Found a dead shrimp: check, remove and record

Remove a confirmed dead shrimp even if other animals are feeding on it. This limits decomposing material left in the aquarium and helps you track losses. First establish that it is actually a body: an empty molt can look almost complete.

Check without harming a living animal

A discarded shell is hollow and usually translucent. A body contains tissue. Stillness or pale colour alone does not establish death; observe independent movements and the animal’s condition. Do not prod or squeeze to provoke a response. If uncertain about molting, use the identification aid.

Remove the body calmly

Use suitable tools or a narrow siphon, avoiding suction of live juveniles. Disturb substrate and filtration as little as possible. Take a clear photograph first if that causes no delay or extra disturbance. If examination is planned, ask the practitioner how to preserve the material; inappropriate preservation can hamper investigation.

A finding is a reason to check

Record time, species, recently purchased animals and changes. Observe the rest of the group and check temperature, filtration, ammonia and nitrite. Decomposition can add to water loading, but its impact depends in part on water volume and the system’s processing capacity. The finding therefore does not prove an ammonia spike, and a normal later measurement cannot exclude an earlier problem.

For new losses, loss of balance or several abnormal animals, immediately follow the problem route and seek informed help. After one finding without other abnormalities, continue observation rather than automatically treating the colony. Count molts and carcasses separately so normal shell replacement is not recorded as mortality.

Sources and scope

• LICG: Zoetwatergarnaal
• UF/IFAS: Ammonia in Aquatic Systems
• UF/IFAS: Fish Health Management Considerations in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

Removing carcasses is a judgement based on general hygiene and decomposition load. Consequences depend on circumstances; one finding does not establish an ammonia spike, transmission route or cause of death.