Up next in 10
Copper is probably one of the most misunderstood parts of keeping freshwater shrimp. In this video, I clear up the confusion once and for all!
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
? FREE copy of my new Neocaridina Shrimp eBook - https://fishkeepinganswers.com/shrimp-ebook/
Links to products used in this video
? API Copper Test Kit - https://amzn.to/3nOZpWX
? Seachem Copper Test Kit - https://amzn.to/3plClzn
? Fluval Stratum - https://fishkeepinganswers.com/a7ub (Amazon.com)
? Hygrophila corymbosa - https://fishkeepinganswers.com/5rp6 (Amazon.com)
? Twisted Vallisneria - https://fishkeepinganswers.com/j5md (Amazon.com)
? Cryptocoryne wendtii - https://fishkeepinganswers.com/12no (Amazon.com)
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Filter intake sponges ? https://fishkeepinganswers.com/tk1i (Amazon)
API Master Test Kit ? https://fishkeepinganswers.com/pceu
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
In today's video, I want to discuss with you one of the most misunderstood parts of shrimp keeping
0:05
and that is the role copper plays in a shrimp's life. Now in this video, I'm making two important points, so please stick around to the end
0:13
because if you leave early, you may misunderstand what the video is about. Hello friends, welcome back to the channel. If you're new here, my name is Richard
0:20
Now anybody who has researched shrimp keeping and copper will have no doubt come across the countless internet posts and articles and forum posts
0:32
discussing how toxic copper is to shrimp. And the fact that if you let shrimp come into contact in any way, shape, form or manner
0:42
they will die instantly, including in their food. This seems to be a really misunderstood part of the hobby
0:48
And I'm astonished how many forum posts there are where somebody will say
0:54
I've seen this food for shrimp, it contains copper, is it okay to feed the shrimp
1:00
And there will be dozens of people responding saying your shrimp will die, copper is toxic, your shrimp don't stand a chance, do not feed this food
1:08
And I think there is a misunderstanding. So let's address the role copper plays in a shrimp's life and in shrimp keeping itself
1:17
So first off, is copper toxic to shrimp? And the answer here is yes and no
1:24
So let's try and break that down. Let's start with the yes
1:28
Copper, free-forming the water, is toxic to shrimp. Now copper is used often in fish medications
1:36
and also in, if you ever get a treatment to kill snails
1:40
that will often contain copper. If it kills snails it will also kill your shrimp Any products that release copper into the water column may well prove toxic to your shrimp Now there does seem to be very little research about
1:55
or certainly I couldn't find much evidence, about the actual concentrations. So my recommendation to anybody using a medication is to check carefully whether or not it's declared
2:05
shrimp safe. Check carefully whether or not that medication contains copper. Because if it does
2:13
and it doesn't specifically say safe for shrimp, then there's a good chance that medication will
2:19
kill your shrimp. Now that is really important. At no point in this video am I saying it's safe
2:24
to pour medications or any other product into your aquarium that contains copper and is not
2:30
declared shrimp safe because your shrimp will die. However, that doesn't mean that all copper in all
2:38
of its forms is toxic to shrimp. Let me explain why. For a shrimp to carry out its normal bodily
2:45
functions, that's eating, breeding, malting, whatever it might want to do in its day
2:53
shrimp actually require copper in their diet for those bodily functions to take place. Now
2:58
much like we require iron in our blood to help carry oxygen around our bodies
3:06
shrimp actually require copper. Although they don't have blood, they have hemocyanin
3:11
if I pronounced that right, and that hemocyanin does require copper for it to do its thing
3:18
for it to carry oxygen around the shrimp's body, for the shrimp to function properly
3:24
if our shrimp don't have access to any copper in their diet at all they will
3:30
sadly perish and this is this seems to be misunderstood if you look at many many different fish and shrimp foods including hikari shrimp food and sometimes algae wafers when you look
3:41
down the list of ingredients copper will be listed. Now it's listed in in microscopic quantities
3:46
but it's sufficient to provide the shrimp with enough copper in their diet that their bodies can
3:52
can grow and function and do everything they need to do. So is copper toxic to shrimp? Yes
3:59
but weirdly it's also an important element to to allow them to function properly to allow them to
4:06
grow and to be shrimp to be fair as strange it sounds it's a bit like water to us we have to
4:12
have water to function but if we spend 20 minutes sitting at the bottom of a swimming pool that water
4:17
will kill us so you know it's whilst it seems um at odds the information seems at odds with itself
4:25
when you relate it to us, it does make sense. So do we have to be careful with our shrimp and copper
4:31
Yes. As I say, any medications, you must check carefully. If you're treating your fish, you must check carefully
4:38
A, is it declared shrimp safe? And if it's not, does it contain copper? Sometimes you will find plant fertilizers may contain copper
4:45
Now plants, they do require copper to grow. They do require lots of different elements from their water or from their fertilizer
4:53
but you should always check, is this plant fertilizer shrimp safe? Because you don't want
4:59
to be fertilizing your plants and find you're killing your shrimp. Now when it comes to choosing
5:03
food and copper in food, I don't think I've ever seen a fish food or a shrimp food that has
5:08
a really high concentration of copper. It's often there in microscopic quantities, in tiny quantities
5:14
Unless for some reason the food you are buying says not shrimp safe it be absolutely fine don worry about it at all One other question I been asked is what about water that traveled through copper pipes Now I can tell you this based on many years of experience I built myself a recirculating system Essentially
5:33
I had 10 fish tanks and one sump and all of the fish tanks drained down into that sump
5:39
And then they were pumped up and sent back to each individual tank. And the pipe work I made
5:43
entirely out of copper and that ran for several years and almost every one of those tanks had
5:48
shrimp in it and they never showed any ill effects of the copper pipe whatsoever. Now one concern
5:54
people often have is that their shrimp are dying and they think it may be some sort of copper
5:59
poisoning. It's often a concern, it's often one of the questions people ask. Obviously you can't
6:05
see copper in the water but you can buy a test kit. So if you have any concerns that you for some
6:10
reason may have too much copper in your water and it may be affecting your shrimp, then I would get
6:16
yourself a good quality test kit and I'll link to a couple in the description below. But use those
6:20
test kits to test your water and see whether or not you actually have a toxic quantity of copper
6:26
in the water column. So what can we take away from this video? Is copper toxic to shrimp? Yes
6:34
but that's when it's added into the water in a medication or a fertilizer or erroneously somehow
6:39
is copper toxic to shrimp? No, when it's in their food they need it
6:45
it's an important element to help the shrimp grow and to develop
6:50
and to perform its normal bodily functions personally, as I say I've never worried about
6:56
a single food that may contain too much copper if you're wondering what you really should be
7:01
feeding your shrimp and what they do like to eat you should watch this video next
7:04
thanks for watching Thank you
#Pets & Animals
#Pets & Animals
#Fish & Aquaria