The only thing I know for sure is that shrimp are extremely sensitive to ferts. I don't put them in at all any more unless the plants tell me they need it. I overdosed Flourish Excel once. I lost almost all of the shrimp.
Mama Bear
What kind of shrimp. I can send you some for free if they're Cherry Reds. You live in Miami so shipping should be easy.
Mama Bear
Deal.
Mama Bear
I was a commercial lettuce grower. We started in a greenhouse with CO2 generators and supplemental full spectrum LED lighting, and then we moved indoors. Same CO2 supply, same full spectrum LED's. Our red lettuce were super red in the greenhouse but once we moved indoors only the leaf edge turned red. The nutrients were exactly the same, the amount of CO2 same, the hours of light the same. The type of light was the only difference because there was no sunlight. All that to say that I believe it is a light spectrum issue as well as red pigment plants are more CO2 dependant than green pigment plants.
I want you to see my shrimp tank as it is now. It may not be the most beautiful tank but it's the most productive breeding tank I have ever had. You can't even see a fraction of the shrimp living and breeding there. I do an 80% WC once a week. The tank is a 30 long.
Mama Bear
Yea mate. What the sun delivers cannot be replicated even with "full spectrum" commercial LED's.
I'm not an aquatic plant guy mate but most of the planted tanks I have seen where red plants are thriving have CO2 injection. I have seen tanks without CO2 have red plants doing well, but I don't have any planted tank experience to share with you mate, sorry
Dang, I forgot to attach the pic. I wish I didn't do that so often.
Here's the tank.
Mama Bear
Here are the tests.
Gh6
Kh3
Left to right, ph, ammonia, nitrite, phosphate, nitrate.
54020D8B-9984-4FB5-8103-98034347A5E5.jpg
No more casualties over the weekend. It looks like I lost my adult red cherries only.
1. I reduced feeding to once every 3 days.
2. I did 20% water changes for 3 days in a row to lower nitrates and phosphates. I really think my nitrates were fine but I did it mostly to reduce algae as well.
3. Reduced Ferts. I will only add one pump Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 20% wc on Sundays.
I will send update pic soon since my carpet finally decided to grow.
Issues seem to be gone. Still small amount of algae but the black algae is gone. Now I have green string algae but very minimal.
I see about 10 new red shrimplets, very tiny so leads me to think that one of my cherry's released a batch before passing.
I've found Bristlenose to be excellent tank mates for shrimpies. I'll send you some of my little ones when I send you the shrimp if you like. I have 2 tanks full of babies BN stuck to the glass of 2 different shrimp tanks and my albino daddy is fanning another batch of wigglers as I type.
Mama Bear