Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

[imagirlgeek]

Anyone out there feed Ghost Shrimp?  And those who do, do they crap up your tanks?  The reason I ask is because, perhaps it's coincidence, but we recently bought some ghost shrimp to feed our fish and shortly after...like within a couple of days...the 210 crashed.  Then the next day, the 150 crashed!  We did emergency water change on both and through some bio-wheel filters on them until they got better.  

Since I know someone will ask....

The 210 has 3 canister filters on it -- a Magnum 350, a Rena XP4, and an Odyssea something (equal to an XP3).
The 150 has 1 Rena XP3 and an Emporer 400 Biowheel, but has a light fish load.

Both read high on Ammonia and Nitrites, and low Nitrates.  Everything has been stable on these tanks for months.  

Both tanks are stable and we didn't lose any fish...thank god.  But I want to avoid this happening again.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

How long have the fish been in the tanks?
Did you feed more then usual?

I have found that most feeders are kept in poor water and lots of them stank! Did you recently set up the tanks? I have used stanky shrimp before in a lot smaller tank and did not have problems like you have experienced but these tanks have strong bio-filtration.

Did you recently clean the filters?
Have dead spots where detritus and uneaten foods collect?
Something die and you haven't found it?

[MJY6087]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

i havea  similar problem.  Everyone I add ghost shrimp to a tank (not as feeders) they die for some reason , all of the them instantly die, but I dont have that problem with the RCS

[justdoit]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

agree w/ Ek  -  recent cleaned filters w/ feeder shrimp snack gobbled up - the bioload could of spiked your tanks.

Personally had BIG problems w/ water [in the bags] brought home from LFS.     Everyone has own system.       I float for temp change then add only fish by netting or pouring thru net w/ say shrimp when possible.      Abit of bad water went a long way that time.     Just a thought since both tanks were slammed.

Glad it worked out & stablized w/o worsening.      Water changes are the best emergency action.   V

[Mzungu]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

If they both read high on ammonia and nitrites, that's probably an indication of either something decomposing in the tanks or a mini-cycle.

Are your fish messy eaters? Maybe some pieces of shrimp are escaping their mouths and falling to the bottom, where they decay?

P.S. And it's true that any type of feeders you buy are going to be pretty gross. They're kept in tank where they're packed in like sardines and rarely is any maintenance done. They also are probably not in excellent shape when they arrive at the store. I know it might be a hassle, but it might be a good idea to QT the feeders you buy. That way you could also feed them nutritious meals, which will also benefit your fishes.  :)

[imagirlgeek]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

Thanks for the feedback.  Quarantine is not a bad idea!  

We usually feed rosy reds, but when the store was out, we picked up some ghost shrimp.  The fish loved them, but, like I said, the tanks went South.  We checked for decay because that's what the water smelled like, but found nothing.  Thanks again for all the replies.  I didn't want to stray away from ghost shrimp since the fish really enjoyed the chase, but I'll quarantine for a few days next time and feed a handful at a time from here on out.  That way I can keep an eye on what gets eaten.

EK -

How long have the fish been in the tanks?  -  A few months.  We've had the fish for years, but recently set up the 210, so the fish from the 150 were moved to the 210 and the fish from the 125 were moved to the 150.  We used the water from the tanks, so it wasn't like a brand new setup.

Did you feed more then usual?  I don't have a gauge on what is 'more than usual' since this was our first ghost shrimp experience.

Did you recently clean the filters?   I clean the filters in water syphoned into a bucket from the tank in which the filter is attached, so I don't kill the bacteria.
Have dead spots where detritus and uneaten foods collect?   Very possible, but moved all the rocks to check for dead feeders.  We also use sand so maintenance includes removing the rocks and stirring the sand.
Something die and you haven't found it? - We counted all fish.  Nobody is missing.

[islander]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

Howdy,

A few weeks ago we caught a few dozen ghost shrimp from one of our outside barrels and put them in a very well planted 30 gallon angel fish taken.  We were hoping some would make it to clean the bottom of the tank but don't see any.  There are a few dozen angels in this tank from dime - silver dollar size.  It is set in my oldest sons book shelve so no room for outside filter.  Kept clean with 2 box filters and have a long bubble strip in the tank.  I will try some more ghost shrimp in there in a couple weeks.  

It sounds like you might have gotten a bad batch of shrimp.  Good luck in putting it back to normal.  later, ken

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

I think it went through a cycle and the rotten shrimp made it worst....sometimes a few months is still not enough for the nitrogen cycle to complete and adding any load to it causes it to re-cycle or mini-cycle.

I will say that Dirty water is just that, dirty water and it will hold little to no beneficial bacteria.

[imagirlgeek]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

I understand how the shrimp could factor in, but I'm not getting how it would cycle when the only thing that changed was the aquarium holding the 'dirty water'?  The rocks, sand, filters, fish...all the same.  Using this logic, I should have problems every time I do a partial water change.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

If you used all the old rocks/substrate/filters then most likely the bacteria carried over...you did not mention any of that but just the fact that you used old water.

Once bacteria takes hold of any surface area in the tank it's there till you screw that up....a water change isn't removing anything other then dirty water and adding it back in should not bother anything unless your water quality out the tap is just that bad.

[imagirlgeek]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

I'll try to be more specific next time.  I guess I shouldn't assume that some things are a 'given'.  :doh:

Having 10 tanks and somewhere around 80 fish myself, I guess I just assume that most of us here are on the same level as far as our knowledge of general maintenance and care.  Obviously we can't all know everything...except maybe EK  <-- Poking you with a stick, EK  

Anyway, thanks to all who offered up personal experiences!  Appreciated as always!

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

Not saying that I know everything, just trying to fill in the blanks since no one knows your tanks like you do and I have yet to meet anyone that is a phsycic mind reader.

You posted for help and I tried to get a better understanding of what is going on so I asked questions....a doctor can't tell you how to get better if you can't tell him what the symptoms were nor can a mechanic tell what's wrong without diagnosing or feedback from the driver.



I guess its obvious that you knew yur answer before posting so I guess what is said here is worthless to the all knowing.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

BTW, what were your readings for Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates?

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

BTW, what were your readings for Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates?

[imagirlgeek]

Re: Ghost shrimp funk up anyone's tank?

Whoa!  I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit a nerve.  No need to get nasty.

I posted asking if anyone else had any bad experiences with ghost shrimp, and I believe I said twice that I appreciated all the feedback.  That included you.  This board is not only a Q&A forum.  It's also a place where we, as fish lovers, can share experiences and take that information and apply it in our own homes.  

Also, I think I explained what the symptoms were pretty well.  You made the assumption that my water quality was crap and I had dead fish floating around in the water.  I realize you don't know me OR my aquariums, but give me a little credit for know at least the basics of the hobby.

I didn't mean to send you to a bad place, and I am certainly not 'all knowing'.  

BTW - you going to the meeting Friday?  I'd sure like to put a face to the name.