clean up crew

[Carol]

I'm talking about the starfish, hermits, etc..
I bought two Peppermint shrimp today, a turbo snail, and 3 blue hermits.
This was not the first time I tryed with a peppermint shrimp. I did about 3 mos ago, and he died inside an hour. Ok my water might have been screwed..that one was more than likely in my ignorance somehow of not knowing things.
Now I have the tank going well, nitrates and nitrites are 0 and PH is 8.4 and my tank temp is 78.
The two shrimp died. One almost totally dead when I got home, but it looked healthy in his tank. Then the smaller juvenile one seemed ok, then he died in about an hour.
The hermits are doing wonderfully, oh yea I forgot about the sand Goby. He is doing really well.
Why do I always lose the shrimp if my paramaters seem correct?
My friend also got some freswater fish from there and 3 out of 6 died.
SO now I kind of wondering is it me that something isnt right in the tank for the shrimp, or could it possibly be the pet store. I'm lost on this one. And it gets aggravating seeming them die.

 

[Ulta]

how are you introducing them into your tank?

 

[Carol]

I leave them in the bags they come from the petshop in, and then let it float around for 20 minutes. then open bag and let the thrimp swim out with the water. The one that i first lost today was already dead in the bag by the time i got home, and its a 15 minute ride.

 

[BL1]

That one that died may have just been bad luck but, you should change how you acclimate your inverts. Fish, Coral, and Invertebrate Acclimation Procedure: Adding New Fish to a Tank

Also, you shouldn't add tank water from other tanks into yours because you never know what is in their systems.

 

[little_fish]

Inverts, such as shrimp, are really sensitive the changes in the water. Going into a totally new water environment was such a shock to his body he couldnt survive it.

 

[Ulta]

Use the drip method, its the best way.

Keep in consideration inverts are sensitive to temp and salinity changes...

The one that died in the bag could have died from too fast of temp change or just bad luck like BL1 said.

The other could have died from too fast in change of salinity or another water parameter. (This is why I drip my new guys in a bucket)

 

[Carol]

Ok I have never acclimated anything like that. The pet shop guy tols me 15 mins and then free them. I think I start may using another store too. This time around I saw them picking alot of dead fish out other tanks.

Thank you BL1 again..i'm going read that link now.

 

[Rufio808]

Depending on how different your tank is from theirs, you'll want to acclimate longer than 15 minutes. +1 on the drip acclimation. If you don't feel like doing that you can roll down the top of the plastic bag your new addition is in, so it creates an air pocket and lets the bag float on its own. Then every 5 to 10 minutes pour a bit of your tank water into the bag. Do this until the bag is full and "net" your addition and put them in.

 

[Rufio808]

Depending on how different your tank is from theirs, you'll want to acclimate longer than 15 minutes. +1 on the drip acclimation. If you don't feel like doing that you can roll down the top of the plastic bag your new addition is in, so it creates an air pocket and lets the bag float on its own. Then every 5 to 10 minutes pour a bit of your tank water into the bag. Do this until the bag is full and "net" your addition and put them in.

You did temperature acclimate them well. You'll want to make sure your additions get used to your water. I always picture it like me when I go snorkeling. When you "first" jump in the water it feels like ice water! Then after awhile it feels just right.

 

[Carol]

I don't know why the salinity level never crossed my mind as a factor. Thank you all for the help again. I will definitely change the method I introduce them into the tank.
It will be worth it when it is done, but when I had a freshwater tank, it was much much easier.