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Posted by Chris Lewis ·
Losing new shrimp in the first few days is one of the most common and most discouraging things in the hobby, especially when they were a gift or cost real money. Usually the tank isn't the problem. The change between the seller's water and yours is.
Why new shrimp die early
- Water difference. Shrimp handle stable water well and sudden changes badly. A big gap in hardness (GH), TDS or temperature between the bag and your tank shocks them, and they often die one to three days later.
- Fast acclimation. Floating the bag and dumping them in isn't enough for shrimp.
- Big water changes after they're in. This is the one that catches people. When the first shrimp die, the instinct is to change lots of water. That creates another sudden shift, and more die. Large swings can also cause failed molts.
What to do now
- Stop changing water in big amounts. If you must, change 10% at a time with water matched closely in temperature and hardness.
- Stop adjusting. Adding rocks, buffers and supplements at the same time makes the water move around more. Pick one direction and let it settle.
- Test and write it down: GH, KH, pH, TDS if you have a meter, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. Cherry shrimp are happy across a wide range, roughly pH 6.5-8 with moderate GH. Stable matters more than perfect. Water Check will flag anything actually out of range.
- Feed lightly. A small amount every day or two is plenty in a planted tank.
Next time: drip acclimate over one to two hours, until the water in the container has roughly tripled.
About active substrates: soils like Fluval Stratum pull pH and KH down over time. That's fine for many shrimp, but your test results will look different from your tap water. That's expected, not an emergency.
Species pages: cherry shrimp, blue dream.