Re: Shrimp Still Dying

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

Edward Venn said:

> Caradina japonica are usually found in brackish water or
> water with a higher 
> pH 7.8 or above. They are susceptible to trace elements
> such a iron and 
> copper. Small amounts of iodine or other traces are not
> so damaging. In the 
> course of a days collecting I can trap inexcess of 500 of
> these shrimp in L 
> Tsuchira or in the Tone, Ara or Sumida river systems. The
> water where I find 
> them is often brackish or has a high pH and is typically
> choked with algae. 
> Losses are high and I can expect a 50% mortality-that's
> why I was offering 
> these things on Aquabid at $1.50 each (you spend a day
> wading around in 
> smelly water and mud, you definitely want some return on
> your effort)
> 
> Conversely, the Neocaradina sp are strictly freshwater
> and besides being 
> easier to keep and breed, are more attractive. Their
> shortcomings are that 
> they are much smaller (easier prey for medium sized fish)
> than the Amano 
> Shrimp and don't consume algae in as large a quantity.
> They do breed like 
> rabbits if well fed and cared for and won't resort to
> cannibalism if well 
> fed and provided with lots of hiding places for the
> young.

I've had about a dozen or so Amanos in a 150 gallon tank
for about a year with CO2 about 25-30 ppm and a KH of
4.5-5.5.  The KH is achieved by adding a few spoons of
NaH2CO3 and 2 tsp.s of CaCO3 with 50% water changes.  So
it's not much and the tap water, to start with, has almost
nothing in it.  I add a small amount of iodine, just for
luck ;-)

The tank pH runs between 6.8 and 7.0.  That number of
shrimp has no impact on algae, they cannot multiply in this
tank as there are too many persistent feeding fish to find
the baby shrimp.  The shrimp don't seem to die in this tank
(in a year's time) and the shrimp don't seem to need much
in the water.

Scott H.

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