Dead Shrimp - Feast for crabs...

[Murph]

So I bought my first cleaner shrimp this afternoon, along with 5 new turbo snails and acclimated them all together. Floated them for about 20 minutes or so, and then dripped them for hour/hour and a half ish in a 5 gallon bucket. Turbos were all fine, but the shrimp was pretty much DOA. He seemed to be moving around in the bag, but didn't move around much in the bucket and then when I moved him to the tank he didn't flinch and just tumbled into a corner.

Cut to 4 hours later and 2 hermits are on top of him either giving him CPR or feasting on his flesh... Should I pull him out, or let the hermits enjoy their 20 dollar meal?? Also, anything about my acclimation seem off enough to cause the death?

 

[FishyReef]

I am sorry to hear about your shrimp :( It sounds like your acclimation time frame and methods were fine - I don't think you acclimated too quickly or anything. You should call the place you got him from and see if you can get your money back. It seems really unusual to me that you'd lose the shrimp that way unless something was wrong to begin with. I think you are fine leaving it in there, your snails and cuc will take care of it. If you'd had it in there a while I'd wonder if it had molted, but it sounds like in this case it really is DOA. :(

 

[Murph]

Yeah... when I put him in he just tumbled around in the current and I knew something was wrong, but was hoping he was just scared or what not. And he's definitely not molted. The crabs ate most of his front underside over night. Looks like there's still some meat left on the back half of him, so I'll give them another night or two to eat him up. And I'm going to call the place and see what he has to say... I'd like another shrimp, but i'm definitely not paying full price again.

 

[SarahSmile]

Oh, bummer-that's an expensive shrimp dinner for sure! Just for sheets and giggles, what are your levels checking out at? I think they can be sensitive to nitrates.

 

[Murph]

I checked my nitrates Sunday and they weren't measurable. Test water just stayed clear. I'll test that again tonight to be sure. My phosphates were .05. I've been getting some hair algae coming back pretty much everywhere which was the reason for the Turbos. Real short light stuff. I think the rocks I started with are what's causing the phosphates so I've been running GFO for a while now. The phosphates got as high as like .21, so bought the high capacity gfo from bulk reef supply and it's been on it's way down. I have alk/calc/mag tests as well, but didn't think to test them for the shrimp.

 

[SarahSmile]

Oh, ok. I don't know about the GFO and phosphates and all that, I've never messed with any of that. But, glad your nitrates are ok...just thought I'd throw that out there. Sometimes this stuff just happens.

 

[ZyberGoby]

poor jacque well the crabs ate well that night

 

[Murph]

Lol, no doubt on jacque. I was so pysched to get him too. I'll call the next on jacque nombre deux.

 

[ZyberGoby]

Lol, no doubt on jacque. I was so pysched to get him too. I'll call the next on jacque nombre deux.

hahahaha Nice