Minimum salinity for Shrimp

[TANGOMAN]

How low would you go with salinity in a quarantine/holding tank that housed Cleaner Shrimp ?
I'm currently at 1.019 and I'd like to go much lower...(hypo.)
At what point should I transfer the inverts?

[marie]

I would think your too low already. Be very, very slow at bringing them back to normal salinity

[Bob I]

Get them back up to normal, and transfer them. I once bought a cleaner and tried to introduce it into a tank at 1.016. It was dead before it hit the bottom. :eek:

[Bob I]

Get it back up to normal, and transfer them. I once bought a cleaner and tried to introduce it into a tank at 1.016. It was dead before it hit the bottom. :eek:

[Delphinus]

I wouldn't have guessed there's any benefit from hyposalinity for shrimp.

Bob's correct, be very very gentle adjusting their salinity. A two point difference in SG (i.e. 1.023 to 1.025, or 1.022 to 1.024 is enough to kill them instantly if they are not acclimated slowwwwwwwwwly). :cry: I wish I didn't know that from experience..

[TANGOMAN]

I guess I didn't explain why I'm determining the lowest point, (or hyposlinity), for a shrimp. It's a parasitic concern, and no, not the shrimp... :wink: . I have new fish in a holding tank. Quarantine, isolation, call it what you will...
The "new specimens" have been in quarantine for just over ten days now and the scratching behaviour is beginning to show with two of the fish. The fish and shrimp were in retail systems also @ 1.019, or very close to that. My system matched on introduction and over a five day period, the level was increased to 1.024. Then the scratching began. Over the next 4 days, the level was again reduced to 1.019.
My q-tank is rather "un-conventional". It's an established system with an array of inverts, live rock etc...I prefer this approach to the "sterile system". I feel fish are more relaxed and inclined to begin feeding in a "natural environment". Some kinda' fish psychology...? I dunno' it has worked well for me.
The diet is well balanced and vitamin/garlic enriched. I'm not hitting the panic button yet, I just want to keep a handle on this before it becomes serious. I have a lot of fish in quarantine at one time. I nomally don't go on "spending spree's" like this but I need to make multiple additions to my 90g in an attempt to distract a beligerant Purple Tang...
Perhaps I'll just leave 'er at 1.019 and patiently wait...
As always, I appreciate the input !

[rusty]

I am pretty new to the salt hobby and I have a question are cleaner shrimp that sensitive and what is the proper way to aclamate them to your tank? I need to know because I ordered one and I will be getting it soon :eek:

[TANGOMAN]

Russ, as Tony mentioned, Cleaner shrimp are extremely sensitive to changes in not only salinity, but pH, temp, etc. I'm sure this sensitivity is equal to not only other shrimp varieties, but all inverts. as well, given that water flows freely through their exoskeleton.
The most common method of transition is referred to as the "drip metthod". Float the closed bag long enough to ensure temp. equalization first and then open the bag and place in a container with room for overflow. You can also empty the specimen and the water into a container. Use a piece of airline and rely on siphon action to draw water into the bag. Use a clamp of some sort to reduce the water flow to a drip. Much like an interveneous drip used in hospitals. I like to do this over a period of at least one hour. The longer the better ![/u]

[Bob I]

Those of us who have seen Cleaner Shrimp kick off for no discernible reason know just how sensitive they are. :eek:

[rusty]

I have a peppermint shrimp i put him in slowly to are they as sensitive he has not croaked yet

[Delphinus]

They are just as sensitive, but remember we are talking about sensitivity to changes without acclimation, particularly from one tank's water to another tank's water. Once established in a system, they tend to be very hardy. It's just that you can't take one out of one tank, and plop it into another (or you can't have huge sudden swings in parameters on your tanks).

That said, there is definitely a lower threshold of salinity for them. I don't know what that is, specifically, but 1.019 is getting to be awfully low of a SG (i.e.,"specific gravity") in my opinion, hence my earlier comments. But the other thing to take into consideration is that if they are being moved into a tank with 1.025 (where most reefs tend to be kept at), that's a difference of 0.006 and that's huge. Therefore it is imperative in such a transition to acclimate as slow as possible. I almost wonder if it would be better to adjust the tank they're in, at 0.001 per day, until the tank is at 1.025, before even moving them into another tank with 1.025. Even a 1.025 to 1.025 transition should have a drip acclimation (in my opinion), for shrimp.

Hope this helps clarify things.

[rusty]

that totaly helps thanks