Shrimp tale – Episode Eight -WHAT NOT TO DO IN A SHRIMP TANK
#Episode_Eight #Shrimp_tale
Today it will be more of a recap of what we have discussed in the past few episodes.
The common mistakes we make in shrimp keeping – sometimes due to lack of information and other times due to our “over caring” nature. Relatable Right…haha. Ok stay tuned and scroll down once you are ready.
Topic:
WHAT NOT TO DO IN A SHRIMP TANK
“Why are my shrimps dying?” this is perhaps the most posted question on any shrimp forum. And no matter how many times people have explained it shrimps till keeping dying from time to time due to more than one reason.
But the question itself doesn’t give a clear picture for a solution. Every tank is different in its own way of filtration, plantation, livestock and water parameters so naturally there can’t be one common solution and even if one says, “Ammonia Spike” how do you take action for that?
What not to do:
1. Number one reason for shrimps dying is putting them in a non-cycled tank or atleast not mature enough to house shrimps. Ammonia and nitrites are both toxic for them. So we cycle for atleast 3 weeks in a new setup. Using bacterial product or old filter media makes the process faster. Refer to previous posts in the section for more.
2. Overfeeding: Yes we love our shrimps but that doesn’t mean we need to overfeed them. The animal world is way more efficient in taking care of itself than human kids. Sorry but that’s true 
So don’t overfeed. Feed only the amount they can finish in an hour or two. This has been discussed in detail on a previous episode.
3. Copper: Any shrimp keeper would know that copper is really toxic for all crustaceans. So medications or tank additives with copper compounds should be strictly avoided. Some fish food may even have copper sulphate. Use such feeding in moderation in your shrimp tank and avoid if you have alternatives.
4. Priority: This is important. We know that shrimps love planted tanks (not plastic decoration) but then in a shrimp tank shrimps have to be your priority and plants would be your second priority. They go both hand in hand but things like excess co2 for hyper fast plant growth would definitely kill shrimps. Or fertiliser overdosing would again wreck havoc. Avoid Gluteraldehyde (liquid co2) based products in general and especially in shrimp tanks.
5. Water Change: Diana Wastad has stated that low techs stable tanks don’t need water changes as frequently only top-up and plant trimming is necessary. But then that is only part of the story if following her method you need to follow it entirely and not the portion you find convenient. So in short Water changes are necessary in a shrimp tank to avoid slow build up of unwanted compounds. Nitrate above a certain level is also a deterrent for a thriving shrimp colony. 30% water change every alternate week is advisable for a “mature-low-tech-planted-shrimp-tank”.
6. Fishes: There are some fishes which are shrimp safe including their babies but most of them are not. However having shrimps in a community tank of small fishes is a good idea provided you don’t expect the shrimps to swim out in the open. With fishes in the tank shrimps will tend to hide.
7. TDS: In recent times TDS has become an issue because we hear “lower the TDS better your plants will do”. This isnt entirely true !! For Neocaridina Shrimps the ideal TDS range is between 150 to 250. But TDS alone doesn’t give a clear picture. So I will briefly refer to an article regarding GH & KH here:”GHPlants and livestock are generally less sensitive to GH than KH. Plants that require soft water to grow well require low KH values, but not necessarily low GH values. These plants are sensitive to alkalinity, to be accurate, rather than General hardness. GH is important when keeping shrimp and shellfish. Soft water tanks typically have GH as low as 2-3. While very hard water tanks can have GH values in the 20s to 30s+. Plants can survive across a large range so GH should be tuned for livestock’s sake generally.KHWith regards to growing plants, between 1-2 dKH you can keep sensitive soft water species. Between 2-8 dKH you can keep 97% of all commercial aquatic plants in optimal condition. Between 8-12+ dKH you can probably grow 95% of species well, but some will be sub-optimal. Above 18 dKH or so, more plant growth issues start arising – at this level, hardy plants such as Java fern, Anubias, Vals, certain Swords and Crypts will still grow well, but many other species will stunt.”
8. Shrimps Molt: Yes Shrimps molt and you need not mistake them for dead shrimps. Leave the molts in the tank it is required for the shrimps.
9. Avoid Sudden Changes: Consistency and Stability in a shrimp tank are crucial hence you will see shrimp does better in matured tanks than new ones. Do not make any sudden change in your shrimp tank. For e.g. Avoid large volume of water-change, make sure the water temp of the replacement and tank are in the same range +/-2°C max.10. Do not uproot plants in your Shrimp tank. It will end up leaching ammonia into the water and hence you know what will happen!!I could go on and on, but then let’s end here for today’s episode and we can have a discussion about any topic you wanted to hear about in the comment section.
Thanks and Happy Shrimp Keeping !!