The fine print got me.... help!

[vegajane23]

So, I've been letting my planted tank settle before I decide to add new fish... I current only have 2 cory cats after a bad batch of guppies went belly up. My water specs are perfect, and i've been downing my lighting to help control algae, BUT I got the bright idea to add some algae fix to help speed the process. Well... my 2 ghost shrimp (that have been presumed dead for 3 weeks) decided to come out when I fed the cory cats this morning... and of course algaefix is toxic to them. I did a 50% water change, but does anyone think an additional 50% change is helpful or would it stress the tank to much

 

[seangee]

Go ahead and do the change. FWIW a 75% change is better than 50% - just make sure the water is dechlorinated.

 

[Byron]

I concur completely. Do a major change, you only have two fish (cories) and shrimp so drain the tank down to about 2-3 inches off the substrate, then fill with fresh dechlorinated water at the same temperature (doesn't need to be exact, I use my hand and usually aim for just a tad cooler).

Lesson learned...do not use any additive to deal with a problem that in itself is not harming the fish. You may be worried about your shrimp, but I can guarantee your cories were affected as well. Any additive gets inside the fish naturally and into the bloodstream.