A healthy cherry shrimp colony grows like a slow-motion explosion. When yours just sits there — same dozen shrimp, month after month — it's almost always one of five fixable things.
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I killed my first three. Drowned them in CO2, baked them under a too-strong light, and — the fatal mistake — buried the rhizome.
There are roughly fifteen species commonly recommended. Most are fine. A few really shouldn't be in a tank this size.
The most important thing to understand about a freshwater tank — and the topic where most beginner guides repeat textbook claims that have been wrong since 1998.
The actual agency numbers — EPA, USGS, USFWS — sourced and cited.
High nitrates were killing my plants and stressing my rasboras for months. I tried everything wrong before I tried the right things — including buying $200 of nitrate-removing filter media that didn't work.
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