Shrimp tale – Episode Ten -Why are my Shrimps Dying?
#Episode_Eleven #Shrimp_tale
Hello Pirates and Welcome back !!
TOPIC: WHY ARE MY SHRIMPS DYING ??
Today we discuss about the freak causes due to which your shrimps might be dying in your tank. I will be sharing some from my experience and encourage you all to share yours’ too with others. So that we donot make the same mistakes.
POSSIBLE CAUSES:
Your tank is cycled, you have plants and fishes ..they are doing fine but your shrimps died one fine morning !! You wonder what could be the cause..maybe the temperature is dropping you think. So you put a heater and end up killing more !!
So the next thing which comes to your mind is perhaps doing a large water change. Yes that will somewhat save some of your shrimps because it is mostly the water which causes all the trouble. Not the water precisely but toxins in it.
But the next day you find some more dead shrimp so what then ??At this point you need to think like a detective 
Try to remember everything that happened in the room that could have impacted the tank water parameters. You donot neet a master test kit for that. You just need good observation skills with a basic understanding of the things.
1. Sanitizer: Since the lock down and covid breakout we all started using sanitizers. At times we may put that hand in the tank. This may wreck havoc in your tank. It could kill the bacteria colony and in turn lead to an ammonia spike. And shrimps will die due to that say after a couple of days. So this is not an instant effect but eventually it will lead to that and you keep wondering why it is happening !!
2. Mosquito Repellants: Mosquitoes and Shrimps are insects end of the day. We make fun of that but we don’t realise that the same mosquito repellent could also kill the shrimps. This is a common mistake. The reason being.. the repellant vapour tends to condense in contact with tank water and forms a layer and even mixes with it. So evidently you are poisoning your beloved shrimps. DONOT USE ANY MOSQUITO REPELLENT IN YOUR SHRIMP ROOM !!
3.Wrong Heater: This is a rookie mistake which I made myself initially back in 2017. I was using a 100watt heater in a 50litre tank. I should have used a 50watt heater which I did when I realised. Wrong heaters will raise your tank temperature at a speed your shrimps cant handle. So throughout the day there will be cooling and heating spikes which will cause your shrimps to stress and they may stop eating and eventually die of failed molts. SHRIMP TANKS DONOT NEED HEATER TILL 20°C.
4.Shrimp Mineral: If using tap water this is COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY !!! May cause shrimp death by altering kh and gh in the tank. Use this only if you are using RO Water along with a gh kh measuring kit.
5.Power cut or Faulty Device: At times our filters wont run properly due to a loose plug or a faulty extension cord. Also never plug in more than one device in a single socket. I have seen many doing this but that is just wrong !! Get a separate reliable extension cord if the need be. Filters remaining switched off at any point leads to an ammonia spike and shrimp death.
6.Family members and Domestic Helps: Everyone at house or with access to the tank room should know the norms and abide by it. They are not supposed to know what is done and why so better to set a list of rules for that room.
7. Predators: Dragonfly nymphs and Damselfly nymphs may be killing your shrimps which you don’t realise initially but yes they are really harmful for any tank be it fish or shrimp. In such cases take necessary steps.
8. Planaria and Hydra: These are innocent looking things in your shrimp tank which will kill shrimps. There are easy remedies for that too.
9. Uprooting plants: This is something we had discussed earlier. Don’t uproot plants in your shrimp tanks. This will lead to ammonia spike.
There could be many more accidental causes besides these which I discussed. Share your experience with us and help the shrimp community to grow It’s better to learn from others’ mistakes at times.
Thanks and Happy Shrimp Keeping !!