Re-starting 15 gallon, 1st time with sand

The seller said they'd been treated with the insecticide buprafezin (kills tics and mites) but they should also have been treated with a snail killer since they came from outside the EU (it's the snail killer rather than insecticide that's the EU law) - a double whammy for the poor shrimps

essjay said:

The seller said they'd been treated with the insecticide buprafezin (kills tics and mites) but they should also have been treated with a snail killer since they came from outside the EU (it's the snail killer rather than insecticide that's the EU law) - a double whammy for the poor shrimps

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There really isn't anything else I can do, is there. Except hope that enough young ones weren't too exposed and will be able to mature and reproduce in the clean tank. I do still find moults in the tank too, so some are successfully moulting.

i don't know which pesticide those plants were treated with. The ones I bought online where you helped me and I found out about the pesticides, those never went near by shrimp tank, since I'd had a heads up about the pesticide, so I was scared to let them anywhere near my tanks. The ones that have been killing my shrimp, I bought from my LFS, these four.



I bought them just before making the thread about the online ones, washed them and added them to shrimp tank The big females especially were always in the vallis... I'd bought plants from the LFS loads of times without problems, so I never even questioned it. After you told me about pesticides from plants outside the EU I didn't add the plants I ordered online, but I didn't even think of these ones... until shrimp started to die off. Then I called my LFS and he told me he used to get plants from Holland, but because of supply problems they'd been coming in from Indonesia recently. I pulled these plants, but far too late Who knows what these were sprayed with.

Kicking myself for not knowing about this before, I love my shrimp and the colony was doing so well before. Added these July 30th or 31st, shrimp started dying August 4th

@essjay , do you think running carbon and Cuprisorb in the canister filter might help?

I'm sorta doubtful it could, since this tank isn't contaminated, and I doubt it can do anything to remove anything from inside the shrimp. But perhaps? It couldn't hurt anyway, and maybe if the pesticide is attached to their shells or something, it could help?

Carbon might help depending on the exact nature of what the plants were treated with. Carbon adsorbs organic substances. Cuprisorb could help if any contaminant is copper based. One thing you could try is Polyfilter, with a capital P. It used to be made by Underworld and now it's made by Arcadia, though you'll find it under both names. It is claimed to remove organics and metals. It is expensive and looks like very stiff filter wool. If you do get some, I would run some carbon first to remove what it can as that's cheap, then the Polyfilter to remove what carbon doesn't remove.

Gotta say, I'm pretty impressed with my local Maidenhead Aquatics. Never used them before, but will visit there soon to check out their plants. I called the store to check where their plants come from and whether they're shrimp safe, spoke to the guy who orders for that store and he knew exactly what I was talking about with the pesticide thing, and said that the potted plants are grown in Holland and aren't treated with any pesticide, but to steer clear of any of the bunched plants, since the supplier is in the EU, but won't disclose whether they grow them there, or bring them in from somewhere like Singapore.

Pretty impressed with that honesty, and the fact that when I went to the main webpage, the FAQ is pretty good, and they won't sell what they call "tank busters" like iridescent sharks.

Day 15;

Added root tabs and liquid ferts four days ago. Roots on the frogbit getting super long!

Very nice, looking really good!

Your plants will appreciate the root tabs and ferts.

Ch4rlie said:

Very nice, looking really good!

Your plants will appreciate the root tabs and ferts.

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Thank you!

I think the plants are appreciating them already, hard to see in this photo,but some of the frogbit roots are reaching two thirds of the way down the tank! But I'm just happy everything is still bright and green after moving it all around again the other day. Can't wait to get a few more plants again when I can.

I'd like to get some reddish or darker green plants for some contrast, any recommendations? I thought about a dwarf water lily, but don't really want another plant that will cover the surface since I already have vallis and frogbit. I've not had much luck with alternanthera the one time I tried it.

Reds are tricky without proper plant lights and C02 aren't they. Will add some crypts at some point, but any other ideas? Some ludwegia perhaps?

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

Thank you!

I think the plants are appreciating them already, hard to see in this photo,but some of the frogbit roots are reaching two thirds of the way down the tank! But I'm just happy everything is still bright and green after moving it all around again the other day. Can't wait to get a few more plants again when I can.

I'd like to get some reddish or darker green plants for some contrast, any recommendations? I thought about a dwarf water lily, but don't really want another plant that will cover the surface since I already have vallis and frogbit. I've not had much luck with alternanthera the one time I tried it.

Reds are tricky without proper plant lights and C02 aren't they. Will add some crypts at some point, but any other ideas? Some ludwegia perhaps?

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Red plants, grass or any plants with very fine leaves tend to be the ones that needs high lights, C02 and ferts, you are quite correct.

But there are some plants that can add a bit of colour other than green, easy plants like Cryptocorynes have different coloured leaves and stems, there are loads to choose from.

Here is a useful website that I used for buying plants from and for basic information, have a look around that site, you’ll see a small plant logo on right hand side by info/pic of plant, green for easy undemanding plants, orangey colour for either higher lights or Co2 needed and red for high demanding plants that requires lights, ferts and co2, lights etc etc

My Alternanthera reineckii is a nice deep red and I havent had co2 running for a while now. Needs full light, so as long as it isn't sat under your vallis and frogbit section, i reckon it'd be ok. Its a slow grower though, doesn't get too tall.
This stuff:

I was planning to wait a while longer for current plants to grow in more before getting any more, but payday came around and I couldn't resist buying some more plants, lol. Will reveal what they are when they arrive

I also don't want to tempt fate by saying this, but haven't found any dead shrimp since September 2nd. Crossing fingers and hoping that the worst has passed, but cautious about it too. It would be nice if the rest of the colony survives, there are a couple of gorgeous deep red females there that I'm really hoping survive and show up berried soon. I have seen the males dancing a few times. I always panic a little when the males start dancing and test the water, but parameters have been good and it was just the males swimming around, so I'm hopeful that I'll spot a berried female soon.

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

Day 15;
View attachment 115603
Added root tabs and liquid ferts four days ago. Roots on the frogbit getting super long!

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Your tank is looking great!

AilyNC said:

Your tank is looking great!

Edit typo​

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Thank you so much! I'm so excited to see how it looks with more plants in it, and when these have grown out some more! I can see the potential, but it still looks so 'new' at the moment, lol. Also wishing I'd attached the background properly while the tank was empty so it looks smooth all over rather than the air bubble look it has right now (it's just a plastic background taped at the corners) but the plants should hopefully cover that as they fill in.

I am already loving it and really pleased with the plant growth already though And the fish and shrimp seem to be happy, which is the main thing!

AdoraBelle Dearheart said:

I was planning to wait a while longer for current plants to grow in more before getting any more, but payday came around and I couldn't resist buying some more plants, lol. Will reveal what they are when they arrive

I also don't want to tempt fate by saying this, but haven't found any dead shrimp since September 2nd. Crossing fingers and hoping that the worst has passed, but cautious about it too. It would be nice if the rest of the colony survives, there are a couple of gorgeous deep red females there that I'm really hoping survive and show up berried soon. I have seen the males dancing a few times. I always panic a little when the males start dancing and test the water, but parameters have been good and it was just the males swimming around, so I'm hopeful that I'll spot a berried female soon.

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Temptations are all around for us fish keepers, can be extraordinarily hard to resist!

Hope you got some nice plants and bet your tank will look even more stunning with the addition of whatever plants youve got.

I know what you mean when see male shrimps haring around the tank, going bonkers all over the place.

At first always think is it the water?
(Shrimps are pretty much always the first to react to any ammonia / nitrite or any changes to water parameters just in case any readers are wondering what am on about!)

Then realise, ah, the females are ready and the boys are all excited!
I always smile when I see males doing this thinking they’re not so different from us human males!!!

Fingers crossed btw that your shrimp saga is over the worst and things will get better from now on.

Ch4rlie said:

I know what you mean when see male shrimps haring around the tank, going bonkers all over the place.

At first always think is it the water?
(Shrimps are pretty much always the first to react to any ammonia / nitrite or any changes to water parameters just in case any readers are wondering what am on about!)

Then realise, ah, the females are ready and the boys are all excited!
I always smile when I see males doing this thinking they’re not so different from us human males!!!

Fingers crossed btw that your shrimp saga is over the worst and things will get better from now on.

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Thank you! Lets hope. I do still see moults lying around, so any time there's a long stretch where I don't lose any, I'm hopeful that the worst has passed! Also nice to see that other people who've kept shrimp have the same panic moments when shrimp start getting super active, there's always a moment of "wait, is there a problem with the water??" And I'm checking that it's only males swimming about while I'm getting things ready to do a water test, just in case!

Just took some update photos of the plants so I can compare growth over the next weeks. Have notice that some of the vallis I added recently is getting red in the centre? Is this normal? @mbsqw1d ? It doesn't really look as though it's failing, it's odd.