Loss half of my snowball

[Lithops]

I'm planing to buy a test kit this week-end, after my car is fixed...(yep my car is sick! lol). Now that I have 3 tanks, I think it's worth it to buy. One is cycling too so I need to check where my cycling is at. I had a very old one, but never felt the need to buy a new one since I never really had problem before. I been having fish for the pass 20 years on and off. I decided to restart them last summer and I been having more problems in the pass 6 month then in the previous 20 years !   

I lost a other shrimp, but my big female is still alive and eating right now and I should have a other one somewhere...I hope. I'm thinking to move them in my 65 g tank in a breeding net to try to save what it's left. Not sure if it's a good idea.

The water is at 25 degree, witch it's should be fine. I can't adjusted to lower or high. I have not find yet a heater that you could adjust for a 6 gallons. No sun light on that tank. I live in a basement so it's always cool.

Anyway, getting water test result this week-end.
Thanks to help me figure out what I'm doing wrong.
Lithops

[robt18]

What kind of water conditioner do you use?

[wrm130]

What kind of water conditioner do you use?

GREAT question!!! Wish I'd thought to ask that!!!

[Lithops]

robt18 / wrm130

I use most of the time Big Al's or the one from Hagen

I tested the water again, Nitrite 0, nitrate 0 and ammoniac 0, pH 7.6 and hardiness kH 6 and gH 10. Depending of the source some say, they can handle that parameter and even breed.

After a lot of though here why I belive I have zero nitrate even if my tank IS cycled :

1) The test they sell in store are not the most accurate test that can be done. They are made to be friendly user and they have there limit. It's a great tool and give the info we need. Since I only had 3 shrimps in 6 gallons, most likely the level of pollution they make where not enough for the test to read. I even suspect that the food I was giving was polluting more then the shrimps!

2) I have live plants in my tank and plants do use nitrate.

I still don't understand why I lost them all, even with clean water and very slowly introduce them to my water like Shawn told me to do so when I pick it up. I guess they never got use to my water. Make me very sad. Even more that I took time to make some research to be sure they where good for my lvl of experience and the water I had.

I only have one shrimp left now, that I put in a breeding tank attached to my main tank and I'm using my 6 gallons for my new fishs before I introduice them to my 65 gallons.

Thanks a lot for trying to help me
Lithops

[wrm130]

my tanks, even way overstocked, always test 0 nitrates or 5 at max if I get lazy.

plants are great for the shrimps to snack on

I keep mine in a kh 4-5

I'm very sorry for your losses, and it's too bad we couldn't help more

I have a bunch of different kinds of shrimp if you would like to try again.

*maybe you could try switching to 'prime' as a conditioner

dont give up!!!

[exv152]

Definitely don't give up, that's just part of the hobby. I would try again with a different acclimation technique, not sure which one you used, but a slow drip acclimation for a good hour or two might be worth trying. Also prime is better imo to the other options for dechloriantors. A cooper test kit may also be worth investing in if you want to keep shrimp. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

[Stussi613]

I also recommend prime. You'll want to be careful with using the 6g as a holding space for new fish to go into your big tank. If there is nothing in I to keep the cycle going you could lose new fish you put in there to quarantine.

You could re-start the tank by adding in a few hardy fish to get the cycle going again and once you have nitrates showing with zero ammonia and nitrite, you could add in a few Otto cats. Once things are stable for a few weeks take out the fish you used to cycle and add the shrimp you want. Otto cats are pretty well known to be safe with shrimp as long as you have hiding spaces for any shrimplets you might get if the shrimp breed.  As mentioned in previous posts get yourself a good test kit and don't rely on testing at local fish stores.

Shrimp are a little bit more challenging to keep, but worth the effort if you ask me.

Don't give up, we're here to help!

[Lithops]

Next time I will buy prime, thanks to let me know.

I bough a test yesterday ( hardiness test) and tested ALL my tanks ! And made me realise that from one tank to a other I get very different parameter and made me wonder... I think, I know why my shrimps may never got use to my water. In my 65 gallon I have soft water with a pH of 6.6 and in my 6 gallons I have hard water with a pH of 7.8. I add nothing to my water except conditionner. So something in my 6 gallons is changing the water parameter. My guess would be a piece of rock that I had for many years. I did remove it this morning and will test the water again next week (may be before) to see if it's that.

I think, I lost my shrimps because when I was doing my water change, I was not paying attention to the difference between the new water and the aquarium water since I didn't know. And that must have put my sensitives shrimps under stress every time. Poor thing !

My 6 gallons is cycled. I put in it my new fishs . In 18 hours I pass from 0 ammoniac, 0 nitrite, 0 nitrata to 0ammoniac, 0 nitrite and 5 nitrate ! My reaction was : YES ! I knew it's was cycled !  Once the quarantine done I move those fishs in my 65 gallons aand move some shrimps in it that beed in a tiny tank in it (Once I find out what raise the pH and hardiness). How long should be the quarantine ?

Thanks for the offer wrm130, I will keep it in mind. I will first try to fix my parameter in my 6 gallons , decide what I do with my lonly snowball shrimp (can't put her with my others shrimps since they can breed) and decide if I keep cycling my 2 gallons.

Thanks all for your support and help
Lithops