I looked on the back of some shrimp food at the store and there was copper sulfate as one of the lowest ingredients. Isn't that terrible for shrimp? Or is it fine in trace amounts?BONUS: (if you feel like it) do kuhli loaches become more active if you have a larger group? I have three now but I plan on getting three more. Will this make them move around more?( If not I'm perfectly happy watching them at night)
Copper is fine in the small amounts found in fish food. The reason behind it is that shrimp do need a small amount of copper to aid with moving oxygen in their blood, though one can argue they likely already get enough from other sources. The compounded form in fish food is also nowhere as dangerous as the elemental copper found in medications, etc. Adding more won't necessarily make them any more or less active. If the Kuhlis don't feel safe out, then they won't come out, whether there's a few or many.
Copper sulfate will kill shrimp (or any other crustaceans) in significant amounts, but a very tiny amount might be used to provide trace minerals for the shrimp. Kuhli loaches normally move around quite a lot, especially in the evenings. I don't know that they move more when you have more of them, but it's interesting to see a group of them interacting.
