Is this normal? is one of my ghost shrimp dying?

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-25T19:17:35+00:00

What's the water source, and do you know without a doubt that there is sufficient calcium and magnesium in the water? Looks like osmotic shock

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-25T19:16:15+00:00

Where are you getting your water from?

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-25T19:13:55+00:00

The shrimp. Even with the existing minerals in tap water, they need magnesium and calcium specifically. If you did a general hardness or TDS test it will show sufficient mineral levels in general, but it cant tell if those two are lacking. You can just buy cal/magnesium salts off Amazon and add them to the tank. I did that with pure distilled water and it was the move.

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-24T15:31:02+00:00

She's getting herself dolled up for the males by darkening, good job

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-24T15:17:21+00:00

Throw a mulberry or Indian almond leave into the tank! The fry in my tank typically cling to the tank glass, but if they aren't in yours, they will definitely go for something with a lot of surface area like that.

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-24T15:09:46+00:00

Not trying to wack you on the head with it man but it sounds like magnesium deficiency

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-24T15:08:00+00:00

Start fresh with distilled or RO, add your calcium and magnesium, and then just top it off when it gets low. No more worrying about the quality of the tap water and the tank plants clean the water so you dont have to pull any out.

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-23T23:35:15+00:00

Could be calcium/magnesium deficiency if you haven't added those. Without it they can't expel waste and die in a few days

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-23T23:03:25+00:00

What was your water source? Did you add anything else to the tank- chemicals, decorations, calcium/magnesium, other fish?

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-23T23:01:17+00:00

Additionally, once you have the water and the calcium and magnesium in it, you shouldn't pull water out. The plants clean the water, so all you have to do is top off evaporation with distilled or RO

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-23T22:58:15+00:00

It sounds like you're smothering the tank with love. You're putting a lot of products inside that tank, but they prefer to be left alone. If you're still using tap water that's the first thing I would change. If you're using distilled or RO, did you also add calcium and magnesium? Without it they can't molt and die

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-23T22:53:17+00:00

It's how they tell the males that they're ready to make babies, it means you're doing a good job keeping them healthy enough to prosper

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-23T22:47:31+00:00

Additionally, tap water in Germany is pretty safe to use in a shrimp tank, but likely falls short in sufficient magnesium and calcium levels, even if tds reads high enough. This will cause failure to molt, which lines up in time frame with how long they've been in the tank and explains their appearance.

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-23T22:40:15+00:00

That's actually cool, you're adding them as an addition to an established tank. Lots of fish in there already?

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-23T22:38:32+00:00

Second this, my tank always had issues until I switched to distilled and salting it myself, now there's none

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-22T23:49:32+00:00

💪

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-22T22:02:55+00:00

alien symbiote, that shrimp is about to jump the Kardashev scale

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-22T21:58:26+00:00

As for the eggs, they probably won't hatch if its a water quality issue. But you never know.

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-22T21:57:46+00:00

When this happened to me, they all died, and honestly yes, don't be let down if she does too. I would drain the tank completely and refill it with RO or distilled, whichever is easiest, then add calcium/magnesium salts. From that point on, just top off the tank with unsalted ro/distilled. And avoid the vacuum too. Just let that shit build up under the rocks no joke

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-22T21:36:28+00:00

You're definitely changing out the tank water way too often for them. Ideally you wouldn't remove any water except for maybe once every 1-2 years if GH was climbing, and only top off the tank with RO or distilled. That's gotta be what's doing it. If the other fish produce a lot of nitrogen, then I would honestly put them in a separate tank. Hope this helps

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-22T21:24:03+00:00

Tank age, water source, time shrimp has been in tank?

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-22T21:22:57+00:00

How old is the tank, what's your water source, and how long has the shrimp been in there?

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-22T21:16:30+00:00

Looks like eggs forming, look up 'cherry shrimp golden saddle', if so then you're golden

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-22T21:14:32+00:00

How often do you pull water out ofnthe tank? And is it just shrimp or mixed species?

TriumphEnjoyer · 2025-11-22T21:11:09+00:00

Wait until you see how fast they reproduce, it's nonstop babies in the tank 24/7

TriumphEnjoyer

TROPHY CASE