Hello,
I have a few plants in my 40g and I would like to add more. However, I don't want too many plants and not enough... well.. poop lol Not enough food will stare them. Therefore I should add some fert. I've read that most fertilizers and substrates have iron in them. I have bamboo and ghost shrimp. Iron and copper are a no-no for them. Is there anything I can do to have more plants and less dead inverts?

__________________
"May I never wake from the American Dream."
-Carrie Latet

60 gallon
5 Orange/Sunburst Platy
1 Angelfish
1 Silver Tip Tetra
2 Glass Catfish
4 Zebra Long Fin Danios
2 Siamese Algae Eaters (SAE)
2 Amano Shrimp
2 Fancy? Tetras
1 Green/Ghost pleco
Hygrophila angustifolia
Anacharis
Swords: 1 Melon, 1 Amazon, 1 Rose
Micro Sword
Moneywort
Rotala nanjenshan
Anubias barteri/Broad Leaf
Brazillian Pennywort

and some I forgot the species of...

The amount of copper in planted substrates or ferts is minimal and not at a dangerous level for inverts. MANY people in the planted tank world have inverts, from low-tech no fert tanks, to hi-tech heavy fertilized tanks.

Thanks! Off to my LFS I go!

__________________
"May I never wake from the American Dream."
-Carrie Latet

60 gallon
5 Orange/Sunburst Platy
1 Angelfish
1 Silver Tip Tetra
2 Glass Catfish
4 Zebra Long Fin Danios
2 Siamese Algae Eaters (SAE)
2 Amano Shrimp
2 Fancy? Tetras
1 Green/Ghost pleco
Hygrophila angustifolia
Anacharis
Swords: 1 Melon, 1 Amazon, 1 Rose
Micro Sword
Moneywort
Rotala nanjenshan
Anubias barteri/Broad Leaf
Brazillian Pennywort

and some I forgot the species of...

I have Ghost Shrimp and Red Cherry Shrimp in my 30 gallon planted community tank, and I use root tablets and liquid ferts; all is well

__________________


My 30 gallon planted freshwater - CONSTANTLY CHANGING

NICE!!! Its going to be a forrest in mine then! lol maybe not that extreme, but, I want more plants. I just got a powder blue gourami, so addingmore plants will have to wait for now...

__________________
"May I never wake from the American Dream."
-Carrie Latet

60 gallon
5 Orange/Sunburst Platy
1 Angelfish
1 Silver Tip Tetra
2 Glass Catfish
4 Zebra Long Fin Danios
2 Siamese Algae Eaters (SAE)
2 Amano Shrimp
2 Fancy? Tetras
1 Green/Ghost pleco
Hygrophila angustifolia
Anacharis
Swords: 1 Melon, 1 Amazon, 1 Rose
Micro Sword
Moneywort
Rotala nanjenshan
Anubias barteri/Broad Leaf
Brazillian Pennywort

and some I forgot the species of...

There are many safe ferts to use... Not sold at LFS
NO nitrogen from urea in the ingredients is a start, if you buy ferts at LFS try matching ingredients with those sold at a specialty lawn and garden store (not lowes or hd).
But please make sure you spend time researching online before dosing.
A quick search of "aquarium plant fertilizing" will provide you with lots of details.
I also recommend this DYI page on C02
DIY CO2 System for Planted Aquarium

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"Buddha in your tank"

I have two tanks with plant-specific substrate and I dose fertz as well, and my RCS and snails do just fine, and my RCS are breeding like rabbits. I use Fluorite and peat moss as my substrate, and dose KNO3, KH2PO4, H2SO4, Plantex CSM+B (trace elements), and ferrous iron gluconate I mixed from a dietary supplement. I also dose CO2.

Keep in mind shrimp love good hiding spots, and I can think of no better environment for them than a densely planted tank with very few predators.

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Officially fishless until after the move....tune in later for details!

Remember to leave some space for your fish to swim...