Petshrimp.com Discussion Forum

For those of you who keep cherries, amanos, ghosts and any other kind of FW shrimps in your planted tanks...

Do you fertilize your tanks? If so, do you just rely on CO2 or do you also use macro and micro nutrients?

Thank you.

Maria.

I add CO2 (DIY), as well as dose micro (TMG) and macro ferts. Right now I'm struggling to get my nitrates up -- they keep zero-ing out.

I use just fertilizer the few times ive use organic carbon it seemed to kill off a few of my sensitive plants and cloud up the water im not sure why though.

I dose Kent Grow (micro nutrients) and Kento Nitro+ (Nitrate) for my plants. I avoid anything containing even trace amounts of copper to make sure my shrimp aren't affected. I also dose Flourish in one of my tanks that doesn't have C02 added. I have no problems in any of the tanks with my shrimp.
-Aphyosemion

Aphyosemion wrote: I avoid anything containing even trace amounts of copper to make sure my shrimp aren't affected.

You can not avoid copper completely. It is essential for life, including shrimp.

Aphyosemion wrote:I also dose Flourish in one of my tanks that doesn't have C02 added.

I assume you mean Flourish Excel.

Yeah, I meant Flourish Excel. As for the copper, I may not be able to avoid it completely, but I have to damn close. I would be interested in hearing if anyone else has had problems with copper containing fertilizers, such as the Flourish version. I forget what it is called.
-Aphyosemion

I was dosing my tank heavily with Flourish, and never had any problems. However I have heard of someone dosing an extreme amount to raise Iron levels having shrimp death. I think if you dose according to label and do regular water changes there should not be a problem.

Any excessive chemicals should kill most things in a tank im assuming