# Root tabs? Dangerous??



## Dreamer

So worst night ever D: my beloved shrimp has died. His color was still very bright. Im getting the water tested in the morning! Could the root tabs I added have killed the poor fella?? API was the brand


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## jeromeetabuzo

Dreamer said:


> So worst night ever D: my beloved shrimp has died. His color was still very bright. Im getting the water tested in the morning! Could the root tabs I added have killed the poor fella?? API was the brand
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Hi Dreamer , yes the root tab killed him , i heard some people use those and killed lots of shrimps and some fishes ... Sorry to hear about your loss , i hope you remember him always and wished that you also enjoyed the moment with him when he was alive.. :rip:


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## Dreamer

That's so sad because it didn't even end up helping my plants so he died for no reason :/


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## jeromeetabuzo

Dreamer said:


> That's so sad because it didn't even end up helping my plants so he died for no reason :/
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


sorry , but he died because of the root tabs its very lethal to them thats why i dont use those things  :console:


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## yannis2307

yo are right, the most likely cause of the shrimp's death is the root tabs. Plants need minerals like Iron (Fe) etc., and the synthetic gravel we buy at the LFS does not have the needed quantity of those. That's what root tabs serve. They contain nutrients and minerals synthetic substrates lack to help plants grow. Most of the root tabs also contain, even in small quantities, Copper (Cu) that is super deadly for most invertebrates. When you keep invertebrates, Copper (and other substances too, but Copper is the most common) is your enemy, as it is present in many medications for fish and by not paying attention to the medications' contents, you can add Copper to your water and do more harm than good. I thought I'd give you some info that could prove useful in the future.


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## Dreamer

Thanks guys  can that tank ever have shrimp again?? What can I do ??


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## yannis2307

remove the root tabs, put carbon in the filter, get a liquid test for Copper and see if you have any, if not, put shrimp, if yes, wait for it to be removed... Generally, you should have less than 1ppm of copper, any number close to or over 1ppm is lethal to shrimp. A bit less is natural, tap water contains copper but in very very small quantities, like 0.005ppm (parts per million) and it ranges depending on your water supplier and source. Try to keep it as low as possible though.


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## jeromeetabuzo

yannis2307 said:


> remove the root tabs, put carbon in the filter, get a liquid test for Copper and see if you have any, if not, put shrimp, if yes, wait for it to be removed... Generally, you should have less than 1ppm of copper, any number close to or over 1ppm is lethal to shrimp. A bit less is natural, tap water contains copper but in very very small quantities, like 0.005ppm (parts per million) and it ranges depending on your water supplier and source. Try to keep it as low as possible though.


 Agreed , copper can really kill crustaceans  , and also just to add on this answer , never buy and use a root tab ever again.


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