Is there a way to make a tank safe for Shrimp & Snails once copper has been present?

[mandy2936]

Is there a way to make a tank safe for Shrimp & Snails once copper has been present?

Hi!

I currently have a 20g tank with...
x6 Neons
x5 Orange Von Rio Flame Tetras
x3 male Guppies
x4 Julii Cories

A while back, I started getting Brown Algae. Overtime, it's accumulated to a LOT. What bothers me most is not the Algae growing on the glass and live plants, but on the silk plants. See, the brown algae will not rub off of the fabric, so I am left with ugly 'stains'.

My tank gets literally 0 natural sunlight, because it's in a basement. It did however receive 12 hours of tank light (Standard, lowlight Incandescent) which I recently lowered to 8-10.
Then, in addition I tried larger water changes each week, as well as less feeding.

I tried buying 3 Ottos, but because of a pH drop they did not survive. Since then, I'm too afraid to buy them again.

SO, I decided I would get a few Amano Shirmp. I know that Copper is deadly to them when present in a tank. So, I went through my cabinet of everything I've ever put in the tank. Nothing contained Copper until I came across an Algae Medication I tried to get rid of the algae. It has Copper. Ironically, the Algae Meds didn't work.

Anyways, back to my question- Is there any way to make my tank safe for Shrimp and maybe a Nerite Snail besides emptying out the tank and drying it?

Thank you!

 

[Fishguy2727]

There are copper test kits you can use to see if there are even any traces left. For a lot cheaper you can just try a couple ghost shrimp. Obviously there are many other things that could kill them, so if they did die you still wouldn't be 100% sure if the copper has anything to do with it.

 

[mandy2936]

Thanks, but I wouldn't want to 'test' to see if my tank has Copper in it with live animals because...
#1- That's not very fair to the shrimp
#2- As you said, they could die for other reasons
#3- If they survive, I have a shrimp on my hands that I don't want.

Once I get a test kit, and if I DO have Copper left, again, is there anything to get rid of it? Thanks so much!! I really appreciate any help

 

[Fishguy2727]

Ghost shrimp are great too, they are superb nano scavengers.

I doubt you will detect any copper. If you have been using carbon and doing water changes it should be gone. If not those two things will help you get rid of it.

Although medication concentrations are toxic, copper is still vital to all invertebrates, including shrimp. This is why some foods made specifically for shrimp will contain an copper ingredient.

 

[mandy2936]

Thanks! I [obviously] do water changes and I do have carbon in my filter!
How long do you think I should wait before buying any shrimp? I would want to be sure all the Copper is gone. By the way, I dosed the tank with the meds a few days ago. You're right- it's probably gone.

Thanks so much! I was sad, I thought that I couldn't get any.

On a slightly new subject, a heard that Amanos molt? And some people give them Iodine? Huh? Some info on this is helpful! I haven't been able to find much about them through Google.

Thank you once again for the help.

 

[Fishguy2727]

The companies will love to sell you iodine test kits and supplements, but you shouldn't need them if you feed a high quality food. Golden pearls are a popular food for small fish and invertebrates. The largest size would be good for your fish and shrimp. I like NLS Thera+A and Hikari's Shrimp Cuisine is supposed to be very good, but I haven't used it yet.

 

[mandy2936]

Okay, thanks.
Right now I feed my Cories Hikari sinking pellets.
But... If I could fees my shrimp and possibly snail algae wagers they would also be useful for the catfish.
So, can I fees them that? Or would that be innsufficient?

 

[Fishguy2727]

I wouldn't. I always feed NLS Thera+A with very few exceptions and shrimp would be one that I would go with Golden Pearls on. Other than that I would stick with NLS (including all my plecos, cories, loaches, etc.).

 

[mandy2936]

Thank you for the help so far- Just a few more questions!

I wouldn't. I always feed NLS Thera+A with very few exceptions and shrimp would be one that I would go with Golden Pearls on. Other than that I would stick with NLS (including all my plecos, cories, loaches, etc.).

Ok, thank you.

So basically you're saying that I should only be feeding the Shrimp either Golden Pearls or NLS Thera+A?

That's odd- I've never heard of either of those before.
Most websites say you can feed them Algae Wafers, but that's not saying I won't take your advice. I just thought it would be easier to kill two birds with one stone and feed the Cories too.

Also, after looking into them I don't think I will be getting any snails.

By the time I buy the Amano Shrimp it will either be tomorrow, (Sunday) or next weekend. I don't think I will have time to go to the pet store tomorrow, but maybe if I finish my homework early enough

Anyways, how many shrimp do you think I should get? Do they do best in groups like Tetras or Cories, or are they fine alone? I think 2 would be the most I'd prefer to get, but it all depends really.

Thank you.

 

[Fishguy2727]

It depends on the sites you are getting your information from. Some will be stricter than others. They both will be better options for all your fish as well, I would just switch.

For them to keep control of the algae you will need a few. Start with a few and step up to more as needed.

What filter do you have? Make sure there is no way for shrimp to get sucked in.

 

[mandy2936]

Thanks! I will look for the Golden Pearls and NLS Thera+A next time I go to the pet store.
I have an LFS near me, but it's not very good. The tanks and fish are in absolutely terrible condition, so I try not to shop there very often.
So, can any of the foods you recommend be found at Petsmart and Petco? Would they be on the shelves or in the freezer? Sorry if that sounds dumb, but I've never heard of them so I really don't even have a clue what they are.

I have an AquaClear filter. It don't THINK there would be any way for the shrimp to get sucked in.. but you tell me:
Aquarium Power Filters: Aqua Clear Aquarium Power Filters at PETCO
It's either the 20g or 30g, can't remember off the top of my head because at the time of purchase I remember debating on which to get.

When you say

you will need a few

, how many do you mean exactly by a 'few'?

Thank you very much!

 

[Fishguy2727]

Start with two or three and add as needed.

I got my Golden Pearls from eBay and from yourfishstuff.com, the only store I have seen them in is the one I was running after I got them online.

I think NLS is at Petco now, but I don't know which ones exactly they are carrying. It may be easier to get the right ones online.

You may want to expand yoru search area for a good LFS. I am in Northern Virginia and will occasionally go two hours up to Baltimore or down to Richmond, good LFSs really are worth the drive.

An out of the box AC will suck things up (shrimp, along with snails and even the occasional fish). You can add sponge to the intake to keep it safe.