Can't Fert. Shrimp Tank?

[CKutz]

Hello everyone.
I'm e-mailing this person back and forth about buying a tank she has for sale. I inquired about her planted set ups and she commented that she used eco-complete in her shrimp tank because "you can't fertilize in a shrimp tank like you can in a fish tank."

just wondering if that's true, and why? I'm trying to decide if i want a substrate or just sand by itself.

 

[Jallen]

At a complete guess (I have no idea, just interested) the copper in some ferts might kill off shrimp? I know that shrimp are very sensitive to copper...

 

[hakova]

Here is a reference:

See Q&A #10

I just lost 5 ghost shrimp in my 10 gallon tank within a week after the purchase. I was using EI method for fertilizers.

 

[Truck]

you can use liquid fertilisers that are available to buy in fish tanks with inverts...they contain copper but not enough to kill shrimp.

using EI you may be using more copper than is needed which is why it may have killed the inverts

 

[CKutz]

products like flourish, excel? i read some people didn't have issues with those

 

[Truck]

products like flourish, excel? i read some people didn't have issues with those

all flourish and excel products are fine if you follow manufacturers instructions...ive overdosed tropica and easy carbos ferts with no problems though

 

[Gav935]

I dose full EI on my tank and my shrimp still breed like hell, eco complete is inert anyway so still requires water column dosing. Not sure where the seller has got those ideas from unless she's referring to liquid carbon additives, Easycarbo is sketchy when it comes to the more sensitive types of shrimp like crystal reds and blacks, I lost a few myself.

 

[Geoff1991]

TPN+ is safe with shrimp even at double dosage. This had been claimed by tropica and confirmed by myself and probably other members.

 

[Truck]

TPN+ is safe with shrimp even at double dosage. This had been claimed by tropica and confirmed by myself and probably other members.

yep i agree...i think i even quadruple dosed by accident once no ill effects though

 

[Geoff1991]

TPN+ is safe with shrimp even at double dosage. This had been claimed by tropica and confirmed by myself and probably other members.

yep i agree...i think i even quadruple dosed by accident once no ill effects though

Topica recommend 5ml a week i think. I dose 3ml daily. You do the math

 

[SuperColey1]

Scaremongering as usual. I dose full EI which will be closer to 10x Tropicas suggested dose and have one hell of a colony of shrimp.

Something else me thinks.

AC

 

[three-fingers]

Yup, ferts are fine with shrimp.

I dose probably quite a bit overboard with EI and have hundreds of cherry shrimp, as well as sensitive grade A and above CRS and CBS.

I would never recommend using Excel or EasyCarbo with shrimp after the deaths I had with a regular dose, but a lot of people do get away with it.

 

[Rlon35]

I have regularly dosed/overdosed excel with shrimp. I think I manage to kill a blue ram at one point, but I never had a problem with inverts.

In my experience, beware of excel with rams and vals.

 

[CKutz]

thanks for all the replies guys.
i'll keep those suggested products in mind then. but not worry about it too much.