# Relative copper sensitivity: snails vs. RCS



## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

Are cherry shrimp more sensitive to copper than snails are?

I'm asking because I want shrimp, but I think my water has copper in it. I'm going to ask the fish store to test for it, but I want a backup-plan in case they won't/can't. I was thinking of adding a few snails to see how they do, but I'm not sure if they're sensitive enough for the purpose. (i.e. dead snails=bad for shrimp, but live snails may not =OK)

Thanks!


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

is the cooper from your city's water or your pipes?
All water has some trace elements of heavy metals but is not fatal in really low amounts... 

You can google your city's water quality.. You can find it that way.


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

The water is from our own well. We get funny colored deposits in the sinks and shower, so we suspect something in the water. I forget now why we think its copper.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

hmm. Can't you get your city to come by and test your well water?

Copper leaves a green trail i think. Red would be iron...


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

Greenish-blue is what we've got. I know this isn't iron, because that's what my parents have  I hadn't thought of trying to get the city to test it. I figured I'd try the fish store, in hopes they'll test it, then just settle for trial-and-error: guppies and snails (tough vertebrate and invertebrate) before anything more expensive.


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Yeah, I think the city will test it for you. That's why you pay the taxes. And they have much better equipments than you can get from the pet store...
They might take a while though.

oh, blue-green sounds like copper and lots of it. Or it could be some mineral.


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

Thanks, I'll look into that. Unfortunately, we're outside the town limits here, and the county website is not helpful, so that idea's on hold until I can call them during the business week.

Any idea whether snails are more or less sensitive than cherry shrimp? I know where I can get snails!


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

I guess you can try but I'd hate to waste $2-$5 for a snail.
If you can find a snail or even a crawfish in a nearby stream, you can use them as 'guinae pigs' .


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

I know at least one local fish store has snails in their plant tank, but no posted price. I was going to ask if they'd give me some, since I think the snails came with the plants but aren't wanted


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

(sigh) I bought a copper test kit--our tapwater is about 3 ppm. Strangely enough, the fishtank water was at .5 ppm (maybe the plants are taking it up?)

Anyone know how many ppm is toxic to shrimp? (Or to fish?)

Thanks!
Natalie


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

yikes... anything above .39ppm is bad...
http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/coppersu.htm

You will have to use another water source or use Reverse Osmosis to your water.


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## NatalieT (Mar 20, 2007)

Yup, yikes. I went looking online and found that copper-containing medicines should be used at .25 ppm--as in, half what my tank has and 1/6 of what my tapwater has.

Right now, I'm running some water through our Brita water filter (which does take out the copper--I just tested to be sure) so I can bring down the concentration in the aquarium, but I'm not sure if that's a viable long-term option. (It probably takes out too many other things, too)

I may just have to give up on shrimp, since my original idea was to choose things that could live in my water, rather than be perpetually tinkering with water conditions 

Thanks again!
Natalie


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