Tetra Aqua EasyBalance

Redknee

Now i am not a fan of chemicals or water aditives but i am going to eb away for easter(4-5 days) and i want to make sure my 135L shrimp farm goes on without me.
Main problem is pH that tends to drop slowly but steady(yes yes tanine from that wood that i did boil forever) twards 6 and that i do not like. In 2-3 days it drops about 0.5 and i do not want to come home to a graveyard.
Now the instructions say:
With this unique combination of active ingredients, the new* TetraAqua EasyBalance replicates the refreshing action changing the water.
The new nitrate reduction granules reduce nitrates to permanently low levels, phospgate is also reduced resulting in less unsightly algae.
pH and carbonate hardness stabilizers prevent dramatic reduction in pH, adds vitamins, trace elements and minerals essential for healthy aquariums.
Now the part that made me go Hmmmm!
ENSURE that a PERMANENT, sufficient OXYGEN supply is guaranteed.
Now i am against this kind of substances and aditives as it is BUT when they say on the instructions that you need an oxygen supply it makes me even more paranoid about using it.
So, has anyone used this with shrimp? Any side effects? Any problems what so ever?
I am 99.99% sure i do not want to use it but that last 0.01% is telling me i should make sure my pH does not drop while i am gone.

Byron

I have no experience with shrimp sensitivity to chemicals, but I would certainly not use this product with fish in the tank.

Any product that does what this one claims is affecting the natural bacteria and biological equilibrium in the aquarium, and that is a complicated biological system. Considering you will not be around to immediately handle any issues, it is even more risk. There will be an ammonia increase for one thing, and this will obviously have an effect.

The pH is dropping for a reason, and it is not the wood. Wood in an aquarium has minimal effect on the pH. Biological processes in all aquaria cause the pH to slowly fall (it can fall faster as it progresses). The carbonate hardness of the water will buffer this; regular partial water changes aid this process. What is the KH and GH of your tap water? The safest and most reliable solution is adding some natural buffering (calcium and magnesium) via dolomite or crushed coral; the amount will depend upon the hardness of the water.

karjean

Don't you have somebody that could keep an eye on your aquarium while you are gone?

Redknee

Byron as usual you have given a very clear, to the point, versed answer, thank you.
karjean if i did i would not bother with chemicals
Well going to do a serious water change and hope for the best...

KSASTER2

I as you have a steady decrease in my ph. Mine would go from 7.4 to less than 6 even with weekly 20% pwc in my 29g planted. To remedy this I added some pieces of limestone i had. I added a bout 4 or 5 pieces probably totaling 3-5 lbs. My ph is now a steady 6.8. No fluctations since it leveled off in my tank. Been steady for over a month now and I do check often.

karjean

redknee have a great weekend with no worries.

Redknee

Thanks! I will, i'll be drunk 80% of the time anyway

iamntbatman

It's a permanent oxygen supply? I'm going to get RICH selling this stuff to NASA.

Joking aside, those are some of the most ludicrous claims I've ever read on an aquarium-related product. They may as well also say that it will make you lose weight and will result in a guaranteed $2000 increase in your tax refund.

Redknee

On the more serious side i did a KH and GH tests.
Both are 3(and i used separate tests for both, not the GH-KH 2 in 1 test so they must be close to the truth).
Also got a rock the size of a small dog that will increase my GH.
Keep you updated.
P.S i found a perfect use for the easyballance! it makes thewater in the toilet change color!

Redknee

Oh forgot, the rock is called Green Spaghetty Rockery Stone.