Saddles

[nemesis1337]

how did you reduce phosphate? did you remove the source of the phosphate?

Up to around 50 ppm is noticed nothing other than no eggs. Females with eggs added to the tank lost the eggs after a few days. At higher levels the shrimp show loss of color and seem very tired. I was using a phosphate based buffer (proper pH) and that was a HUGE mistake. The amanos and cherries survived even at levels of 2000 ppm, but were dying off one by one.

50 ppm seems to be the cut-off for activiity, and 3 ppm is the limit for eggs, at least for what I had. My experience was not very scientific. It took me forever (actually about a month & a half) to get the phosphates down. Levels didn't change very fast even with 50% water changes. Phosphate kept comming out of the gravel and keeping it high enough for me to get some feel for how the shrimp were doing.

See viewtopic.php?t=143&start=0&postdays=0& ... highlight=

[badflash]

I stopped using buffers and did loads & loads of water changes. I also used some granules that remove phosphates, but those are not worth using until you get the phosphates down to just a few ppm.