Ghost Shrimp Stuck Molt

[May Ly]

I have recently bought 4 ghost Shrimp from my local PetSmart, and they were fine until around the 3rd week they started dieing one by one. I only have one left now, but I woke up to it on its side molting. It had gotten the head part off but the tail, back and legs were still on. It's a 10 gallon with one balloon molly, two guppies, a small nerite snail, and an oco catfish. I have a small Amazon sword plant, Scarlet temple, and a mondo grass I believe. I have a small gravel or a big sand, and my filter is fit for 30 gallons and has a sponge on it so they dont get sucked in. I haven't tested my water lately since I don't have a tester kit and I'm not sure if I can bring samples to PetSmart due to covid. I turned off the light since my balloon molly has associated me with food and was hitting the shrimp while swimming at the bottom. I came back a few hours later and the shrimps state hadn't changed. I put her in a net so she can molt undisturbed, but I'm wondering if I should euthanize her I'm clove oil or if there's something I can do to help. I really don't want her to die because I had 3 others go not long ago. Please let me know what I can do.

[Tired]

I would give it a few more hours. If it doesn't make any progress, then yes, it's likely permanently stuck and should be euthanized. Sometimes molts just go wrong. 

 

Ghost shrimp are often not treated very well in the supply chain due to being intended as feeders, so they frequently arrive in bad shape. They may already have been sick. The fish might have bullied them, also. Shrimp and fish don't tend to mix very well. Some species that are sold as ghost shrimp can actually attack small fish. 

 

You could try looking on Craigslist or the like to see if anyone locally is selling shrimp. You'd have a better shot at getting healthy ghost shrimp if you got them from someone who bred them, and some ghost shrimp (there are many species sold as "ghost shrimp") breed in freshwater. 

 

Is it possible there's any copper in the water, from any sort of medication? 

 

I would advise not buying any more balloon belly fish. They have the same general idea as fancy goldfish, which is to say they've been bred into having what is more or less very bad scoliosis. Their organs and spines are really messed up, they're prone to a lot of health problems, they tend to die young, and they're overall just not a good fish for breeders to produce. It's like a pug's face, but their entire body. 

 

Careful with the oto. They tend to slowly starve unless they're in very thoroughly established tanks, with a thick layer of biofilm. You may be able to keep it healthy with zucchini and other suitable herbivore foods. 

 

Try plantedtank.net for further shrimp info, that's where you can find experts in freshwater shrimp. 

[May Ly]

Hey thanks for the info. Just got home and she hasn't made any progress. What would be the best way to euthanize her?

 

Also I had the mother of the balloon molly and this was her first born. I realize they aren't the best genetically but I bought two a year ago and later found out about all of that. The mother died of swim bladder disease when she was a year and a half (the lifespan I found on google). I have noticed however the one I have now seems to have a bacterial growth on her, but I've tried many time treating it with the medicine I have in the attached picture. It always comes back but it isn't fuzzy and it doesn't get bigger and isn't very big. So it might be her colouration but what do you think. I can try to get a picture if you would like but it will probably be blurry or something. She's almost a year old by now.

 

Also with the catfish, I've had them (not sure the sex) for almost a year. I used to have a common pleco but he moved out and into a 45 gal about a week or two ago. I used to put in algae wafers but the balloon molly and the pleco would both eat it so the shrimp and catfish never did. I had a Betta in there so the catfish has only one eye. Seems to be doing good, and I only have one but want to get 2 more. What should I do to feed them?

 

Only things I've added are shown in the attached picture. I added the biological enhancer when I switched from a gravel to what I have now (about a month ago). Whenever I get new fish I don't add pet store water.

 

Also thank you so much I appreciate it!

[Tired]

Clove oil works well to euthanize just about anything with gills. I think all aquarists should keep some on hand for emergency situations. 

 

You should not get more otos. If anything, you should rehome the current one. They really do best in groups, but in very well-established aquaria, with a thick layer of algae and biofilm on everything. They're hard to reliably feed anything other than that biofilm. They'll do okay for awhile, and then after a year to a year and a half, just start fading away. A slice of blanched zucchini (either dip it in boiling water, or freeze it for a bit) can make a good meal for them, but may not be sufficient on its own. The minimum tank size for them is more like 20 gallons, to help them get enough food. 

 

For the common pleco, you should have a plan to upgrade sooner than later. Common plecos hit a foot long, so they aren't really good for situations that aren't small ponds. 

 

None of the medications shown in that image are antibiotics, which would treat a bacterial infection. Do NOT use anti-bacterial medications in your main tank, they will kill your biofilter off. A fish with a bacterial infection should be removed to a quarantine tank and treated there. 

[May Ly]

Ok thank you. Not sure what I'm gonna do with the oto, but the 47 gal or whatever it is has chiclids and killed the two otos we put in. I'll euthanize the shrimp later tonight.

 

For my tank what should I eventually house in it? I'm planning guppies and nerites at this point with the new info about otos and shrimp... I had tried looking for ghost Shrimp in my area but didn't find anyone. There are cherry shrimp, would that be ok?

Also do you think all my plants will end up being thicker or will it stay their current sizes (will the get taller or fuller) (I accidentally killed the Amazon sword cause I didn't realize it shouldn't be moved) I have root tabs too that I'm using.

[Tired]

Cherry shrimp will get picked on by guppies, possibly devoured. Try amano shrimp, maybe? Big enough to tolerate guppies. and herbivorous. Cherry shrimp do best in their own tank, or with only very small fish that have no predatory nature whatsoever. 

 

Plants grow when properly taken care of, yes. Whatever you end up doing, a few more hiding places wouldn't go amiss, fish do best with places they can hide. 

[May Ly]

Ok sweet thanks! You've been such a great help!