I thought that I had learned this lesson a long time ago but obviously I didn't. I felt compelled to change what had been working for me, in the hopes of making my shrimp healthier and happier.

  I used the same water conditioner for years with out any problems. A few shrimp keepers recommended that I try a different water conditioner. In their opinion it was a much better product. I fell off of the "don't fix it" train and purchased it.

  I did a large water change than added the new product. Within 8 hours I lost all but three shrimp in that tank. I contacted both manufactures and they concluded that it "might" have been a chemical interaction between the two products. Have you noticed the word might? No company would willingly say it was their product that had caused the problem.

  I had no idea that the conditioner that remained after the water change could have interacted with the new one that I added. I should not have "experimented" on the whole tank! I did a 90% water change and used my previous conditioner. The tank has made a rebound and after adding a few more shrimp the tank now contains over 200 shrimp.

  I "fell off" again last week and added some oak leaves to my snowball tank. I thought that I had taken the proper precautions, rinsing and soaking with numerous daily water changes, then rinsing them well before adding them to the tank.

  I harvested the leaves from a tree that I was sure had never been treated chemically. Much to my horror I found that all but one of my snowball shrimp were laying dead in the substrate the next morning. I had read many glowing reviews on the use of oak leaves and the benefits of them. I felt sure I would have the same results. Obviously there was some kind of contaminate on the leaves. It was a heart breaking experience and taught me a very valuable lesson…know that the source is contaminate free. I now collect in a wooded area where there is less of a chance of contaminates. I know that hundreds of shrimp keepers use oak leaves with no ill effects.

  My advice to novice shrimp keepers would be to try and keep it simple. Good water quality, correct temperature and good food are the key to healthy shrimp. Experiment only in a small quarantine tank, not with your whole community. Use common sense and when you read something that sounds good for you, investigate, look for information that also gives you negative results before making a decision. Shrimp keeping is an ever-learning hobby that is filled with pit falls and learning curves. What works for one person does not always work for another.