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dead shrimp and clueless, long



I sure would appreciate some help.  I have had on-going fuzzy clumps of
algae in my tank for awhile. After waiting for almost 2 months for more
shrimp to arrive, they are now dropping like flies.  Originally, when I set
up the tank, June 2001, I put in a dozen and one died immediately.  Others
were out frequently for awhile.  Have no idea how many are left, haven't
seen any in a month or two.  Not long before the AGA conference, the fuzzy
algae really got going.  I picked up 15 nice, very large Amano shrimp and
quarantined them for about a week, around Dec 7ish, 2001.  My discus arrived
and were so freaked out by everything I pulled the shrimp and dripped them
into my main tank for about 30 minutes, Dec. 15, 2001.  Less than 24 hours
later, I had 5 dead shrimp, or that is all I found anyway.  Every day or two
there would be one to three more.   The conditions between the two tanks was
not different enough to kill them, or at least I didn't think so.

Quarantine 26 gallon (where they started, and day I moved them the
conditions were)
KH 0
GH 0
Ammonia .25
pH 6.7 - 6.9
84 degrees
fluorescent strip, few clumps java fern, bio-wheel (minus wheels) hang on
filter
additives - Seachem alkaline buffer

Main Display 92 gallon high tech(where they went, and conditions that day)
KH 4
GH 4
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
Phosphate 1.5 (Always jumps after a water change, I hit it with nitrate)
Ammonia 0
pH 6.8-6.9
81-82 degrees
metal halide, cable heaters, CO2 canister injection with controller, Eheim
filtration, heavily planted, laterite, flourite/gravel
additives- Seachem Alkaline Buffer, S. Equilibrium, S. potassium, S. iron,
stump remover, phosphate as needed(very rarely), TMG, Seachem Excel but not
when they started dying

I wondered if the ammonia (which was rectified by stealing media from my
Eheim and upping the bacteria) was the culprit since shrimp are sensitive to
it.  That couldn't be it though because one shrimp hid and is still in the
quarantine and is fine.  The phosphate was high in the main tank.  It
usually stays around .5-.8 unless it is around day of water change (which is
typically on Monday each week).

Considered the fish going after them but I've seen two shrimp swim up to top
and then kind of fall backwards back down to bottom.  I actually saw three
out night before last, one was just sitting there digging into gravel and
then just sitting there, it was dead yesterday morning.

Considered them being old and dying since 2 of three I saw night before last
were smaller animals but the one in quarantine is fine. Dave G also bought a
bunch and his are fine.

I did raise the temp from the initial setup of 78 to 82 in anticipation of
the discus but it happened over days and was up before the shrimp went in
the main tank.  Again, the one in 84 degree quarantine is fine.

The tank houses the following
1 zebra pleco
1 adolofo cory
7 cardinal tetras
2 furcatas
4 German blue rams
1 large SAE
11 ottos
ramshorns
MTS's (although I haven't seen any of these in awhile either)
at least 2 shrimp as of 2 days ago

If I am missing something obvious or not obvious even, please tell me. BTW,
I added 6 more shrimp in after the first few died attributing it to too
short drip-in period.  The readings in the tank have been within acceptable
ranges but something is wrong.   Any help anyone can provide would be
greatly appreciated.  The dying spree was been going on for 2 weeks now.
All the fish are fine.  Suicide? Do shrimp get depressed at the holidays
maybe?

Daphne, shrimp killer