[Chris_P]

This is the second time this situation has occured. I bought a cleaner shrimp, and drip acclimated it for 2 1/2 hours in a tank that has kept such inverts as nassarius snails, sand sea stars, and astrea snails alive for months. I released the shimp into the tank after 2 1/2 hours and for a second time it died within 10 minutes. I can only assume that osmotic shock is the reason, but I was careful to acclimate it slowly in moderation adding a few drips every few minutes. I have had 3 astrea snails die in the last 3 weeks or so but none of my other many inverts show any signs of going downhill. What the heck? I dont think cleaner shrimps are supposed to be this hard to introduce into tanks, are they?

[leebca]

Basically Chris, they aren't supposed to be that challenging. I've had a few dozen over the years.

Regarding snails, it is very important that the snails you get are from tropical (warm) waters. If you obtain snails that come from Mexico, Florida and cooler waters, they will soon die in your tank because they slowly cook from the tropical temperature we keep the marine tank at. I have snails more than 3 years old now, but I was sure they came from warm Pacific waters or were tank bred.

Regarding the shrimp. . .You can be a little more sure of the situation by taking readings and measurements. The next time you attempt to put in a shrimp, check the tank water and the bag water for: pH, and salinity. If the pH is different, the shrimp won't have much of a chance. They are sensitive to a pH shift of even small amounts.

I would also take a pH reading of the water they were living in. If you bought them mail order, try buying them through an LFS next time. If you bought them through an LFS, try a different LFS AND check the water for pH and salinity and temperature that they are being kept in.

I personally don't drip acclimate them but acclimate them like I do fish (See: It Was Acclimation, I know. . .). I make sure before I think they are ready to release into my tank, that their water is the same pH and salinity as the tank they are going into.

Invertebrates are sensitive to certain elements in the water. Have you or anyone previously ever done a copper treatment in that tank? Lingering copper can cause their quick demise. Just for the heck of it, check the water for copper using the Salifert Copper Test Kit. Unfortunately, that and other kits don't go low enough for invertebrates. That is, even if the kit registers no copper, there could still be enough copper there to kill invertebrates.

In general, besides the above acclimation recommendation, I also suggest you verify that your tank water is good quality.

[CSeaSee]

I'd also be suspicious of some sort of metal poisoning- any other strange die-off in the last few months (besides the other shrimp/snail)?
I'm also curious- how long has the tank been set up, and are you the original owner? And could we get a full livestock manifest?