Ferts for shrimp tank

[Southpaw]

Hey guys, what would be the safest ferts to dose to my shrimp tank? I did the macro/micro dry fert package from greenleafaquarium and it sadly put a large done in my RCS colony. Is there specific ones that I can get away with or another route?

Thanks!

 

[ianeberle]

I just have high lighting (28w of CFL) and DIY CO2 and my plants are booming in my shrimp tank. Fertilizers are risky with inverts.

 

[ianeberle]

Forgot to mention: my tank is a 10 gallon.

 

[jetajockey]

Just don't go crazy with ferts and it will be fine. Co2 sensitivity is more of a concern in a high tech tank.

 

[Southpaw]

It's a 20 gallon long and I run DIY co2 so I can't see that to be over bearing. I was doing the Barr dosing schedule. And that just did not work for me, plants looked great but my poor shrimp!

 

[Rivercats]

The thing with dry ferts is that you can adjust your dosing as needed for your tank. I keep my micros in a bottle, nitrates in a bottle, and then potassium and phosphates in another bottle. That way I can taylor my amounts to my tank. Look into PPS-Pro dosing, you can try that but cut your dosing to 1/2 or even a 1/4 to start and see how the plants and shrimp do.

 

[jetajockey]

An efficient DIY co2 setup can easily nuke your shrimp, it's best to have a drop checker with 4dkh reference solution to monitor co2 levels in the tank.

 

[Southpaw]

@Rivercats Sorry I am really new to the PPS dosing, I just bought this package.

Micro & Macro | Aquarium Fertilizer | Green Leaf Aquariums

Do I need a dosing bottle? I feel I may be doing this all procedure wrong? I appreciated your input.

@jetajockey Will a drop checker allow me to adjust? All i have is a nano glass diffuser.

 

[jetajockey]

The drop checker just gives you an idea of what concentration of co2 is in the water. You'll have to adjust the input of co2 (assuming it ever runs too high) with an in line air adjuster valve or something.

 

[Southpaw]

@jetajockey what would be considered too high for a 20 gallon long?

 

[Rivercats]

Here is a good thread that really explains the PPS-Pro dosing, only read down through the recipe information which is the original post, don't bother with all the after posts....
Newbie Guide to PPS-Pro - PPS Analysis and Feedback - Aquatic Plant Central

Then I order 3 of these dosing bottles, one for micros, one for nitrates, one for phosphate and potassium combined. Fertilizer Dispenser | 1000 mL (32 oz) | Green Leaf Aquariums

Now on the ingredient mix list there is MgSO4, magnesium, which you don't need to add unless you have super soft water. Most tanks get plenty of magnesium from tap water. Also add 5ml of Excel to every 250ml of micro/macro mix to keep fungus/mold from growing in the solution. Let me know if you have an specific questions.

 

[jetajockey]

Drop checkers work on a basic color shading scale. Blue means not enough, lime green means about right around 30ppmish, and yellow means too high. These are generics of course, some fish and inverts are more sensitive to co2 than others.