# Fertilization in the shrimp tank?



## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Hey guys, 

I just got a batch of Cherry Reds yesterday and saw one on its back, twitching, this morning. I've lost a lot of Amanos to a similar thing and I'm afraid it's something I use to fertilize the tank with. 

What I use:
Grant's Stump Remover (KNO3)
Epsom Salts
Hydroponics grade K2SO4
Red Sea's Flora 24 (Dupla Drops)
Homegrown Hydroponics' Trace elements
Turbo Calcium

This is happening/has happened in more than one system now. Do you see anything in there that may cause problems with my shrimp? 

Thanks,
Phil


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

Hey Phil  I've never been one to fert my shrimp tank much. Do you know if the Dupla may have a lot of copper? Shrimp seem to be sensitive to NitrAtes as well -- it may just be something you want to dose in smaller amounts but more often?


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## bharada (Apr 17, 2004)

Phil, I have a thriving population of Cherry Reds in both my 40 and 20g tanks. I used to have the same in my 125, but a recent Angelfish addition now has the shrimp population in decline there.

Anyway, my 40 gets regular EI dosing with KNO3, KH2PO4, some K2SO4, and TMG for traces (although I did go a couple of weeks using lowere doses of CSM+B). I have very hard tap water so I don't do any supplental Ca or Mg dosing. This tank has seen NO3 levels reach >40ppm for a couple of weeks running with no apparent effect on the Cherries. While my Amanos slowly disappeared, the Cherry population went from a dozen to several hundred in the past year.

The 20g tank uses PPS at 1-2ml per day each of the standard solution, Excel and CSM+B. Despite the addition of a trio of Cockatoo Apistos the Cherry population continues to grow. They've even survived a week of 10ml/day Excel OD for algae treatment.

On a hardiness scale of 1-10 (10 being indestructable) I would rate the Cherries at 8.5. Amanos, along with Bumblebees would be about 5.5.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

I dose all my tanks the same, my own version of EI, and my cherry populations are exploding. The more vegetation, ie, hiding places, the more I have. Hard water, NO3 around 15-20, PO4 2-3, Flourish and Flourish iron 6 days a week. Mg and K added after water changes with NO3 and PO4. The 6 amanos I have are all over a year old and apparently still going strong. (Knocks on wood).


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Phil... I dose my shrimp tank the same as I do my others tanks. I have not seen any adverse effects on the shrimp population. I have Cherry's, Amano's, Tigers & Greens. I dose with stump remover (green light), commercial ferts and Greg's PMDD ferts. I also add Iodine, if you are not already then maybe adding some will help.


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Thanks guys. I'll just have to do some limitation and find out which one it is. I just hope it's not an impurity in the stump remover, that was expensive stuff!


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## czado (May 26, 2005)

FWIW, Ive dosed Grant's with shrimp. I had some losses, but also has a breeding colony of Cherry shrimp. Did you try slow acclimation? If pwc is from tap, could you have copper pipes in your home? Do you have crypts or anubias by chance? Just thoughts.


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## TeutonJon78 (Nov 10, 2004)

what would crypts and anubias have to do with the shrimp?

I had 20 red cherries, and they've slowly disappeared over 2 months. I'd like some more, but if I don't figure it out, kind of expensive to keep killing. They seemed to be doing VERY well (some got very red and big) and there were several that were pregnant. I don't think my fish ate them much (neon dwarf rainbows, zebra danios, cardinal tetras, lemon tetras, otocincolus), so something nocked them out.

I was dosing KNO3, H2PO4, and KSO4 as lower than I probably need levels. Little buggers just started disappearing.


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## Yeaulman (Jun 23, 2005)

How much Iodine do you put? And whats the purpose of it?


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## shalu (Oct 1, 2004)

I dose Grant stump remover, CSM(now Flourish for its lower Cu), KH2PO4. I've got so many cherries in the 10 gallon, I am harvesting them periodically and feed them to cichlids.


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## plantbrain (Jan 23, 2004)

Shalu, Gimme some then since they breed well.
I have plenty of tanks to be infested.

I still use the Amanos but can pahse them out if these do a decent job and they are much easier to breed and propagate.

Shrimp.....mummm tasty.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## gnatster (Mar 6, 2004)

> How much Iodine do you put? And whats the purpose of it?


Dosing iodine is not required to keep shrimp. Being a very reactive substance it breaks down before it can be of any use to the shrimp. besides they do not assimilate iodine from the water column but from the foods they eat. You would be better served by feeding small portions of iodine rich foods such as turnip greens, spinach and collard greens on a rotating basis with other quality foods.


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## shalu (Oct 1, 2004)

plantbrain said:


> Shalu, Gimme some then since they breed well.
> I have plenty of tanks to be infested.
> 
> I still use the Amanos but can pahse them out if these do a decent job and they are much easier to breed and propagate.
> ...


Sure, no problem. Bill has been giving away cherries in the plant swap meetings. I might do the same in the future.


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