Jump to content

copper test kit


xrayguy

Recommended Posts

hi guys and gals

I was discussing my lack of sucess with rcs shrimp with my lfs guy, and he asked me to bring in a sample of my tank water.  He tested it for copper.  He said my tank water was high in copper.  

I do have copper pipes, and he believes that's the cause.  I have a 72g med/high light planted tank with co2.  My po4 is higher than I'd like(3.), and I kinda think that might be my cause, but I don't want to discount the copper thing either.  

 

So I'm wondering if the API test is the best 1 to get or is there a better version to get.  I'm about to set up a shrimp only tank ( fluval flex9) and want them to live and breed happily.  Gonna buy distilled water from the store until I can prove it's not my water.

thanx

richard

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hanna low range copper test kit colorimeter, measures in parts per billion.

In the mean time, you can use Prime to help bind the copper, and there are also copper-absorbing chemicals.

Edited by beanbag
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would also be worried about using CO2 and tap water rarely works with caridina?

Is the plan to move the shrimp to their own tank? If so you probably should get RO water and remineralise with shrimp specific GH+ for the best results. For RO water you can use a Zerowater filter jug if you don't want a full RO system, which is very cheap in USA and available from Walmart, internet etc. It is slow to filter so may not be pracrical for a very large tank but if the shrimp are being moved to a smaller/new tank that should sort you out. I get about 100 litres per filter! It will remove any copper.

Simon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This bloody RCS and CRS nonsense again, sorry, my bad, I thought you had crystal shrimp but now see you have red cherry!

The same applies though except you need GH/KH+ for red cherry/bloody mary shrimp. You can still use the zerowater to convert your tap water to RO water though and then mineralise it in the new tank! Those flex aquariums are very nice, it may need some tweeking though to ensure it is shrimplet safe, and stop them getting into the back 'workings' section! 

You can also use seachem prime with tap water, as stated by Beanbag and neocaridina are usually fine with such treated tapwater so it would be worth trying with that first, as it will be easier and cheaper than going RO + minerals route?

Simon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Join Our Community!

    Register today, ask questions and share your shrimp and fish tank experiences with us!

  • Must Read SKF Articles

  • Posts

    • beanbag
      Update to say that after a few gravel vacs, front wall scrub, moss / floating plant trim, that the condition seems to have improved.  My current theory is that it is due to waste / debris management, where "stuff" like that brown mulm accumulates in the substrate and behind the HMF filters.  Maybe some tanks can somehow deal with it, but mine can't.  Also another experienced shrimper suggested that maybe those "shell bugs" don't just live on the shrimps but also in this debris.  Maybe this is the reason some tanks fail due to "old tank syndrome" where all they need is a good gravel vac? Also, I am guessing that plant trim helps too because now more of the nutrients and light go into growing algae instead of more plants? Well anyway for this tank I will try weekly water change and monthly gravel vac / plant trim.  For my next tank, I'm thinking of something like an under-gravel system where this mulm can fall down and I vac it out.
    • sdlTBfanUK
      Good to have an update and good to hear you are getting shrimplets, so hopefully your colony will continue and you may not get to the point where you have to cull some to stop over population. These type of shrimp only live 12 - 18 months so the adult deaths may be natural? If you have the time I would do weekly 25% water changes, adding the new water via a drip system and do some vacuuming clean of the substrate each week, even if only a different bit each week! See if that helps in a few months and if it does then stick with that regime? It should help reduce any build-ups that may be occuring!
    • beanbag
      Hello again, much belated update: The tank still has "cycles" of 1-2 month "good streaks" where everybody seems to be doing well, and then a bad streak where the short antenna problem shows up again, and a shrimp dies once every few days.  I am not sure what causes things to go bad, but usually over the course of a few days I will start to see more shrimp quietly standing on the HMF filter, and so I know something is wrong.  Since I am not "doing anything" besides the regular 1-2 week water changes, I just assume that something bad is building up.  Here's a list of things that I've tried that are supposed to be "can't hurt" but didn't prevent the problem either: Dose every other day with Shrimp Fit (very small dose, and the shrimp seem to like it) Sotching Oxydator Seachem Purigen to keep the nitrates lower Keeping the pH below 5.5 with peat Things that I don't do often, so could possibly "reset" the tank back to a good streak, are gravel vac and plant trim, so maybe time to try those again. One other problem I used to have was that sometimes a shrimp would suddenly stop eating with a full or partially full digestive tract that doesn't clear out, and then the shrimp will die within a few days.  I suspected it was one of the foods in my rotation - Shrimp Nature Infection, which contains a bunch of herbal plant things.  I've had this in my food rotation for a few years now and generally didn't seem to cause problems, but I removed it from the rotation anyway.  I don't have a lot of adult Golden Bees at this point so I can't really tell if it worked or not. Overall the tank is not too bad - during the good streaks occasionally a shrimp will get berried and hatch babies with a 33-50% survival rate.  So while there are fewer adults now, there are also a bunch of babies roaming around.  I guess this tank will stagger on, but I really do need to take the time to start up a new tank.  (or figure out the problem)
    • jayc
      If that is the offspring, then the parents are unlikely to be PRL. I tend to agree with you. There are very few PRLs in Australia. And any that claim to be needs to show proof. PRL genes have to start as PRL. CRS that breed true after x generations doesn't turn it into a PRL. Neither can a Taiwan bee shrimp turn into a PRL despite how ever many generations. I've never seen a PRL with that sort of red colour. I have on Red Wines and Red Shadows - Taiwan bee shrimps. So somewhere down the line one of your shrimp might have been mixed with Taiwan bees and is no longer PRL. It just tanks one shrimp to mess up the genes of a whole colony. 
    • sdlTBfanUK
      Sorry, missed this one somehow! The PRL look fantastic and the odd ones look part PRL and part Red wine/Red shadow in the colour. They are still very beautiful but ideally should be seperated to help keep the PRL clean if you can do that.  Nice clear photos!
×
×
  • Create New...