Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V5 #132

["Alex R" <pcalex at hotpop_com>]

----- Original Message -----
> Date: Sun, 2 Jun 2002 07:56:36 -0400
> From: "Gitte" <eladeria at rogers_com>
> Subject: RE: Amano Shrimp and Chloride
>
> Hi Alex,
>
> I wouldn't know about how the Potassium Chloride (KCl) would affect the
> algae-eating shrimp, but what is the hardness of your water?  If your
> water is too soft, you won't be able to keep the shrimp.  They need the
> hard water to be able to develop their shells.

Oh yes, I have 8 degrees GH to which I add MgSO4. My snails are doing fine.

> The other (probably silly) question is - - are you sure they really did
> die?  These little critters are notorius for being able to hide
> themselves almost anywhere.  I put two in one of my smaller tanks (20G)
> and didn't see them for another week.  I though they had died, but there
> they were, very efficiently cleaning up algae.

Yeah, I'm sure they died. When they were alive, I had no problem finding
most of them. Then I would find dead ones one by one. They were really dead
shrimp, not shells. But for the few days that they lived, I saw them eagerly
cleaning up algae.

The only two plausible explanations that I can see is not enough iodine and
high chloride, though I have a feeling that a lot of people here who keep
these shrimp also dose a lot of KCl.
___
Alex R