It's a bit late to ask as I've just added some of p44's special ferts to my display tank to thin out the numbers of snails in there and I realised afterwards that there are 4 native shrimp in there that I had forgotten about. They're going mental! Have I killed them or are they just a bit upset by the additives? I guess I'll know the answer in the morning but wanted to ask here just in case.

It's a bit late to ask as I've just added some of p44's special ferts to my display tank to thin out the numbers of snails in there and I realised afterwards that there are 4 native shrimp in there that I had forgotten about.

Oops.

They're going mental! Have I killed them

Probably.

or are they just a bit upset by the additives?

Being poisoned to death tends to be relatively upsetting.

Whether or not they'll die depends on the exact dosages and their specific resistance. But copper is toxic to basically all invertebrates.

Yeah... CuSO4 and shrimp. Not good.

I don't think you've killed them..............yet.

do a big water change

and chuck some carbon in if ya got any handy

oops. :facepalm: Turns out I put enough in there to kill the black line and lemon tetra too. The only survivors are the cardinals who aren't too happy with me but are at least breathing. I've spotted 1 shrimp still moving around the tank too so fingers crossed a few of the others survived too.

I've just done a 70% water change and am on the second 70% change now. I don't have any carbon but if the cardinals don't get their colour back by the morning I'll be heading to the LFS.

I feel like such an idiot. At least I know what caused it though I guess...

:edit: found a big bag of carbon that hadn't been used so threw that in the tank with the water changes. The 3 remaining cardinals that I can see have all their colour back but are hanging out on the bottom. Off to bed. Will check on them all in the morning and do a body count.

D'oh :facepalm:

Copper tends to be bad news for inverts, inc crayfish and shrimp.

Final count I have 4 cardinals and 1 shrimp still alive. Plenty of dead snails so the goal was achieved.

Lesson learnt. :tears:

Final count I have 4 cardinals and 1 shrimp still alive. Plenty of dead snails so the goal was achieved.

Lesson learnt. :tears:

Sorry to hear about ur fish and what snails were u targeting?

Sorry to hear about ur fish and what snails were u targeting?

The trumpet snails I previously said weren't out of control. It seems I tempted fate and they went mental straight after I made the claim. Found out how to kill them though :facepalm:

So copper works for MTS then?

So copper works for MTS then?

Most definitely.

I might have to take note of this, I have always had MTS never really been bothered by them as they turn the substrate. But it would be nice when I set the new tank up to leave the fish out of a week while the copper takes care of all the snails :gigl:

I might have to take note of this, I have always had MTS never really been bothered by them as they turn the substrate. But it would be nice when I set the new tank up to leave the fish out of a week while the copper takes care of all the snails :gigl:

My thoughts exactly rip all the fish out and treat the tanks with copper to get rid of the little buggers..

If one was to trat the tank to kill the snails and then put the fish back in would the traces left be enough to kill native shrimp?

My one surviving shrimp seems happy enough after the 2 big water changes and a bag of carbon in the tank. I'd give it a week or so with a big water change or 2 and some carbon to be sure. I'm about to go and syphon all the shells off the substrate now. If anybody in Auckland wants some of this magic juice let me know

The Malayan trumpets will be more easily killed by copper because they are livebearers and don't have eggs encased in gel that may give some protection.

Interestingly it has slowly but surely killed all my twisted val too...