Amano shrimp lying on its side

[smm333]

I have 3 amano shrimp who I've had for 3 weeks. Today one was lying on its side but it was moving its legs still. I scooped it up with a net and put it in a breeder box in the tank with some susswassertang. I went out to do errands and when I got back it was holding onto the susswassertang.  I moved the plant to make sure it was alive and it did the little shrimp jump. :) I'm new to shrimp, so I'm so afraid I am doing something wrong. They eat repashy community food, hikari crab cuisine, and zoo meds aquatic shrimp crab & lobster food. There is plenty of algae and biofilm, it's a planted tank, and I have cuttlebone, a few alder cones, and a small cholla wood added for them. Anything else I should add? I just got some cherry red shrimp who are being acclimated and I really want everyone to stay healthy!

[nabokovfan87]

It might have been trying to molt and having issues.  How is the little shrimp doing now? 

Everything you're listing sounds awesome. Just keep constant temps.  If you wish, add some moss or something for them to mow. They love that texture.

[smm333]

On 8/6/2022 at 8:42 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

It might have been trying to molt and having issues.  How is the little shrimp doing now? 

Everything you're listing sounds awesome. Just keep constant temps.  If you wish, add some moss or something for them to mow. They love that texture.

Molting was my worry. They are juveniles, so it can't be old age. I have some java moss in the tank along with susswassertangand other plants. He is still just laying but moves when I check on him. The others are all healthy. I figure I'll just keep him in the breeder for now so nobody picks on him and hope he gets better.

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/6/2022 at 11:18 PM, smm333 said:

Molting was my worry. They are juveniles, so it can't be old age. I have some java moss in the tank along with susswassertangand other plants. He is still just laying but moves when I check on him. The others are all healthy. I figure I'll just keep him in the breeder for now so nobody picks on him and hope he gets better.

What is the temp, what about other things you can test for.  PH specifically. KH, GH, etc.

If you lose one due to a molt issue, more likely to follow so it's critical to figure if that's the issue or not.

[anitstuk]

I agree with @nabokovfan87. I think it's got the 'white ring of death' which happens when the shrimp can't molt properly. My cherry shrimp had this problem and the majority of them ended up dying from it. 

[smm333]

My little shrimp didn't make it. It was definately a molting problem. It looked like the molt was off from his head to mid body. :(   My water looks ok. 0 Chlorine, 0 Nitrite, 7.2 pH, 40 KH (89.5 ppm), 75 GH (125.3 ppm), and 20 Nitrate which is maybe a bit high for the cherries, but amano says under 30 is fine. Hopefully it is just a fluke with the one shrimp. I have been researching and plan to pick up some organic veggies to feed them. I read this is important for calcium to help them with molting. Also, looking into lowering the nitrate a bit to ensure my little cherries thrive. I know water changes are helpful, but was also looking at products that may help. Has anyone tried ALGONE water clarifier & nitrate remover or API Nitra-Zorb? I am also going to look for some frogbit to float on top.

[Melkor]

Try to avoid adding a ton of chemicals chasing specific water parameters. Your water seems fine, as far as neocaridina or amanos are concerned. The more you swing them the more it stresses livestock and plants. Organic blanched kale and spinach are good calcium vegetables. What do you normally feed your shrimp? Because I've heard shrimp breeders say their ingested mineral intake is more crucial than waterborne minerals.

[smm333]

I am picking up organic veggies tonight. I feed repashy community, hikari crab cuisine and zoo med shrimp food. I'm new to shrimp, and just trying to get it right! I ordered some tourmaline balls and snowflake food to try with them as well. So far everyone else is the tank is looking healthy and busy. :)

[Melkor]

I'm a fan of glasgarten mineral junkie bites to supplement minerals. But really any freshwater invertebrate foods will probably be fine. Just don't leave uneaten food too long. Most shrimp keepers recommend pulling food after a few hours(i use borosilicate petri dishes to keep it clean and neat, but amanos are notorious for taking off with food). If they don't seem interested in the food, probably have enough biofilm to graze on. Catappa leaves are great too, leave them till they are skeletal, then put a new one in. 

[smm333]

Just a quick update. My amanos have been hiding, but as I was feeding everyone tonight I spotted one! Bigger and looking happy and active. I was so worried the shrimp would all have molting problems, but this one did great. Yay for success!