White skeleton/inner body

[Kat]

I'm going to try to keep this as simple as can be, but I moved shrimp and plants around that might have an impact on my question.  

 

What is wrong with my shrimp? 

Deficiency?

Disease?

Parasite? 

 

This appeared in one of my shrimp tanks.  I noticed it after my tank crashed due to a fish-sitter overfeeding the fish.  All 24 laser cory babies that occupied the tank prior to leaving for vacation were dead when I returned, the shrimp were somehow still alive despite the water being so cloudy I could hardly see in it.  The water smelled of ammonia and fouled food. The tank took 3 days to cycle back completely.  Then, I noticed this white skeleton or internal body on shrimp specimens that didn't have it before.  The symptom seems to be spreading, and the shrimplets are showing this symptom as well.  I lost the first original male shrimp and the second male shrimp is in one of the pics below as is the original mama.  I haven't seen any other deaths however.  

 

Anyone have an idea of what this is in my tank?  A result of bad water quality?  El my shrimp die or can I do anything besides keep the tank water clean? 

 

[Wygglz]

Looks like a bacterial infection to me.

[Kat]

Thanks for the quick reply  Can I save them?  Will it spead to new shrimplets not exposed to the bad water conditions?  Should I move the infected shrimp to quarentine?  I just found a shrimp in the 10g quarentine tank with the same symptom, so it's already in two of my three shrimp tanks for certainty

[Wygglz]

When we had a bacterial infection in our system (8 tanks all interconnected) we treated them with antibiotics. Kanaplex is one, but we've also used a feed by Borneo Wild. It is a common issue with many threads posted about them. You might want to search for bacterial treatments. Others will probably chime in as well, but yes, other shrimp can catch it, and yes, it is treatable however, don't be surprised if you lose some stock to it.

[Kat]

He overfed all my tanks.  The bare-bottom tanks were all hazy, but the 5g was the only tank to suffer loss and the water was like milk and smelled badly.  It's possible that the shrimp in the 10g quarentine got sick as a result of poor water quality.  

 

But the thing that doesn't make any sense is that the 5g shrimp tank with BBBRs wasn't fed at all during my vacation, it is in the bedroom, I just closed the door.  I haven't seen the white inner bodies in that bedroom 5g, but I can hardly see any shrimp at all.  I found one body, the body was in tact and looked fine.  No white/pink anything.  The shrimp population just died off.  It was doing fine before I added those blue diamond neocaridina from my LFS.  Then I segregated shrimp from this tank into two others.  I wish I was smarter about this, I was ignorant to shrimp diseases. 

[ohmiko]

Omg!!' How horrible!! I think it's so weird how ppl can over feed!! It's just logic :((( sorry to hear about ur experience! I hope things end up alright

[Wygglz]

I think we all do things like that. I'm sure every last member of this forum who keeps and breeds shrimp can tell stories of losses and learning experiences you are not alone at all. I'm sorry you are dealing with it, but don't let it discourage you. Learn what you can, modify as needed, and keep on.

[ohmiko]

Oh yeah definitely but i just meant like the fish sitter over feeding so much that it drastically changed the smell and water opacity  definitely sad for the cory babies

[Mr. F]

Bacterial for sure. I've had success in treatment and minimal losses with the following.
1. 4 days of 1/2 dose Maracyn 2 or Tetracycline (antibiotic to treat the infection).
2. 3/4 dose Melafix during antibiotic treatment (tea tree oil to prevent infection spread).
3. Dr. Tim's Eco-Balance before and after antibiotic treatment (beneficial bacteria to fight infection and preserve biofiltration).

[oem]

So sorry for your losses Ohmiko

 

I've seen posts about shrimp health/disease before and have just decided to keep a log of common issues with resulting treatments for future reference.  I'll also use it for common water issues as well so I'll have a handy reference when (not if) something happens and can respond quickly for my animals.  I think other newbies would benefit from keeping one as well.

 

I know I've seen this treatment before from Mr F and have only been on site less then a year.  

[Soothing Shrimp]

Bacterial problems are hard.  Often by the time you see them in this stage it is too late. :-(

[Kat]

Thanks everyone for your help and encouragement.  The whole ordeal is a learning experience for sure.  Next time,  I'm not going to feed the fish or inverts at all when I leave for a week.  If I could take it back, I would!  

 

So, I have Kanaplex.  Should I move out any shrimp showing this white skeleton thing into one tank or not bother and treat all three shrimp tanks as is? 

 

Do I have to use meds?  Could I bring things back to normal with lots of water changes and keeping the tank prestine clean?

 

On a side note, there really isn't much info, especially pics, of shrimp diseases out there.  I couldn't find a single pic of a shrimp displaying white in the middle of the body (like its bones) like mine are.  Although I did see white bodies where the whole body appeared milky.  Keeping a log of shrimp diseases is a great idea.  If only we could share our pics and info....

 

 

[Kat]

I was going to dismantle my 5g BBBR tank and start up a 8g in its place.  Can I use plants from the 5g (where potentially there is a disease or infection as well) or should I quarentine all plants first?  Or disinfect them with bleach or peroxide?

[Kat]

Mr F:  I'm also going to look for the bb-in-a-bottle, if not Dr. Tims, another brand, that's a great idea after medication.  Since I already have Kanaplex, can I just use that?  Should I half dose it?