Amano eating a cherry shrimp! Arrrg!!

[zacasonapan]

Will calcium carbonate be safe for my plants? And it will raise my ph.... Right now my ph is at 7.4

Thanks
Pete

[Piscesgirl]

yes, it will be fine for your plants -- it might raise your ph. I'm wondering why your ph is at 7.4 but your kh only 1.5. Do you use CO2? You don't need to add much -- just a little.

[Piscesgirl]

As Mustafa mentioned in another thread -- you can used crushed coral as well. I just like calcium carbonate because it is easier to control. Also, plants actually use quite a bit of calcium as well.

[Mustafa]

Hi Pete,

If shrimp do not get much food they actually stay small as they age. That's why you never know how old shrimp in pet stores are, regardless of size. And old shrimp can still be small.

Take care,
Mustafa

All of my red cherries are 3/4 of an inch. Fully grown cherries are supposed to be an inch long to die of old age, or do they age even if they don’t get to full potential size?

Thanks again
Pete

[zacasonapan]

I don't inject CO2 in my tank (Yet) but I do add Flourish Excel liquid CO2. I think that the two Cherries must have died of natural causes cause so far the rest seem fine and they have lost their shyness. As for molting problems, I have noticed more and more empty exos scattered about.

I do have a question regarding my crystal reds. The ones that are out in the open seem larger then when I first got them so I'm guessing they molted fine. But they don't seem to be as bright colored as when I first got them. The bright red is light red now and the white is kinda translucent almost see-through. Is the color change due to the molting or from my ph being to high cause some one told me that crystal reds prefer a ph around 6.5 to 6.8

Thanks again
Pete

[Piscesgirl]

I would suggest at least do it yourself CO2 over Flourish Excel. When you do use Excel, be careful not to overdose. I would stay on the lower estimate in dosage. I've lost a Chinese Algae Eater to an overdose of Excel, and it is hard to tell what is the correct amount. I've discussed this with others that had the same experience -- some fish being more sensitive.

[Oleg]

I would definitely believe that means a calcium deficiency -- especially with your low KH. You will need some calcium carbonate.

Sorry for offtopic.

In my tanks pH=6.7-7.0, KH=3-4, I add CO2, Ca (as CaCO3 in tablets), Mg, etc.
I also keep few pieces of corals and some sea shells - approximately 20g of corals and shells per 100L of water.
Sometimes I add dolomite (Ca, Mg).

And after all these, my snails still turning white and translucent! Mystery!

Any clue anyone?