Copper Sulfate In Sinking Pellets

[3l3ctric]

I just realized that the sinking pellets that make up a lot of my kuhli loaches' diet contains copper sulfate. I've read a couple things online that suggest that it should be fine, or at least shouldn't hurt them in small amounts. I just wanted to check here though, to be safe. My amano shrimp would have been exposed to these pellets for quite some time now, and my yellow shrimp for about a week. No harmful effects have shown themselves, but I have no idea if I might be slowly poisoning them or something.

 

[char la]

I just realized that the sinking pellets that make up a lot of my kuhli loaches' diet contains copper sulfate. I've read a couple things online that suggest that it should be fine, or at least shouldn't hurt them in small amounts. I just wanted to check here though, to be safe. My amano shrimp would have been exposed to these pellets for quite some time now, and my yellow shrimp for about a week. No harmful effects have shown themselves, but I have no idea if I might be slowly poisoning them or something.

I was actually asking the same question myself today to a rep from new era because their pellets contain copper. He said it is safe and that shrimps actually need some copper because it makes up part of their blood, thats why they have blue blood. You learn something everyday

 

[3l3ctric]

I was actually asking the same question myself today to a rep from new era because their pellets contain copper. He said it is safe and that shrimps actually need some copper because it makes up part of their blood, thats why they have blue blood. You learn something everyday

Well that's good to hear. I did read that "elemental copper" is the really dangerous version, but I found very little about exactly how dangerous copper sulfate is. Thanks!

 

[Baccus]

Good to hear that the sinking pellets should't affect the shrimp, they don't seem to worry my snails (worst luck

) and snails aren't meant to be able to handle copper. Its that or I have mutant snails that can survive all assults on them.

 

[3l3ctric]

Good to hear that the sinking pellets should't affect the shrimp, they don't seem to worry my snails (worst luck

) and snails aren't meant to be able to handle copper. Its that or I have mutant snails that can survive all assults on them.

Up until recently, I had an apple snail in my tank who, despite eating all of my plants (which is why I re-homed him), also stole sinking pellets from my loaches and shrimp. They definitely didn't hurt him - he tripled in size in about a month, was more active than any snail I had ever seen, and had a healthy looking shell going. In the past I have also had other snails (apples and once I had some pest snails) and they definitely ate food that had copper sulfate in it with no problems - now that I think of it.

Shrimp are so small and delicate that I think copper would kill them before snails, but I'm not exactly sure how it all works.