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Do Not Use API Algae Fix from Petco in shrimp tanks! Bummed!


Doc4PC2

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The Petco person swore up and down that the API Algae Fix would not harm the shrimp. They are wrong.

As soon as I put even a few drops in, the shrimp scattered away from the drops. I instantly changed my filter

and 90% of the water, vacuumed the substrate and took out the moss sheet, but it still killed quite a few of

my shrimp, and some of the ones that were berried.

 

Then I see in very tiny print on the back of the bottle that it says not to use with crustaceans, crap, or shrimp.

 

I HATE this live and learn crap! I did read the bottle and it said all over the bottle, safe for marine life, etc, but

I did not read the entire small print, and I should have. My fault. But the Petco person assured me that it would

be safe for shrimp and it would do a great job on algae. Which it does with fish. It does not bother the fish at all,

they are fine and it instantly cleaned out the algae, hair algae gone off of moss, and other algae was all gone overnight

in the fish tanks.

 

But three drops in the shrimp tank, and even though I changed the water and filter and cleaned right away, it was too

late. Those three drops were lethal to my shrimp. I lost a lot. I have changed the water a couple more time now and

I put in a active charcoal filter for a couple of days and the rest of the shrimp seem fine now.  I was just a few days

away from transferring them to my new Mr. Aqua tank that is all setup for them.

 

Don't make the same mistake, and don't use this with shrimp. Fish are fine and it does a great job on all types of Algae

with fish. But just one drop is lethal to shrimp.

 

This is two costly mistakes I have made with the live and learn stuff along the way. I had 42 shrimp in the tank, and about

a dozen of them were berried. Now there is 12 left and none of them are berried. I could just scream.........

 

Fortunately my tank full of fry are doing good, they are all low grade CBS, but they are doing good. But I lost

a lot of my TB's, Two WR, Two BB, Two KK, and a lot of SSS CBS, and all of my CRS except one.

 

I am bummed, and there is no way I can afford to get anymore. I just put everything I had into getting the

Mr. Aqua 12 gallon tank setup for them. It was going to be my TB tank.  Sorry, just blowing off some

steam......... 

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"The Petco person swore up and down that the API Algae Fix would not harm the shrimp"

 

Get some pictures and get that idiot fired. It's really pathetic to see non educated workers working at a Pet store.

That's like hiring someone who can't build computers, build computers for you. It's just a no. 

 

Sorry for your loss :(

A Petco representative told me that product as well but as soon as I said I have shrimp, they were like oh, it's no good.

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pretty much any thing regarding algae fix contains copper, which will kill shrimps.

 

sorry for your loss.

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Thanks for the condolences. That's how I feel too.  lol

 

I hate these have to live and learn lessons. Bummed me out big time. Not to mention the cost.

 

Now I am left with a 100 bucks total to replace my TB collection, and that's not going buy me 30 TB's, 2 WR, 2 KK, and 2BB.

 

Maybe someone will trade me for a dozen CBS juvies of different grades. I don't know. This is the second lesson I have had to

learn that cost me my starter collection. I should have read every single word on the bottle, and you can bet next time I WILL.

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Yeah any algae killing products kill shrimp.  Sorry for your loss.  Live and learn is tough, heck I have killed over 2K in shrimp in my live and learn lessons.  Sometimes you just want to give up.  I have almost a couple times.  Stick with it and just be careful.  Still to this day I learn things in the hobby 

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Doc- i feel for you man, but shrimp LOVE algae and biofilm. My best tanks have good algae growth, its a guaranteed buffet for all shrimp, especially newborns. If it bothers you that much do a blackout for a week or 2. DO NOT EVER USE ANY CHEMICAL IN YOUR TANK THAT IS NOT SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR SHRIMP TANKS. Shrimp tanks have algae and biofilm and little critters.. That is the ecosystem they thrive in, not a pristine tank.

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That sucks man! I would take some pictures and take it up with the manager at the store. You owe it to all the other shrimp keepers in your area because your not the first person that they sold the stuff to. They will probably tell you to pound sand but this should stop the employee from telling other people that it is safe.

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Yeah, It was a hard lesson to learn. Twice I have had to learn it.  Never again, in fact, no chemicals ever again of any kind except the shrimp minerals, period!

 

 

wicca, what I mean by TB's is panda, king kongs, or crosses of panda / king kong, Wine Reds /RR,  Blue Bolts, - Those are the shrimp that I love and the ones I lost.

I also lost my orange eyed Royal blue Tigers which I had in the tank temporarily at the time, one which was ready to have her fry any day. I usually keep my those

royal blue orange eyed tigers separate, but I only had a few, and it was just going to be for a couple of days.  

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