Really stupid question...need some help

[jden092901]

ok...I kinda feel dumb for asking this, but what the heck. I have a 30 gallon tank, all of my water is great, the only thing I dont like is my nitrates, which are 3-5 with 10 being the highest its been. My salinity is 1.026. Anyway...my cleaner shrimp just died...my sally crab died a few weeks ago. I know shrimp like a little higher salinity, 1.027-28. I'm not really sure what's going on, it may be my wrasse bugging them too. I was wanting to get a coral banded shrimp for replacement, but everyone is telling me not to get one. I dont wanna spend the 20 bucks on another shrimp right now...would my tank be ok without a shrimp, or do they play a large role in your reef? I want that coral banded shrimp bad, but EVERYONE says NO.

Thanks,

Josh...sorry for the long question.

[tmz]

You don't need a shriomp in a reef. They are,however, good scavengers and cleaner shrimp(Lysmata amboinensis) preen the fish.The coral banded shrimp(Stenopus hispidus ) preys on snails and worms and is likely to attack other shrimp. Mine is fine with my large pistol shrimp and doesn't take any of the larger snails.

[garrettm]

I agree they are good scavengers and are very fun to watch

[demonsp]

You need to resolve any water quality issues before you add any stock.
Could be so many things from overstocking to overfeeding to low flow to water source to amount of LR and LS and the Sb condition and amount and type of CUC.

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/sta...opmistakes.htm

[zotzer]

How long did you have them and what was your process for acclimating them to your tank conditions?
Tracy

[stingythingy45]

You need to find out why the other inverts died.
Replacement is not the answer.

[jden092901]

I cant figure out why they died...My water is really good...I have about 50 lbs of live rock in my 30 gallon...its nearly to the top...I have a sand bed that is a little over 2 inchs. I have 2 powerheads in there, just the right amount of water flow for my corals. The ONLY thing I can think of is my 6-line wrasse. But, he hasnt gone after my smaller stuff, such as my hermit crabs and snails. Thats what is wierd, none of them have died. What do you think? And...there is no way any coper has gotten in there.

[stingythingy45]

That's strange.
Well,the first shrimp that I was able to keep alive was a CBS.
The others were peppermint shrimp.They used to die for no apparent reason.I really think it was the stock at the LFS.
It's now very large and doesn't really bother anything.
It like to swipe at the fish once in a while,but it's more of a territorial thing.When I first got her she ejected both claws after about 12 hrs in my tank.I thought......here we go again.It's been 4 months now and the shrimp is doing great.The first molt and it had it's claws back.It really helps to keep the bristle worm population in check.I just added 2 peppermints 3 weeks ago.
The CBS will chase sometimes but peppermint can disappear with the flick of a tail.Last week I added a cleaner shrimp.It's one of the coolest creatures I've ever seen.It will come to the fron tof the tank and great us,even cleans my hand when doing tank maintenance.The CBS will go looking for the cleaner.It's kind of comical to watch the cleaner walk arounfd the toadstool on the opposite side of the CBS.I say go for the CBS,they are extreamly hardy.But,take your time acclimating.Use a drip for at least an hour.If you lose the CBS,then you have some major problems with your tank.
Good luck...

[tmz]

It could be acclimation as suggested earlier in thils thread. They can't regulate their internal salinity the way a fish can so they need an even more deliberate acclimation.
They peppermints and cleaners(Lysmata wurdemanni and amboinensis) don't have very long lifespans about two years in my experiience.
Predation by the (Psuedocheilinus hexatanenia) six line wrasse or the Coral banded shrimp(stenopus hispidus) or another fish or crab is a possibility,