Copper

fish.com1 · Nov 23, 2008

hi all,

has anyone used seachem flourite as a substrate for their shrimp tanks? Because they don't like copper is there enough fo it in the seachem flourite to do any damage? i looked on the seachem website and it had a list of metals the seachem flourite contains -

Aluminum 33510
Barium 19
Calcium 20950
Cobalt 4
Chromium 7
Copper 17
Iron 4338
Potassium 374
Magnesium 1868
Manganese 51
Sodium 5484
Nickel 9
Vanadium 11
Zinc 9

Units=mg/kg

The copper is 17 while other metals are 33510 (alliminium). Would this substrate be ok for my shrimp tank?

Also does anyone know if easy life easy carbo contains copper?

Are there any plant ferilizers that are suitable for shrimp tanks?

What do you guys use as a planting substrate for your shrimp tanks?

Thanks everyone.

minxfishy · Nov 23, 2008

I cant advise on fertilisers as I dont use them so no idea, but the slightest trace of copper is not good for shrimps.

shroob · Nov 23, 2008

A few searches on petshrimp.com revealed this thread which maybe of use to you:
<a href="http

/www.petshrimp.com/discussions/viewt...;hilit=flourite" target="_blank">http

/www.petshrimp.com/discussions/viewt...;hilit=flourite</a>

An extract of it is that someone emailed seachem about it, and this is what they replied:
Flourite, like most naturally mined rocks, will contain traces of copper as copper is a naturally occurring trace mineral. The copper in this material is insoluble and will not go into solution so it will not affect any of your aquarium inhabitants. Also, copper (in small trace quantities) is essential for life as it is important in many aspects like electron transport, plasma production, & it is a constituent of many enzymes. This is why our Flourish contains small trace quantities of copper.

Though the use of fertilisers is discouraged on the site, for example their FAQ mentions:
10. Can I fertilize my shrimp tank?

Fertilization of a shrimp tank is not recommended. As mentioned above, shrimp need very clean water and good, stable water parameters. Fertilizers can build up in a tank and cause "sudden" mass deaths. Although you might be successful keeping shrimp for a short to intermediate time in a fertilized tank, there will likely be problems in the long run.

Though thats only what I've found on it, I'm not 100% sure on its safety but I thought I'd let you know what I found on it.

EDIT: In my shrimp tank I just use argos play sand. My tank just recieves natural sunlight (the Juwel light unit has broke) though so I don't really worry about growing plants, I got a huge amazon sword it it however.