Symptoms to Look For
Check if your shrimp are showing any of these symptoms. Symptoms are grouped by severity to help you assess the situation.
Early Warning
-
White fuzzy growth on shell or appendages
Visual: Cottony or fuzzy white patches, often on rostrum, legs, or swimmerets
Moderate
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Growth that doesn't wipe off easily
Visual: Fuzz attached to shell, not floating debris
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Multiple shrimp affected
Visual: Several shrimp showing similar white growths
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Shrimp scratching or cleaning affected areas
Visual: Shrimp attempting to groom off the growth
Severe
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Growths expanding or spreading on individual shrimp
Visual: Fuzz covering larger areas than initially
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Affected shrimp becoming lethargic
Visual: Heavy infections may stress shrimp
Does this match what you see? If your shrimp are showing multiple severe symptoms, act immediately. Early symptoms give you more time to correct the issue.
Possible Causes
Causes are listed by likelihood. Start with the most common causes and work your way down.
Poor Water Quality
The primary cause. Elevated organic matter, ammonia, or poor tank hygiene creates conditions where vorticella thrives. Clean water rarely has vorticella problems.
Test parameters - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate. Is the tank clean? Dirty substrate, decomposing matter, or infrequent maintenance enables vorticella.
Excess Organic Matter
Vorticella feed on bacteria. Tanks with lots of decomposing matter, uneaten food, or heavy bioloads have more bacteria for vorticella to feed on.
Is there debris in the tank? Uneaten food? Dead plant matter? Dirty substrate? Excess organic matter feeds vorticella populations.
Overcrowding
Too many shrimp in too small a space increases waste, bacteria, and organic matter - all conditions favoring vorticella.
How many shrimp do you have and what size tank? Heavy bioloads in small tanks are prone to vorticella outbreaks.
New Tank Syndrome
New tanks or tanks with cycling issues have unstable conditions and bacterial blooms that can include vorticella.
Is the tank new or recently had a cycle crash? Unstable tanks are more prone to opportunistic organisms like vorticella.
Introduced on Plants or Livestock
Vorticella can be introduced on new plants, decor, or even on new shrimp from tanks with vorticella presence.
Did vorticella appear shortly after adding new plants or livestock? It may have been introduced rather than developed in your tank.
Solutions
Option 1: Salt Bath Treatment
Salt baths are stressful - only treat visibly affected shrimp
- 1
Prepare salt bath solution
Mix 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt per gallon of tank water in a separate container. Use dechlorinated water at tank temperature.
- 2
Dip affected shrimp
Gently place affected shrimp in salt bath for 30-60 seconds. Watch for signs of distress. The salt irritates vorticella causing it to release.
Do not exceed 60 seconds - salt stress can harm shrimp
- 3
Return to fresh tank water
After the dip, move shrimp to clean tank water or a recovery container with tank water.
- 4
Repeat if necessary
If vorticella persists after molt, repeat treatment. Space treatments several days apart to reduce stress.
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Option 2: Address Root Cause - Water Quality
- 1
Test all parameters
Test ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH. Any detectable ammonia or nitrite indicates a problem. High nitrates (>20ppm) should be reduced.
- 2
Perform water change
Do a 25-30% water change with properly conditioned, temperature-matched water. This immediately reduces bacteria and organic matter.
- 3
Clean substrate thoroughly
Vacuum the substrate to remove detritus, uneaten food, and decomposing organic matter. Focus on areas where debris accumulates.
- 4
Remove any decomposing matter
Remove dead plant leaves, uneaten food, any deceased organisms. Decomposing matter feeds bacterial populations.
- 5
Reduce feeding
Cut back on feeding temporarily. Feed only what is consumed within 2 hours. Less food means less bacteria for vorticella.
- 6
Establish regular maintenance routine
Consistent weekly water changes and substrate cleaning prevent vorticella from returning. Prevention is easier than treatment.
Option 3: Wait for Molt (For Mild Cases)
Only appropriate for mild cases - heavy infections may need salt bath treatment
- 1
Understand vorticella lifecycle
Vorticella attaches to the shell surface. When shrimp molt, they shed the entire exoskeleton - including attached vorticella. Each molt is a fresh start.
- 2
Support healthy molting
Ensure proper GH (6-8 for Neocaridina, 4-6 for Caridina), stable parameters, and good nutrition to support successful molts.
- 3
Improve water quality simultaneously
While waiting for molt, address water quality issues. Otherwise vorticella will reattach after molting.
- 4
Monitor post-molt
After molting, observe if vorticella returns. If water quality is improved, it often doesn't reattach.
Prevention Tips
Follow these practices to help prevent this problem from occurring in the future.
- Maintain excellent water quality - this is the primary prevention
- Keep ammonia and nitrite at zero, nitrates under 20ppm
- Perform regular water changes (10-15% weekly minimum)
- Vacuum substrate regularly to remove organic debris
- Don't overfeed - remove uneaten food after 2 hours
- Avoid overcrowding - more shrimp means more waste
- Remove dead plant matter and any deceased organisms promptly
- Quarantine new plants and livestock before adding to main tank
- Ensure adequate filtration for tank size and bioload
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Download FreeVorticella is a genus of protozoan that commonly appears as white fuzzy or cottony growth on aquarium shrimp. While it looks alarming, understanding what vorticella is helps in effective treatment. What vorticella actually is: Vorticella are single-celled organisms (protozoans) with a bell-shaped body attached by a contractile stalk. They're filter feeders that eat bacteria. Under magnification, you can see the bell shape and the stalk that attaches to surfaces - including shrimp shells. Why it appears on shrimp: Vorticella doesn't specifically target shrimp - it attaches to any stable surface. Shrimp are just convenient attachment points in the tank. The vorticella feeds on bacteria in the water, not on the shrimp itself. It's technically an external parasite but doesn't feed on the shrimp's tissue. The real problem: Vorticella appearing on shrimp is a symptom, not the primary problem. It indicates your tank has elevated bacterial levels and organic matter - conditions that allow vorticella to thrive. This is almost always due to water quality or maintenance issues. Health impact: Light vorticella infections are more cosmetic than dangerous. The shrimp isn't being consumed or directly harmed. However, heavy infections can: - Interfere with the shrimp's sensory organs if on the rostrum - Obstruct gills if it spreads there - Cause stress from the irritation - Indicate poor conditions that may cause other problems Molting as natural treatment: Since vorticella attaches to the shell, molting removes it completely. The shed exoskeleton takes all attached vorticella with it. This is why supporting healthy molting is part of the treatment approach. Why salt baths work: Salt creates an osmotic stress that causes vorticella to release from the shell. The salt concentration irritates the protozoan, causing it to detach or die. The brief exposure isn't long enough to significantly harm the shrimp. Long-term solution: Treating individual shrimp addresses visible symptoms but doesn't solve the underlying problem. If tank conditions remain favorable for vorticella, it will return. The permanent solution is addressing water quality and maintenance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most likely vorticella - a protozoan that attaches to surfaces and feeds on bacteria in the water. It appears as white, cotton-like fuzz on the shell, often on the rostrum (nose) or legs. Less commonly, it could be fungal infection (typically affects damaged tissue) or scutariella (different appearance - worm-like).
Light infections are not life-threatening - vorticella doesn't feed on the shrimp's tissue. However, heavy infections can stress shrimp and may obstruct gills or sensory organs. The bigger concern is what vorticella indicates: poor water quality that could cause other problems.
Salt bath: 1 tablespoon aquarium salt per gallon of tank water, dip affected shrimp for 30-60 seconds. This causes vorticella to release. Also address the root cause - improve water quality through water changes, substrate cleaning, and reduced feeding. Vorticella is also shed when shrimp molt.
Vorticella appears when conditions favor it - elevated bacteria, excess organic matter, poor water quality, or inadequate maintenance. It indicates your tank has too much bacterial food source. Test parameters, clean substrate, increase water changes, and reduce feeding to address root cause.
Vorticella attached to a shrimp is shed when the shrimp molts. However, if tank conditions remain favorable for vorticella, it will reattach to the new shell. Vorticella goes away permanently only when you fix the underlying water quality/maintenance issues.
Vorticella can attach to any shrimp (or other surface) in the tank. If conditions favor vorticella, multiple shrimp may become affected. It's not that they're 'spreading' from shrimp to shrimp - rather, all shrimp are swimming in water with vorticella present.
Maintain excellent water quality through regular water changes, clean substrate, remove uneaten food, keep parameters stable, and avoid overcrowding. Vorticella needs bacteria to feed on - tanks with low bacterial loads rarely have vorticella problems.
Track Your Parameters with ShrimpKeeper
Most shrimp problems stem from parameter issues. Track your water quality, get alerts when things drift, and prevent problems before they happen.