My cleaner shrimp I think is dying before my very eyes??

[cdeakle]

This morning when I woke up and checked out my fish tank my cleaner was on the sand bed on his side. He was alive but unable to stay upright?

I put him in my giant net off to the side of the tank to observe him. When I checked on him 30 min later he had got out of the net and was on the rocks upside hanging out almost like normal. So I said ok and left him?

Well again later in the day he was on his side at the bottom of the sand again. I noticed my six-line zeroing in for an inquisitive nip so i placed him in my Aquafuge. He is still alive but cannot stay upright. He is just laying there. He sometimes moves his legs and antennas around but he is in bad shape. All tank params are in good order. I did add a small yellow tank recently, could this be a problem?

.........

 

[hdtran]

Maybe he's trying to molt, but is too, umm, exhibitionist to do it in private in the dark?

I don't know how a yellow tang could harm a cleaner shrimp, unless, when you acclimated the tang, you accidentally dropped some bag water into the tank (and your LFS used copper in the bag water).

 

[cdeakle]

First thing I thought about was molting but he molted about a week ago, my LFS water is good, never any worries there. I don't know, this is the oldest inhabitant in my tank (only 3 years old), this sucks.....

 

[hdtran]

Bummer!

What's the typical life expectancy of cleaner shrimp? Maybe he's getting old?

 

[Anonymous]

No, he's not molting, but it does sound as though it's been poisoned, doesn't it? Could be anything!

 

[cdeakle]

Unless joesjuice killed off my last cleaner shrimp?.....hmmmm.....

 

[Anonymous]

Bummer!

What's the typical life expectancy of cleaner shrimp? Maybe he's getting old?

I heard 3 years was their approximate lifespan but not sure if thats valid.

 

[cdeakle]

If thats true then this could be death by old age....

 

[hopdude]

I had the same thing happen to my cleaner shrimp a few months ago. I would say it was old age. I got another one and he's doing fine. I don't know the life span of a shrimp, but I wouldn't think it would be really long.

 

[cdeakle]

He is still alive hanging around in my net. Man this sucks, I really liked this guy. I'm hoping that he might just be injured and this little time he's spending in his quarentine net might do the trick.....

 

[Anonymous]

Well, you're doing what you can, and that'sthe best you can do. Do you have other inverts in there?

 

[cdeakle]

Thanks for the encouraging words Seamaiden,

I do have other inverts, emerald crab, 20-50 asst snails, orange/red/zebra hermits, sand sifting starfish....

When I got home from work today he was still alive in the net and he actually looked a little more active so I tried putting him back in the tank and he swam upside down, landed upside down on the zoo's and kicked his legs and flippers in the air.

So I put him back in the quarentine net and hes sitting there staring at me, man this sucks bad :?

 

[Anonymous]

Well, if you have other inverts that aren't affected, then I'd be more inclined to think that he really ready for the pasture in the sky. Keep him protected, and feed him separately, like you're doing. I think that's the best you can do for the little thing at this point.

 

[cdeakle]

He can't be more than 3 years old, SM do you know by chance the average lifespan of cleaner shrimp?

 

[cdeakle]

Also, I noticed that from time to time he will "jump" backwards. Hard to describe, looks like what someone would do after stepping barefoot on something really hot and jumping backwards. ???

 

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry, I actually don't have any idea what the lifespan could be.

 

[Anonymous]

Shrimp usually die or they dont...crustaceans are very fragile and will die easily i dont think they slowly deterioate...At least not visible to our eyes...Its possible its injested some sort of poison, however im pretty sure you'll know with in 24hrs whether its gonna live or not....

 

[cdeakle]

His situation has not changed and it has been close to 36 hours...

 

[John_Brandt]

Shrimp usually die or they dont...

More prophetic words have never been spoken.

 

[Anonymous]

Never? Ever?

I suppose those words could be applied to just about anything, with one little caveat - everything eventually dies.