cherry shrimp catastrophe

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natalie265
Site Admin
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:48 pm

cherry shrimp catastrophe

by natalie265

Recently, i purchased five red cherry shrimp. I put them in a tiny 2 gallon tank with a sponge filter. They began breeding like crazy and soon i had a ton of babies. I moved them to a newly purchased 5 gallon with a heater which promptly broke. I installed a new heater, but inadvertently heated their water too high too quickly. Within 24 hours all the shrimp were dead but two. I assume the temperature increase is what killed them. I cleaned the tank, siphoning up as many shrimp bodies as i could, but within another 24 hours, the tank was smelling strongly of ammonia. After two days of 50% water changes, the tank still smelled bad and the two remaining shrimp were struggling, so i moved them and did a 90% water change on the shrimp tank.

Do you think the dead shrimp overwhelmed the biological filtration, or do you think something is wrong with my sponge filter? When i moved them to the 5 gallon tank, i changed sponges, but it came from a mature tank, and i don't think i let it dry out or anything in the move.

I tried testing for ammonia to confirm that is what i was smelling and two different tests did not detect any ammonia. Could it be something else?

I hate it when things go wrong like this! So disappointing!


Alasse
 
Posts: 993
Joined: Sun May 09, 2010 5:35 am
Location: QLD Australia

Re: cherry shrimp catastrophe

by Alasse

When you say the heater broke, do ya mean it literally broke or just stopped working?


fishfriend75
 
Posts: 12
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2012 10:22 pm

Re: cherry shrimp catastrophe

by fishfriend75

sorry for your loss natalie,I recently lost 2 of my wood shrimp due to temp spike.I do think temp was the cause.The smell is another story,possible reaction from new filter with bacteria from the shrimp.hope you figure it out,dont give up, dave


natalie265
Site Admin
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:48 pm

Re: cherry shrimp catastrophe

by natalie265

No, it didn't actually break (though i've had that happen before!). Just stopped working. After two almost 100% water changes, the smell is finally going away.

cherry shrimp catastrophe

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