# Best, safest fertilizer for shrimp tank



## ZooTycoonMaster (Jan 2, 2008)

Well you can dose any fertilizer, as long as it doesn't contain a ridiculously large amount of copper, or if you overdose a fertilizer with copper in it.


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## mmfish (Dec 24, 2008)

What would be the maximum amount of copper?


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

I talked to Pfertz andthey claim their line is completely invert safe.

Craig


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## catfishbi (Jun 10, 2008)

if you want keep high grade CRS don't suggest dose any fertilizer.


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## Homer_Simpson (May 10, 2007)

catfishbi said:


> if you want keep high grade CRS *don't suggest dose any fertilizer.*


That cannot be good for plant growth and health. I guess no issue if you keep a unplanted crs shrimp only tank.

I cannot speak to what may or may not be safe for CRS, but my Amano Shrimps in my 10 gallon seem to have no issues with EI dosing at 1/2 the recommended dose.


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## zoologist101 (Oct 4, 2008)

The best is plain dirty gravel and loads of MTS to turn it over. No ferts, no CO2, no bog wood, just a sponge filter and a heater keeping it at 73 degrees. Mine has been going for several years now.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Homer_Simpson said:


> That cannot be good for plant growth and health. I guess no issue if you keep a unplanted crs shrimp only tank.


It shouldn't be an issue if the tank is low light.


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## Ebichua (May 13, 2008)

As long as you don't overdose on ferts, your shrimp will be fine. Even if you OD just a tad, they generally won't be affected that much unless your tank is really small that can fluctuate its parameters even with a pinch of OD. 
If your goal is to breed, then I suggest just going low-tech so you don't have to worry about co2, ferts and all that other jazz. The less you tamper with your tank, the better your shrimp will do. At least, in my experience anyway!


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## Homer_Simpson (May 10, 2007)

lauraleellbp said:


> It shouldn't be an issue if the tank is low light.


True but even Tom Barr suggests at least weekly ferts with low light tank setups, so I would not totally avoid ferts. Maybe you misinterpreted my response, it was more an issue of not dosing any ferts at all. That ties in with what Ebichua is saying, it may be more an issue of not overdosing vs not using ferts at all.

And again, *IME(as I have said it so many times I go by first hand experience and observation not what others preach or say* *ferts at half the EI dose(in a low light 20 watts compact fuorescent bulb tank) has never negatively effected my amano shrimp* - that is the main point I was trying to communicate. Perhaps, your first hand experience and observations on the matter are different. Regardless, I am not looking for an argument from you everytime I post. Just sharing my experience.


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## fishsandwitch (Apr 20, 2008)

Homer_Simpson said:


> That cannot be good for plant growth and health. I guess no issue if you keep a unplanted crs shrimp only tank.
> 
> I cannot speak to what may or may not be safe for CRS, but my Amano Shrimps in my 10 gallon seem to have no issues with EI dosing at 1/2 the recommended dose.


Low tech moss, stem ect plants are fine with no ferts...


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## Homer_Simpson (May 10, 2007)

fishsandwitch said:


> Low tech moss, stem ect plants are fine with no ferts...


Hmmm.....interesting. I wonder why Tom Barr recommends weekly ferts for low light low tech planted tank setups. How many low tech planted tanks has the guy setup?? Perhaps he will chime in.


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## lf11 (Jan 3, 2009)

I keep both rcs and crs in 10gls with just moss and anubias. No ferts or anything. I put in oak leaves and as they degrade that are most likely adding stuff that the plants use, the plants seem fine and thrive. Both shrimp are breeding and it doesn't bother them so it doesn't bother me.
So I guess I'ld go low tech if you want to breed, IME they won't breed with a high phosphate level. But if your not going to breed just be careful not to over dose. If the shrimp look like they want out of the water, you may have overdosed or something else with the water is off.
If you want you can check out www.shrimpnow.com there are alot of people over there who keep shrimp in planted tanks with great success.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

It really boils down to goals and priorities. If the priority here is 1st) breed sensitive and relatively expensive shrimp like CRS and 2nd) keep them in a tank with healthy plants, then my personal recommendation would be to keep the lighting very low and stick with low light slow-growing plants, which make fert dosing unnecessary. Diana Walstad's book Ecology of the Planted Aquarium went in depth on how fish waste and fish food will provide all the nutrients needed by plants, as long as the light levels are not such that they trigger the plants to grow so quickly they exhaust this nutrient supply. Lighting is kind of like a "thermostat" that tells plants how quickly to grow. Control the lighting, and you control plant growth.

If the 2 goals above were reversed, and the goal was 1st to have a planted tank and the shrimp were there more to service the plants as scavengers/algae-eaters and to "decorate" the tank, then I'd recommend higher lighting, CO2, ferts, etc.

The threads I've read of Tom Barr's discussion on low light tanks boils back to his philosophy that plants grow best when there are no limiting nutrients. Within that context, dosing a low light tank makes perfect sense; the goal is still focused on the plants.

I don't think there's any right or wrong here- just a matter of deciding priorities. It's definitely possible to have a beautiful planted CRS tank under high light, CO2, ferts, the whole nine yards... but serious breeders don't _typically_ go that route b/c it's hard to _find_ the shrimp then to harvest, if nothing else (they're all hiding in the plants...:hihi


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