Shrimp keep going MIA

mark · #1 09-12-2009, 04:39 PM

Can't seem to keep cleaner or peppermint shrimp more than a few months. They seem healthy, regular molts etc but after a while just disappear without a trace.

Tanks a reef and usually doing good though currently having some problems with the SPS, but last time with shrimp was well before this.

Fish are Purple and Regal Tangs, Foxface, Sixline, clowns ands damsels., have a few BL hermits also.

ferret · #2 09-12-2009, 04:57 PM

Same happened to my shrimps. I kept several types of shrimps in the sump (a small group of same species usually 2 to 4 nos. ) and the amount will decrease sooner or latter and there are no fishes being kept in the sump but with a lot of live rocks. Recently I discouvered one of the peppermint shrimp was being attacked by another cleaner shrimp when it was molting and was being eaten.

BlueWorldAquatic · #3 09-12-2009, 06:01 PM

Biggest problem with shrimps (pepermint/cleaners) are that they are great snacks for larger fish. (I saw antenna sticking out of my dwarf lions mouth a few times).

But when they are larger and heathy they can hold their orn a bit better.

One of the most common problems is that they are very susceptible to acclimation to new water (via shipment or transport). I lost 6 cleaners a few months back in my personal tank due to them dying off because of this. That is why I now ONLY acclimate shrimp with a drip method for no less than 2 hours.

Mortality rate is much better due to this.

Ken - BWA

mark · #4 09-12-2009, 07:28 PM

Hoping none of the fish I have would be a problem, as from acclimatizing, I usually drip, but also it's months later when they go missing.

fkshiu · #5 09-12-2009, 11:36 PM

Most likely taken out when they were molting. Shrimps are very vulnerable during molting and in a small confined space they can be easy targets.

naesco · #6 09-13-2009, 02:05 AM

You seem to be acclimating them right.
What about water changes?
Are you making sure that your new water is the same salinity and temperature.
What is your salinity? Inverts like salinity at the higher range 1.026
Also look at investing in a new salinity tester because yours may be out of wack and testing higher than it really is.
Lastly when you try again, observe that they are feeding and buy a small one because they may also just be dying of old age.
Good luck