but I don't think 20 is enough to kill something within 8 hours. This is really frustrating, so if anybody has some input I would really appretiate it.


----------



## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

I think your issue revolves around the acclimation process. I would personally never acclimate a shrimp for 2 full hours, as this situation is probably much more stressful that just skipping acclimation completely. I suggest you buy a shrimp, bring it home, and immediately add it to the tank without acclimation. I will be very surprised if this does not work.

Shrimp are also sensitive to salinity changes. The salinity of the LFS water needs to be considered. You may need to Q the shrimp for a week or so, slowly raising the salinity of the Q tank to match your display.

I suspect someone on here will say something about the iodine content of your water. Although iodine levels are suspected to play a role in molting, there is no possibility that an iodine deficiency would kill your shrimp within a few short days. However, it is important to make certain that you are doing water changes to replace trace elements that are depleted from your system.


----------



## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

the shrimp may be doing just that, molting and its possible you are finding molts and not dead shrimp. it is common for a shrimp to molt when added to a new tank. they also like to hide while they are in a molt because their shells are softer during this time making them an easier target. 

on the flip side, you have an ammonia reading which may be killing them off too, its also possible to have copper in your water ( or a tank that was previously used with a copper based treatment )


----------

