# Want to try shrimp 2nd time. Please help me make this time right.



## cammywf

Hi, guy, I wanto to have a 2nd shrimp attempt. This time I will make a shrimp only tank. Please give me some advice.

The following is the details of my first try.
40 red cherry shrimps all gone in 5 months. Every 1or 2 week, I lost 1 or 2. However, 4 amano shrimps, 3 ottos, 8 neons stay healthy and strong. I just don't have clue.

20 gallon long tank, heavily planted with tropica soil and fully cycled. Diy co2
Water parameter always looks fine.
Ammonia 0
PH 6.8
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0
I use API stress coat+ while doing the weekly water change (20%)

Today, I tested gh, kh. Both 1. Looks like the water is very soft. Will this be the cause?

Please help me make this time right. Thanks.


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## Morainy

There are shrimp experts here, but I will jump in. 

Is there any chance that the other fish and the Amanos were getting all the food? The Amanos might be a little more aggressive or successful. Shrimp, ottos and neons should make good tankmates, though.

I used to have success with plants and cherries by adding a bit of Seachem Equilibrium. Cherries need a higher gh.

Perhaps you could try just five or six new shrimp and watch them for a month. Maybe your tank is more cycled now. I'm not familiar with API Stress Coat. You might check to see whether there is chloramine in your water... I heard that there is in Delta. I'm not sure how Stress Coat is with that. You could give Prime a try. Also, check that you are not adding copper in your fertilizer. If your water is very soft and looks green in the bathtub, it might be high in copper from the pipes. In that case, you might avoid using water from the hot tap. Just a thought (we had green water here for a couple of years before Vancouver switched treatment methods).

You may never figure out what happened to your shrimp, but the next ones could be fine. Maybe you could get some that have been locally bred. Good luck!

Edited to add: just noticed that you used Tropica soil. Is there any chance that that substrate leached ammonia for a while? I am not familiar with it. You should be okay now.


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## Jousters

I use fluval stratum or Ada soil.Not sure if tropica soil.buffers ph.I do not use co2 or add anything to the water.


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## Bobsidd

GH of 1 is extremely low. Shrimp would have trouble producing an adequate shell after moulting. Would fit with a couple deaths every couple of weeks, too. 

Going for a shrimp only tank is a very good idea. Start with 10 and see how you go. Also, a shrimp only tank won't need a ton of water changes. Best to do small monthly water changes and maintain consistent parameters, in my opinion.


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## cammywf

Bobsidd said:


> GH of 1 is extremely low. Shrimp would have trouble producing an adequate shell after moulting. Would fit with a couple deaths every couple of weeks, too.
> 
> Going for a shrimp only tank is a very good idea. Start with 10 and see how you go. Also, a shrimp only tank won't need a ton of water changes. Best to do small monthly water changes and maintain consistent parameters, in my opinion.


I am planning to get some crushed coral to increase gh. What is the proper gh for shrimp?


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## Jousters

You can use Nutrifin chiclid conditioner.You can get it at Main Aquarium.


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## cammywf

Just did a test on tap water. Kh, gh, both 1. I am in nirth surrey.


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## Bobsidd

For cherries you probably want gh at at least 5. KH at around 2. Remineralize with something like seachem equilibrium would be my advice.


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## wslam

I use Seachem Equilibrium for gH and Seachem Alkaline Buffer for raising Kh/buffer against pH swings.


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## outsider

Pat of Canadian Aquatics sell salty shrimp GH/KH+ which will buffer both your GH and KH.


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## Morainy

Seachem Equilibrium doesn't contain sodium chloride, so it is good for plants.


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## Dou

I think it depends on a case by case basis. For the answers below, I'm using the API water testing kits. I've asked Aquariums West what their GH was (they tested their water for me) and it was 5 at the time for their shrimp tanks. I've seen online and people have had them higher at 11-12 and it seems like this varies/depends on the individual with no right answer. However, the first issue you might want to address is probably the hardness - I think 2 is too low. At first I had my GH at 11-12, but the problem with that was that I used seachem equilibrium and it jacked up my PH like crazy (it was 8-8.4PH) - which killed a couple of my shrimp and fish. Our tap water is 6.5 PH and becomes 7.2-7.4ish when you add enough equilibrium to get 4-6 GH. With these parameters, I have no shrimp deaths for the past 2 months and my fire-red/red cherry shrimps are actually thriving/reproducing. 

I recently bought some CRS from Pat @ CanadianAquatics and I asked him to test his water for me to help compare and gave me some water samples (and I got some of his mineral additives, forgot the brand). I tested his water and it was 8GH. I acclimated the CRS with water at 5GH, 7.2PH and slowly removed/added water until it was 8 gh and 7-7.2 PH over a week (mineral additive did not spike my PH). That being said, it's been 3 weeks or so now and I've had 0 deaths (knock on wood). Hope this helps!

**//Edit: Most importantly from what I learned from others is that it's best to be consistent and not to change water parameters too drastically.


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## Morainy

Agree with Dou. Also, Pat and Charles sell (or used to sell) a little white rock-like thing you could put in your shrimp tank that would release minerals into the water that the shrimp need for moulting.


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## cammywf

Thank you guys, Looks it is the GH problem. Last night, I put a cup of curshed coral into my 20 long. Hope this will bring the GH up after few days. If this doesn't work, I will go get some equilibrium.

My tank is empty now, so I can do whatever test I like. :lol:


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## outsider

If you only want to raise GH without raise KH. (Raise KH will effect your PH), you can use Salty Shrimp GH+ (again sold by Pat of Canadian Aquatics.), or Seachem replenish. You should have higher KH if you are running Pressured CO2 to prevent pH swing. Pat also sell White Pellet which is shrimp food that contain calcium and mineral supplement which is another options if you think molting is the problem.

By any chance you dose Seachem flourish excel? I had random shrimp dead problem like you had and I was dosing flourish excel and once I stopped the flourish excel, shrimp breeding takes off. I also know some people don't have issue with flourish excel, it is up to you to eliminate anything may cause the shrimp death one by one. 

I do believe you will also need to consider TDS. Cherry Shrimp can tolerate high TDS. (Up to 300 I believe), which is why people suggest RO water for Crystal shrimp because TDS for crystal shrimp is about 120.


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## Dou

outsider said:


> If you only want to raise GH without raise KH. (Raise KH will effect your PH), you can use Salty Shrimp GH+ (again sold by Pat of Canadian Aquatics.), or Seachem replenish. You should have higher KH if you are running Pressured CO2 to prevent pH swing. Pat also sell White Pellet which is shrimp food that contain calcium and mineral supplement which is another options if you think molting is the problem.
> 
> By any chance you dose Seachem flourish excel? I had random shrimp dead problem like you had and I was dosing flourish excel and once I stopped the flourish excel, shrimp breeding takes off. I also know some people don't have issue with flourish excel, it is up to you to eliminate anything may cause the shrimp death one by one.
> 
> I do believe you will also need to consider TDS. Cherry Shrimp can tolerate high TDS. (Up to 300 I believe), which is why people suggest RO water for Crystal shrimp because TDS for crystal shrimp is about 120.


Ahhh, that makes sense why my PH spiked up so much. I think that's what I did buy from Pat (the Salty Shrimp GH+). I dose excel and have had no problems so far with my RedCherries. Time will tell for the CrystalReds. Edit// Also thanks for the note on the KH! Really helpful in case for future reference.


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## outsider

cammywf said:


> Thank you guys, Looks it is the GH problem. Last night, I put a cup of curshed coral into my 20 long. Hope this will bring the GH up after few days. If this doesn't work, I will go get some equilibrium.
> 
> My tank is empty now, so I can do whatever test I like. :lol:


Crushed coral best placed in a small mesh bag and inside the filter. If you just let it sit in the tank on top of gravel, it won't do much as it will takes forever for crushed coral to dissolve.

One cup of crushed coral is also way too much, you will end up bump up KH too much and end up at very high PH. Start with 1 tea spoon and monitor pH, GH and KH before add more. Even if you place the crushed coral in the filter, it may takes a day or 2 for crushed coral start to effect the water. You will need to monitor the water often.

I still say Salty shrimp GH+ from Pat is best options. 1000g Salty Shrimp GH is 55 dollars while I remember seachem equilibrium is kind expensive.


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## outsider

Dou said:


> Ahhh, that makes sense why my PH spiked up so much. I think that's what I did buy from Pat (the Salty Shrimp GH+). I dose excel and have had no problems so far with my RedCherries. Time will tell for the CrystalReds. Edit// Also thanks for the note on the KH! Really helpful in case for future reference.


Actually there are 2 type of Salty Shrimp. One is Salty shrimp GH+ (1000g 55 dollars or 230g 28 dollars.)and another is Salty Shrimp GH/KH+. (800g 55dollars or 200g 28 dollars.)If you bought the salty shrimp gH+ only, it shouldn't effect your kH at all.


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## Dou

outsider said:


> Actually there are 2 type of Salty Shrimp. One is Salty shrimp GH+ (1000g 55 dollars or 230g 28 dollars.)and another is Salty Shrimp GH/KH+. (800g 55dollars or 200g 28 dollars.)If you bought the salty shrimp gH+ only, it shouldn't effect your kH at all.


Sorry I meant it spiked up from when I used Seachem Equilibrium. General concensus though it seems is to test and take it slow!


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## outsider

Dou said:


> Sorry I meant it spiked up from when I used Seachem Equilibrium. General concensus though it seems is to test and take it slow!


I see. I never used Seachem Equilibrium so I have no idea if that effected pH and KH. I only used seachem replenish which has no effect on kH/pH. Since I have to switch Salty Shrimp gH/KH. (burnaby condo water seem slightly acid and low on kH anyway.)

This hobby is like science, require you pay attention to all the chemistry stuff. lol


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## cammywf

Yes, it's in a meshed bag inside filter now. 
I didn't use excel, but I did add some nutrafin cycle every water change.


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## wslam

Seachem Equilibrium and Replenish do NOT affect the kH levels. It does not contain carbonate so it is only for general hardness, not carbonate hardness. Replenish is in liquid form and meant for regular community fish tanks because it contains chloride which will burn plants, while Equilibrium is for planted tanks because it doesn't have chloride.


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## Dawna

I use the GH booster from pat because I also have plants in my tank. I always do straight out of Vancouver tap water 50%water change no water conditioner and its fine. I do big change to reset my nutrient dosage and to induce shrimp breeding (mimic seasonal change). I feed them blood worms at least 4x a week so the females get the best and most protein food so they are more breeding-ready, more frequently. GH and calcium are usually the issues behind the deaths. They are actually more hardy than most people think.  just get your gh and tds right and you would be surprised.


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## outsider

I also wonder if shrimp death has anything to do how you add new water. Perhaps the new water temperature is lower than your tank water temperature and shock the shrimp when you add the new water in. I use FA18X Aquarium Acclimation System to drip the new water into the shrimp tank now. It sure takes forever but prevent I shock the shrimp by adding too much new water at once. Not to mention it is cold now, you best to pre-mix the water and allow it to sit a while to match the room temperature before add it to the shrimp tank. When I do 20% water change on my 45 gallon, I notice my tap water can drop good 4 to 5 degree. (from 26 to 22 or 21.)

I am also not sure if you live in house or condo, some condo have copper pipe and since water can corrode the pipe and you may have copper in tap water.


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## cammywf

outsider said:


> I also wonder if shrimp death has anything to do how you add new water. Perhaps the new water temperature is lower than your tank water temperature and shock the shrimp when you add the new water in. I use FA18X Aquarium Acclimation System to drip the new water into the shrimp tank now. It sure takes forever but prevent I shock the shrimp by adding too much new water at once. Not to mention it is cold now, you best to pre-mix the water and allow it to sit a while to match the room temperature before add it to the shrimp tank. When I do 20% water change on my 45 gallon, I notice my tap water can drop good 4 to 5 degree. (from 26 to 22 or 21.)
> 
> I am also not sure if you live in house or condo, some condo have copper pipe and since water can corrode the pipe and you may have copper in tap water.


When doing water change, I use warm water direct from tap and mix it with api conditioner, and then add to the tank. The new water is a little warmer than the tank water. I only use my hand to feel the temperature. Will this shock the shrimps?

Btw, after adding crushed coral for about 20 hours, my water:
Ph from 7 to 7.4
Kh from 1 to 2
Gh from 1 to 2

I will test tomorrow again.


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## outsider

cammywf said:


> When doing water change, I use warm water direct from tap and mix it with api conditioner, and then add to the tank. The new water is a little warmer than the tank water. I only use my hand to feel the temperature. Will this shock the shrimps?
> 
> Btw, after adding crushed coral for about 20 hours, my water:
> Ph from 7 to 7.4
> Kh from 1 to 2
> Gh from 1 to 2
> 
> I will test tomorrow again.


Wait wait.. you use warm water? You mean you mix the cold and hot water until you feel it is warm? You should only use cold tap water, while some water conditioner says it will detox the heavy metal, you never know if it safe for the fish and shrimp. You should just put new water in a bucket and allow it sit to match room temperature before add to shrimp tank. This could be why your shrimp died.


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## cammywf

outsider said:


> Wait wait.. you use warm water? You mean you mix the cold and hot water until you feel it is warm? You should only use cold tap water, while some water conditioner says it will detox the heavy metal, you never know if it safe for the fish and shrimp. You should just put new water in a bucket and allow it sit to match room temperature before add to shrimp tank. This could be why your shrimp died.


Oh, Looks I just cannot be lazy. Thanks for this info.


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## Dawna

cammywf said:


> Oh, Looks I just cannot be lazy. Thanks for this info.


You could always test your water for copper. Don't need to buy the kit, can always ask local fish stores to test it for you, usually for free or for a dollar. I just use the siphon and let it slowly drain out my cold tap water from my bucket into my 26 gallon tank near the warmer heater side. The convection usually mixes the water pretty well. Also, as long as your pH doesn't fluctuate and your gh and tds are high, your shrimps should be fine. KH is just to stabilize your pH


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## cammywf

Dawna said:


> You could always test your water for copper. Don't need to buy the kit, can always ask local fish stores to test it for you, usually for free or for a dollar. I just use the siphon and let it slowly drain out my cold tap water from my bucket into my 26 gallon tank near the warmer heater side. The convection usually mixes the water pretty well. Also, as long as your pH doesn't fluctuate and your gh and tds are high, your shrimps should be fine. KH is just to stabilize your pH


Thank you for the help.


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## outsider

cammywf said:


> Oh, Looks I just cannot be lazy. Thanks for this info.


Other than the copper, you don't really know what have build up in the hot water boiler/tank all those years. Could be the hot water has really high TDS and shrimp can't handle it.

Keep things simple and once you them going strong, than perhaps you can cut some short cuts.

It is always learning experience. For example my Fire Red/Cherry and Tiger shrimps tank were going strong, I replace the filter from Fluval Nano under water filter to Zoo Med Nano 10 Canister filter with spray bar because baby shrimp got inside the fluval nano. (I moved the bio media from fluval nano to zoo Med nano.) Everything seems fine for first week and I got lazy and skip one water change, than I start to see dead shrimp. I end up lost about half of my shrimp population. (about 90 juvenile and some adults.) I end up have to remove the fluval edge pre-filter form from the canister intake and use less dense from for the strainer while cut back on the co2. Good thing is things seem start o claim down and everything back in track now.


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## cammywf

outsider said:


> Other than the copper, you don't really know what have build up in the hot water boiler/tank all those years. Could be the hot water has really high TDS and shrimp can't handle it.
> 
> Keep things simple and once you them going strong, than perhaps you can cut some short cuts.
> 
> It is always learning experience. For example my Fire Red/Cherry and Tiger shrimps tank were going strong, I replace the filter from Fluval Nano under water filter to Zoo Med Nano 10 Canister filter with spray bar because baby shrimp got inside the fluval nano. (I moved the bio media from fluval nano to zoo Med nano.) Everything seems fine for first week and I got lazy and skip one water change, than I start to see dead shrimp. I end up lost about half of my shrimp population. (about 90 juvenile and some adults.) I end up have to remove the fluval edge pre-filter form from the canister intake and use less dense from for the strainer while cut back on the co2. Good thing is things seem start o claim down and everything back in track now.


This make sense. Hope this time I can make things right.
So sum up. The basic rules are:
- Keep PH stable
- Keep GH at least 5
- Keep TDS above 100ppm
- Keep ammonia, nitrite, nitrate 0
- Only use cold tap water for WC
- Avoid temperature shock while doing WC


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## Dou

cammywf said:


> This make sense. Hope this time I can make things right.
> So sum up. The basic rules are:
> - Keep PH stable
> - Keep GH at least 5
> - Keep TDS above 100ppm
> - Keep ammonia, nitrite, nitrate 0
> - Only use cold tap water for WC
> - Avoid temperature shock while doing WC


GH/TDS:
I haven't done extensive research into the science about this, but for the average hobbyist I'm sure you can group GH/TDS together and just say 4-6GH will suffice. Unless you have a TDS meter.. which would be pretty awesome and you can really play with it then. If we're just thinking naturally - when there isn't enough calcium/minerals in the water then the shrimp won't be able to rebuild their shells after a molt - or they might not even build their shells in the first place. Perhaps it's not a bad thing to have more hardness if you can keep the PH stable (Salt Shrimp GH+)?

Nitrate:
Not sure if you'll ever get this to 0. I would just say add some plants and make sure that it doesn't go above 20ppm. Last time I checked my tank was 5-10ppm.

WC:
I use cold/warm tap water. I'm just gonna make a generalization and say that as long as the water temp is not extremely cold or hot it shouldn't matter too much... I actually try to avoid changing my water too much because it's too complicated and too much work to calculate the amount of equilibrium/salty shrimp GH+ to add back in. Edit// In my Brio35, it's actually quite planted and I am growing herbs with the same water off to the side. I haven't changed the water for the past 3 weeks, just topping it off every week or so. Time will tell whether I kill all my shrimp/fish or not... haha


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## cammywf

Dou said:


> GH/TDS:
> I haven't done extensive research into the science about this, but for the average hobbyist I'm sure you can group GH/TDS together and just say 4-6GH will suffice. Unless you have a TDS meter.. which would be pretty awesome and you can really play with it then. If we're just thinking naturally - when there isn't enough calcium/minerals in the water then the shrimp won't be able to rebuild their shells after a molt - or they might not even build their shells in the first place. Perhaps it's not a bad thing to have more hardness if you can keep the PH stable (Salt Shrimp GH+)?
> 
> Nitrate:
> Not sure if you'll ever get this to 0. I would just say add some plants and make sure that it doesn't go above 20ppm. Last time I checked my tank was 5-10ppm.
> 
> WC:
> I use cold/warm tap water. I'm just gonna make a generalization and say that as long as the water temp is not extremely cold or hot it shouldn't matter too much... I actually try to avoid changing my water too much because it's too complicated and too much work to calculate the amount of equilibrium/salty shrimp GH+ to add back in. Edit// In my Brio35, it's actually quite planted and I am growing herbs with the same water off to the side. I haven't changed the water for the past 3 weeks, just topping it off every week or so. Time will tell whether I kill all my shrimp/fish or not... haha


Yes, Looks like Gh is the biggest problem for me. I will fix this first. Never realize our water is so so so soft. This really explained why my shrimp just keep dying with perfect ammonia, nitrite, nitrate 0. Meanwhile, I will use cold tap water to reduce the risk.


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## Bobsidd

I do water changes once every month or so. About 10 to 20%. I use cold water only (potential nasties in hot) and let it sit in a bucket with an air stone and whichever remineralizing agent I'm using for 48 hours. I then add the water change water very slowly via some airline hose and a valve so it drops a drop or so every second. Normally let it go overnight. This method ensures that any changes in water parameters occur so gradually that it shouldn't effect the shrimps health.


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## outsider

cammywf said:


> Yes, Looks like Gh is the biggest problem for me. I will fix this first. Never realize our water is so so so soft. This really explained why my shrimp just keep dying with perfect ammonia, nitrite, nitrate 0. Meanwhile, I will use cold tap water to reduce the risk.


Whenever you buy whatever GH supplement you use. (Seachem, Salty shrimp or even nutrafin, api stuff.) Once you raise your whole tank's gH to desire level. You only need dose enough for the new water when you do water change. (If you are only change 5 gallon of water, than you only dose that 5 gallon of water.) Which is why it is handy to get a bucket for shrimp/fish only. (which is also something you should do, to avoid chemical stay on the bucket from other house hold use.)

Put cold tap water in the bucket, after adding gH buffer and water conditioner than run water pump/air stone in the bucket to mix the water. (You can let it sit over night to match the room temperature. or use a smaller heater to heat up the water in the bucket) Than slowly add new water back in to the tank. I bought FA18X Aquarium Acclimation form amazon for 23 us dollars, or you can try DIY like bobsidd.

Shrimp isn't that hard to take care, but at same time isn't that easy to take care as well. Cherry shrimp is also suppose to be the most hardy one, try to image take care more advance shrimp such as crystal red.

Pat of Canadian Aquatics also sell TDS meter. (You need over 100 TDS but you don't want to over 300 TDS as well for RCS.)


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## cammywf

outsider said:


> Whenever you buy whatever GH supplement you use. (Seachem, Salty shrimp or even nutrafin, api stuff.) Once you raise your whole tank's gH to desire level. You only need dose enough for the new water when you do water change. (If you are only change 5 gallon of water, than you only dose that 5 gallon of water.) Which is why it is handy to get a bucket for shrimp/fish only. (which is also something you should do, to avoid chemical stay on the bucket from other house hold use.)
> 
> Put cold tap water in the bucket, after adding gH buffer and water conditioner than run water pump/air stone in the bucket to mix the water. (You can let it sit over night to match the room temperature. or use a smaller heater to heat up the water in the bucket) Than slowly add new water back in to the tank. I bought FA18X Aquarium Acclimation form amazon for 23 us dollars, or you can try DIY like bobsidd.
> 
> Shrimp isn't that hard to take care, but at same time isn't that easy to take care as well. Cherry shrimp is also suppose to be the most hardy one, try to image take care more advance shrimp such as crystal red.
> 
> Pat of Canadian Aquatics also sell TDS meter. (You need over 100 TDS but you don't want to over 300 TDS as well for RCS.)


It will be 48 hours since I added crushed coral in filter. I will do a test again tonight. If still very low GH (was 2 after 1 night), I am going to get the seachem equilibrium.


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## outsider

cammywf said:


> It will be 48 hours since I added crushed coral in filter. I will do a test again tonight. If still very low GH (was 2 after 1 night), I am going to get the seachem equilibrium.


Use crushed coral to raise gH takes long time because your water need to be acid enough to dissolve the water. I recall your pH has raise yo to 7.4 which is slightly above neutral.

Pat doesn't pay me for advertise, however You should compare price between Seachem equilibrium and Salty shrimp gH or gh/kh+. I use Salty Shrimp gH/Kh+ in my planted tank and all my plants include dwarf baby tear, dwarf hair grass grow really well. Seachem equilibrium is design for planted tank and will good for shrimp, while salty shrimp is design for shrimp and will be good for plants.

Shrimp's bio load is really low which means you probably only need to do wc once a month. If shrimps are perfectly fine than start to die 1 or 2 days after you do wc than you know wc is the problem.


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## cammywf

outsider said:


> Use crushed coral to raise gH takes long time because your water need to be acid enough to dissolve the water. I recall your pH has raise yo to 7.4 which is slightly above neutral.
> 
> Pat doesn't pay me for advertise, however You should compare price between Seachem equilibrium and Salty shrimp gH or gh/kh+. I use Salty Shrimp gH/Kh+ in my planted tank and all my plants include dwarf baby tear, dwarf hair grass grow really well. Seachem equilibrium is design for planted tank and will good for shrimp, while salty shrimp is design for shrimp and will be good for plants.
> 
> Shrimp's bio load is really low which means you probably only need to do wc once a month. If shrimps are perfectly fine than start to die 1 or 2 days after you do wc than you know wc is the problem.


Thanks for you advice. I will give salty shrimp a try. Currently, my gh and kh are both 2. For my 20 gal planted tank, which one to choice? gh+ or gh+/kh+? Can I use it with tap water?

I will remove the crushed coral if it doesn't work, and only use salty shrimp. Just want to make things simple and easy to control.


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## Jousters

Sachem equilibrium is a powder form.It will raise your TDS up if you are not careful.I keep my TDS at 200 to 250 for neocardino shrimp.I use nutrition cichlid conditioner because it is a liquid form.I would buy a TDS meter from Pat.I know the Salty shrimp brand that Pat sells is probably the best but have not tried it because it is powder form as well.Start with 10 shrimp to see how it goes.Patience is the key for getting your water correct.I hope this helps.


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## cammywf

Jousters said:


> Sachem equilibrium is a powder form.It will raise your TDS up if you are not careful.I keep my TDS at 200 to 250 for neocardino shrimp.I use nutrition cichlid conditioner because it is a liquid form.I would buy a TDS meter from Pat.I know the Salty shrimp brand that Pat sells is probably the best but have not tried it because it is powder form as well.Start with 10 shrimp to see how it goes.Patience is the key for getting your water correct.I hope this helps.


Just checked the price, and seems salty shrimp is the most expensive. Hope it can bring me some good result.


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## outsider

cammywf said:


> Thanks for you advice. I will give salty shrimp a try. Currently, my gh and kh are both 2. For my 20 gal planted tank, which one to choice? gh+ or gh+/kh+? Can I use it with tap water?
> 
> I will remove the crushed coral if it doesn't work, and only use salty shrimp. Just want to make things simple and easy to control.


Salty shrimp gh/kh+ will raise both gH and kH, since both your gH/Kh are low I will go for that one. Higher kH can prevent pH swing and since your tank is planted tank, plants will produce co2 during light off and could effect your pH.

You can use it with tap water after all I use it with tap water as well. There is dosage suggestion on the instruction and you can always start with half dosage and test on the water to see if you need more.


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## outsider

cammywf said:


> Just checked the price, and seems salty shrimp is the most expensive. Hope it can bring me some good result.


How much is Sachem equilibrium?


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## cammywf

outsider said:


> How much is Sachem equilibrium?


Amazon.ca price:
600g Seachem equilibrium = $17.12

CANADIAN AQUATICS Price:
1000g Bee-Shrimp Mineral GH+ = $55
1000g Minerals and trace elements, Shrimp Mineral GH/KH+ = $55


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## outsider

cammywf said:


> Amazon.ca price:
> 600g Seachem equilibrium = $17.12
> 
> CANADIAN AQUATICS Price:
> 1000g Bee-Shrimp Mineral GH+ = $55
> 1000g Minerals and trace elements, Shrimp Mineral GH/KH+ = $55


The GH/KH+ is 850G instead 1000g and it is more expensive since it rise both gH and kH.

Amazon is cheaper specially if the seller is amazon and if you are prime member otherwise you still have to pay shipping, I haven't check equilibrium for a while but I remember Aquarium West sell seachem equilibrium at higher price.

Seachem equilibrium doesn't change kH and if you want to rise kH you will need buy additional buffer such as Seachem Alkaline Buffer.

The measuring spoon come with Salty shrimp is about 2g and it will be enough for 10L (2.6 Gallon.) of RO water to reach 6 dGH. (This is from the instruction.) If you do 13% water change weekly, 850g of salty shrimp will allow you do water change 425 times. Consider you have such low gH and kH from tap water, I will just use full measuring spoon

on Contrast.

From Seachem equilibrium institution. "To raise mineral content/general hardness (GH) by 1 meq/L (3 dH), add 16 g (1 tablespoon) for every 80 L (20 gallons) " While you think Seachem equilibrium is cheaper, you may actually need to use more of it.

It is kind confusing in term of number and exchange, you may need to test water to get the dosage you need.


----------



## cammywf

outsider said:


> The GH/KH+ is 850G instead 1000g and it is more expensive since it rise both gH and kH.
> 
> Amazon is cheaper specially if the seller is amazon and if you are prime member otherwise you still have to pay shipping, I haven't check equilibrium for a while but I remember Aquarium West sell seachem equilibrium at higher price.
> 
> Seachem equilibrium doesn't change kH and if you want to rise kH you will need buy additional buffer such as Seachem Alkaline Buffer.
> 
> The measuring spoon come with Salty shrimp is about 2g and it will be enough for 10L (2.6 Gallon.) of RO water to reach 6 dGH. (This is from the instruction.) If you do 13% water change weekly, 850g of salty shrimp will allow you do water change 425 times. Consider you have such low gH and kH from tap water, I will just use full measuring spoon
> 
> on Contrast.
> 
> From Seachem equilibrium institution. "To raise mineral content/general hardness (GH) by 1 meq/L (3 dH), add 16 g (1 tablespoon) for every 80 L (20 gallons) " While you think Seachem equilibrium is cheaper, you may actually need to use more of it.
> 
> It is kind confusing in term of number and exchange, you may need to test water to get the dosage you need.


Yes, I understand. Actually Seachem equilibrium is more expensive. lol
I just tested the water again, after using crushed coral for 48 hours. KH from 2 to 3 (I guess it's because I started DIY CO2 at the same time), and GH still 2. So looks crushed coral just did work. I am going to order some salty shrimp tomorrow.


----------



## outsider

cammywf said:


> Yes, I understand. Actually Seachem equilibrium is more expensive. lol
> I just tested the water again, after using crushed coral for 48 hours. KH from 2 to 3 (I guess it's because I started DIY CO2 at the same time), and GH still 2. So looks crushed coral just did work. I am going to order some salty shrimp tomorrow.


Crushed coral helps a bit but at same time it is really really slow. Another down side is it is hard to keep water parameters stable with crushed coral. The crushed coral may contiune dissolve into the water and keep rise your gH and kH even you have reach idea number. You will need have just right amount of crushed coral to keep parameter stable and it still won't last long.


----------



## outsider

This was what my shrimp tank like before I lost more than half of my shrimp population. 

That fluval edge prefilter seem to be the problem as it was too dense and reduce the water flow. Sigh...


----------



## wslam

outsider said:


> View attachment 112250
> 
> 
> This was what my shrimp tank like before I lost more than half of my shrimp population.
> 
> That fluval edge prefilter seem to be the problem as it was too dense and reduce the water flow. Sigh...


Should get the marina pre filter sponge, its way less dense. Maybe that'll help?


----------



## cammywf

outsider said:


> View attachment 112250
> 
> 
> This was what my shrimp tank like before I lost more than half of my shrimp population.
> 
> That fluval edge prefilter seem to be the problem as it was too dense and reduce the water flow. Sigh...


Tank looks good  Does slow water flow cause problem?

I am going to remove the crushed coral and just use the salty shrimp when I get it.


----------



## outsider

wslam said:


> Should get the marina pre filter sponge, its way less dense. Maybe that'll help?


I cut unused fluval u2 filter form to fit the zoo med intake strainer and the death has stopped. I actually saw marina pre filter sponge in king ED during their boxing week sale, however the cap is too big and baby shrimp may sucked into the filter. (Which is why I change from Fluval under water nano filter to Zoo Med Canister filter at first place because couple of baby shrimps got into the filter.)


----------



## cammywf

outsider said:


> I cut unused fluval u2 filter form to fit the zoo med intake strainer and the death has stopped. I actually saw marina pre filter sponge in king ED during their boxing week sale, however the cap is too big and baby shrimp may sucked into the filter. (Which is why I change from Fluval under water nano filter to Zoo Med Canister filter at first place because couple of baby shrimps got into the filter.)


Maybe get one of this from ebay? It looks good.


----------



## Dawna

I use that for my canister filter, it's pretty good. Just make sure you order the right size


----------



## Geoffrey

Seachem Equilibrium is $15 at J&L Aquatics (they raised their price recently  I think it used to be about $13).

SeaChem Equilibrium - 600 Gram


----------



## cammywf

Geoffrey said:


> Seachem Equilibrium is $15 at J&L Aquatics (they raised their price recently  I think it used to be about $13).
> 
> SeaChem Equilibrium - 600 Gram


Thanks for the info. Since our dollar is soooooo weak now, we will expect everything is getting more expensive.


----------



## cammywf

Dawna said:


> I use that for my canister filter, it's pretty good. Just make sure you order the right size


Do you know what size to order for aquaclear 20? I found there is a guy selling them on craigslist. 16mm or 12mm. $10 each.

BTW, you mentioned using gh booster? Is it good? I am asking because it's very cheap compared to salty shimp. only $8/lbs from Canadian Aquatics.


----------



## Geoffrey

cammywf said:


> Thanks for the info. Since our dollar is soooooo weak now, we will expect everything is getting more expensive.


I know, but once it's raised, I can't imagine them lowering it again even if the dollar goes back up


----------



## Dou

outsider said:


> The GH/KH+ is 850G instead 1000g and it is more expensive since it rise both gH and kH.
> 
> Amazon is cheaper specially if the seller is amazon and if you are prime member otherwise you still have to pay shipping, I haven't check equilibrium for a while but I remember Aquarium West sell seachem equilibrium at higher price.
> 
> Seachem equilibrium doesn't change kH and if you want to rise kH you will need buy additional buffer such as Seachem Alkaline Buffer.
> 
> The measuring spoon come with Salty shrimp is about 2g and it will be enough for 10L (2.6 Gallon.) of RO water to reach 6 dGH. (This is from the instruction.) If you do 13% water change weekly, 850g of salty shrimp will allow you do water change 425 times. Consider you have such low gH and kH from tap water, I will just use full measuring spoon
> 
> on Contrast.
> 
> From Seachem equilibrium institution. "To raise mineral content/general hardness (GH) by 1 meq/L (3 dH), add 16 g (1 tablespoon) for every 80 L (20 gallons) " While you think Seachem equilibrium is cheaper, you may actually need to use more of it.
> 
> It is kind confusing in term of number and exchange, you may need to test water to get the dosage you need.


What's weird for me is that equilibrium did change my PH. I tested this many times and every single time I added equilibrium my PH spikes. I have been discussing with @wslam and will be testing later to confirm... But the only reason I bought the salty shrimp GH+ from Pat was because the PH spike happened with equilibrium... Really confused. The only thing I have to go on right now is that the equilibrium I added was in water with a metal bowl and reacted somehow... but I've added it directly to my tank and it still increased my PH.


----------



## outsider

cammywf said:


> Maybe get one of this from ebay? It looks good.


Zoo med nano 10 intake pipe is really small. (About 1 cm in diameter.) Doubt it will work as I think it start with 12mm.


----------



## outsider

Dou said:


> What's weird for me is that equilibrium did change my PH. I tested this many times and every single time I added equilibrium my PH spikes. I have been discussing with @wslam and will be testing later to confirm... But the only reason I bought the salty shrimp GH+ from Pat was because the PH spike happened with equilibrium... Really confused. The only thing I have to go on right now is that the equilibrium I added was in water with a metal bowl and reacted somehow... but I've added it directly to my tank and it still increased my PH.


While I never used equilibrium, I did use replenish which is basically liquid form of equilibrium for lazy people and I didn't notice it effect pH.

Come to think about it, which test kit did you use to test pH? Maybe your pH test kit react differently to the equilibrium? I know Seachem Prime is known to mess up nirite reading if you overdose it. Some test kit also react to buffer differently and show different result. For example when I used Seachem Alkaline buffer and Acid buffer, nutrafin wide range test kit (4.0 to 9)would show the pH is at perfect 7.0 while API test will show my water is at high side. 7.8


----------



## outsider

cammywf said:


> Do you know what size to order for aquaclear 20? I found there is a guy selling them on craigslist. 16mm or 12mm. $10 each.
> 
> BTW, you mentioned using gh booster? Is it good? I am asking because it's very cheap compared to salty shimp. only $8/lbs from Canadian Aquatics.


You have to measure the intake pipe. You can use the fluval edge prefilter since the fluval edge 6 gallon filter is basically aquaclear 20. Shrimp love gather and pick stuff on the sponge which is why I put it on my zoo med nano intake strainer. However the down side is since it such dense sponge it will reduce the flow and it is easy to be clogged,. If you use substrate instead gravel, you will need to clean the pre-filter sponge once a week. (I skipped water change/tank cleaning a week I end up lost half of my shrimp population.)


----------



## Dou

outsider said:


> While I never used equilibrium, I did use replenish which is basically liquid form of equilibrium for lazy people and I didn't notice it effect pH.
> 
> Come to think about it, which test kit did you use to test pH? Maybe your pH test kit react differently to the equilibrium? I know Seachem Prime is known to mess up nirite reading if you overdose it. Some test kit also react to buffer differently and show different result. For example when I used Seachem Alkaline buffer and Acid buffer, nutrafin wide range test kit (4.0 to 9)would show the pH is at perfect 7.0 while API test will show my water is at high side. 7.8


Ohhh, that might be it. I use the API Test Kit - maybe that's why it reads higher than normal. I don't use any pH buffer or anything like that so I'm not sure =/


----------



## Dawna

I'm not sure about that filter since I use it on my eheim one, the GH booster also have nutrients used for plants. It's pretty good, I never see any shrimps die


----------



## Dou

Dou said:


> Ohhh, that might be it. I use the API Test Kit - maybe that's why it reads higher than normal. I don't use any pH buffer or anything like that so I'm not sure =/


I just tested this morning (came to my mind) but I think it's my Nutrafin AquaPlus water conditioner that's buffering my pH ==... It went from 6.5 -> 7.2 so I'm pretty sure that's what's going on...


----------



## outsider

Dou said:


> I just tested this morning (came to my mind) but I think it's my Nutrafin AquaPlus water conditioner that's buffering my pH ==... It went from 6.5 -> 7.2 so I'm pretty sure that's what's going on...


That can't be, because I use it as well and it has no effect on pH.


----------



## Dou

outsider said:


> That can't be, because I use it as well and it has no effect on pH.


I poured tap water into a bowl... tested it - 6.5. Then added nutrafin aquaplus and tested it again and it was 7.2............


----------



## effox

How long did you wait, with how much water? Believe as it gases off, the ph will rise to around 7.0-7.2 naturally, depending on how much it rained.


----------



## cammywf

Just tested the water last night again, Still not much change with crushed coral for 3 days. I gave up and removed it. I am going to pickup some salty shrimp tonight at Richmond.


----------



## Morainy

This thread is very popular, Cammywf. Everybody wants you to succeed with your shrimp! I hope that you keep us posted.


----------



## Geoffrey

Other than raising KH as well as GH, what's the difference between Salty Shrimp and Pat's GH booster? To raise KH, you could use baking soda/sodium bicarbonate or Pat's potassium bicarbonate.


----------



## cammywf

Morainy said:


> This thread is very popular, Cammywf. Everybody wants you to succeed with your shrimp! I hope that you keep us posted.


No problem. I will keep updating and thanks to everyone.


----------



## Dou

effox said:


> How long did you wait, with how much water? Believe as it gases off, the ph will rise to around 7.0-7.2 naturally, depending on how much it rained.


I used a small bowl and purposely added like 7-8 drops of the water conditioner and tested instantly after I added the water conditioner (7.2). I also tested water straight from the tap (6.5) =/... I don't know but all my shrimp are surviving so I'm going to keep what I'm doing and just use a little less of the conditioner haha.


----------



## effox

It's more important to keep the ph and temperature stable. You raise the KH for the ph obviously, but I only got mine to about 2kh.

I realized shortly after that my gh was 0, so I raised that up over time to 4-5ish and they no longer had molting issues\deaths.


----------



## wslam

effox said:


> It's more important to keep the ph and temperature stable. You raise the KH for the ph obviously, but I only got mine to about 2kh.
> 
> I realized shortly after that my gh was 0, so I raised that up over time to 4-5ish and they no longer had molting issues\deaths.


Is it fair to say most shrimp death are from molting issues due to low gH (assuming water parameters are normals such as 0-0-5/10)?

I had a death recently and it was a berried shrimp  My gH is 3 and kH is 3 atm, and pH is on the higher side (I tested 7-7.5, AQW tested 8, still unsure which is correct). From what I've learned, my problem could be low gH or too high pH, is this right? I started doing daily water changes of 20% and adding Equilibrium in small amounts to raise gH to 5-6 while trying to lower my pH through tap water (at 6.5 pH) without added kH buffer. Is this the right step?

Sorry to hijack the thread cammy, but lots of good information on this thread for new shrimp keepers!


----------



## effox

I had cherries breed at between 6.2-7.5, so I wouldn't call 7.5 high, that's just over neutral.

The main thing is to get the GH up, have some KH to prevent the PH swings, and keep temperature\water changes consistent (I didn't do the drip method for water change, I just had it reach room temperature and slowly poured it into a bowl at a 10% water changes every so often.


----------



## knucklehead

What do you do when the ph is at 6? Also will a high gh, say 10 and above a problem?


----------



## cammywf

OK, back from Pat's home and got some good stuffs. :lol: BTW, he is very nice.

Salty Shrimp GH+/KH+, a bag of shrimp food, a bag of Almond Leaves.









Since my tank has nothing but plants and some small ramshorn snails, I decide to dump the salty shrimp directly into the tank.
1. Tested water again, ph about 6.8, KH 3, GH 3.
2. Do the math. Based on dosage direction, 2g SS will increase 10 liter water 6 dGH. So that's 0.2g per liter to get 6 dGH, that means 0.1g per liter to increase 3 dGH. Since my GH is 3 already, I need 0.1 x 70 liter(20 gallon) = 7g.
3. take 1 liter water out from tank, and put about 7g in. stir the water, very cloudy like milk.
4. Slowly pour the milk into the tank. I can see the small white particles everywhere. Hope they will dissolve tomorrow.

white particles everywhere









I also got 2 Assassin Snail from Pat, and they are in a small cup now waiting for the water to be ready. Hope I can put them in the tank tomorrow.


----------



## wslam

cammywf said:


> OK, back from Pat's home and got some good stuffs. :lol: BTW, he is very nice.
> 
> Salty Shrimp GH+/KH+, a bag of shrimp food, a bag of Almond Leaves.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Since my tank has nothing but plants and some small ramshorn snails, I decide to dump the salty shrimp directly into the tank.
> 1. Tested water again, ph about 6.8, KH 3, GH 3.
> 2. Do the math. Based on dosage direction, 2g SS will increase 10 liter water 6 dGH. So that's 0.2g per liter to get 6 dGH, that means 0.1g per liter to increase 3 dGH. Since my GH is 3 already, I need 0.1 x 70 liter(20 gallon) = 7g.
> 3. take 1 liter water out from tank, and put about 7g in. stir the water, very cloudy like milk.
> 4. Slowly pour the milk into the tank. I can see the small white particles everywhere. Hope they will dissolve tomorrow.
> 
> white particles everywhere
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I also got 2 Assassin Snail from Pat, and they are in a small cup now waiting for the water to be ready. Hope I can put them in the tank tomorrow.


Looking good! I bet your parameters will be fine after everything dissolves and settles


----------



## cammywf

This hobby really helps get people up early. I got up 1 hour early this morning to test the water.:bigsmile:
ph 7.5
kh 5
gh 6

Looks very good so far, PH is a little bit high, but I think it's not a big problem. Still waiting the TDS Meter from amazon to arrive.


----------



## 2wheelsx2

I just saw this thread now. I agree with most of the comments on the low GH/KH. I use Equilibrium and/or calcium carbonate to bring the GH and KH up in all my tanks and I have cherry shrimps in every tank now except in the discus tank because the discus find them delicious.  Another story with CRS and other kinds as I have not had success with those. I think you'll be ok now with the GH and KH up.


----------



## effox

knucklehead said:


> What do you do when the ph is at 6? Also will a high gh, say 10 and above a problem?


What is your kh? You should raise your KH a little if it's 0, or raise a little if it's around 2. That'll raise your PH a bit. Main thing is that your PH doesn't drop from having no KH. I've raise CRS in 6.2-6.5 and it was just perfect. kh 2 gh 4.

How'd you get your GH at 10? Are you sure you're using the same level of measurement as the others? Degrees or otherwise?


----------



## knucklehead

KH is 1. Yes, my GH went too high as I put in too much of the GH additive. Will just do a water change.

I too have not had any luck with my previous try with CRS. Will definitely try them again since Pat had given me tips on tank parameters. Pretty much what everyone is also saying here.


----------



## outsider

cammywf said:


> OK, back from Pat's home and got some good stuffs. :lol: BTW, he is very nice.
> 
> Salty Shrimp GH+/KH+, a bag of shrimp food, a bag of Almond Leaves.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Since my tank has nothing but plants and some small ramshorn snails, I decide to dump the salty shrimp directly into the tank.
> 1. Tested water again, ph about 6.8, KH 3, GH 3.
> 2. Do the math. Based on dosage direction, 2g SS will increase 10 liter water 6 dGH. So that's 0.2g per liter to get 6 dGH, that means 0.1g per liter to increase 3 dGH. Since my GH is 3 already, I need 0.1 x 70 liter(20 gallon) = 7g.
> 3. take 1 liter water out from tank, and put about 7g in. stir the water, very cloudy like milk.
> 4. Slowly pour the milk into the tank. I can see the small white particles everywhere. Hope they will dissolve tomorrow.
> 
> white particles everywhere
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I also got 2 Assassin Snail from Pat, and they are in a small cup now waiting for the water to be ready. Hope I can put them in the tank tomorrow.


Pat is nice and I am going to grab some shrimps form him.

Just a note, Almond leaf suppose to lower the pH a bit and taint the water. You probably also only need 1 leaf at time. (I would shred it and let it sit in the tank.)

Salty Shrimp will dissolve fast. When I do my water change, I add enough dosage for the water I am going to add to the tank in a bucket than use a water pump/power head to mix the water. (Alone with water conditioner.)


----------



## cammywf

outsider said:


> Pat is nice and I am going to grab some shrimps form him.
> 
> Just a note, Almond leaf suppose to lower the pH a bit and taint the water. You probably also only need 1 leaf at time. (I would shred it and let it sit in the tank.)
> 
> Salty Shrimp will dissolve fast. When I do my water change, I add enough dosage for the water I am going to add to the tank in a bucket than use a water pump/power head to mix the water. (Alone with water conditioner.)


Thank you for the hint. Pat told me he only test TDS for shrimp tank, 250 for Cherry, 120 for CRS. So I am waiting for my TDS meter to arrive. If everything runs smoothly, I will get some shrimps next week. Looking forward to that.


----------



## outsider

cammywf said:


> Thank you for the hint. Pat told me he only test TDS for shrimp tank, 250 for Cherry, 120 for CRS. So I am waiting for my TDS meter to arrive. If everything runs smoothly, I will get some shrimps next week. Looking forward to that.


Pat didn't tell you TDS meter? I bought one from him last week for 20 dollars.

And..

I remember you were running DIY co2? Better turn it off when your tank's light is off.


----------



## cammywf

outsider said:


> Pat didn't tell you TDS meter? I bought one from him last week for 20 dollars.
> 
> And..
> 
> I remember you were running DIY co2? Better turn it off when your tank's light is off.


I ordered TDS meter from amazon for $16, and right after it was shipped I realized Pat has that too.

My diy co2 is about 1 bubble per second, and I have been running DIY co2 24x7 for a year and never see fish or shrimp has problem with it.

Also, Just ordered 5 of stainless stell pre filter from ebay.:lol:


----------



## effox

With the KH higher this time around, the ph won't fluctuate (as much or noticably at least) with the co2 (at nighttime especially).

I had one of those stainless steel pre filters, it worked good, I'd just pull it out and have the bathroom facet blast into it to clean any stuck plant particles on it. Ended up having to silicon the bottom piece back onto the mesh at one point, I remember that.


----------



## cammywf

Finally, TDS meter arrived. Tested Water again.

PH: 7.2
KH: 2
GH: 6
TDS: 187
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0

I think I am ready to go now. Thanks for everyone's help. :lol:


----------



## outsider

cammywf said:


> Finally, TDS meter arrived. Tested Water again.
> 
> PH: 7.2
> KH: 2
> GH: 6
> TDS: 187
> Ammonia: 0
> Nitrite: 0
> Nitrate: 0
> 
> I think I am ready to go now. Thanks for everyone's help. :lol:


Test the Try acclimate shrimp slowly if there is huge difference between your water and whoever you bought shrimp from. (I use acclimation station to do it.)


----------



## cammywf

outsider said:


> Test the Try acclimate shrimp slowly if there is huge difference between your water and whoever you bought shrimp from. (I use acclimation station to do it.)


Yes, I will try dripping acclimate this time. Never did this before, last time, I use the regular way to acclimate 40 cherries, they seemed fine for the first 2 weeks.


----------



## effox

cammywf said:


> Yes, I will try dripping acclimate this time. Never did this before, last time, I use the regular way to acclimate 40 cherries, they seemed fine for the first 2 weeks.


As the water parameters are good this time around, probably not even necessary.

You could always test the bag water to see how similar it is. Unless it's way off I was just floating the bag to get the temperature to match slowly, pour it into a bowl, add tank water bit by bit over 1 or 2 hours. Scoop the shrimp out (so as not to transfer any water into my tank). Done. Worked every time, despite who\where I bought them from.

With water changes, I didn't even do the drip method.

I'd bet if you had higher GH last time, you'd probably have a thriving colony right now, without changing anything else.


----------



## outsider

I agree with effox, use shrimp net to scoop the shrimp into the tank instead pour the whole bag in. You don't want other tank water into your tank as you never know what they may have in there. Aquarium West against people pour their tank water into the tank as well.


----------



## cammywf

effox said:


> As the water parameters are good this time around, probably not even necessary.
> 
> You could always test the bag water to see how similar it is. Unless it's way off I was just floating the bag to get the temperature to match slowly, pour it into a bowl, add tank water bit by bit over 1 or 2 hours. Scoop the shrimp out (so as not to transfer any water into my tank). Done. Worked every time, despite who\where I bought them from.
> 
> With water changes, I didn't even do the drip method.
> 
> I'd bet if you had higher GH last time, you'd probably have a thriving colony right now, without changing anything else.


I really hope so. Will do a final aquascape change tonight and start looking for the shrimp after.


----------



## effox

Hey... I hope to see you take some pics along the way, even just a few across some acclimation time! The nice part is, is that this time around, you have a great deal better of knowledge and understanding of what to look out for, and you can nail us with any questions if there's any concerns.

The crazy part is, is that even though you don't have shrimp in your tank right now, is that you can inspire people even 4 years from now, long after you've forgotten about this thread and the questions you asked, just from some searching Google in the future.

Post a pic or two along YOUR journey


----------



## cammywf

OK, 2nd try starts. I got 20 cherry shrimps. after 2 hours of acclimation. They are in my tank now. Hope this time they will thrive.

Tank setup.









Floating









Acclimating









All done.


----------



## Morainy

Absolutely beautiful! The tank and the shrimp. A work of art!


----------



## jagermelifter

good thread &#127996;

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## 2wheelsx2

How are the shrimp doing?


----------



## cammywf

2wheelsx2 said:


> How are the shrimp doing?


So far so good, already have 3 berried females. Hope I can see the babies soon.


----------



## 2wheelsx2

Good to hear.


----------



## cammywf

2wheelsx2 said:


> Good to hear.


Actually, I found at least 5 berried females this morning. Guess I was lucky when you picked shrimps for me. haha. Thank you.


----------



## 2wheelsx2

No problem. You did all the right prep this time, plus my shrimps have been breeding in my tanks for quite a while and are very hardy.


----------



## cammywf

This feels so good. Almost all females are berried now. Looking forward to seeing the babies.


----------



## battmanh

Congrats! I'm glad you are having success with shrimp this time around


----------



## 2wheelsx2

Wow, that's impressive! Good work.


----------



## outsider

3 to 4 weeks for baby to come out. 

If you run out pest snail in your shrimp tank, you better move that assassin snail because there are record assassin snail pick on shrimp if it is really hungry. (Shrimp can't move during molting which is perfect timing for assassin snail pick on them.)


----------



## cammywf

outsider said:


> 3 to 4 weeks for baby to come out.
> 
> If you run out pest snail in your shrimp tank, you better move that assassin snail because there are record assassin snail pick on shrimp if it is really hungry. (Shrimp can't move during molting which is perfect timing for assassin snail pick on them.)


Good to know this. I will take them out. Thank you.


----------



## SeaHorse_Fanatic

Good job on setting up a beautiful shrimp tank. All your research and hard work prepping the tank is now paying off.


----------



## 2wheelsx2

I have 10's of assassin snails in my Cherry tank and I have not seen them eat any shrimp, but then I feed lots of food, hence the non-stop breeding so YMMV.


----------



## Morainy

I'd love to see another photo of this tank and your shrimp!


----------



## cammywf

I found first shrimp baby this morning. Oh, yeah.

Sorry about the photo quality. Will find my DSLR and make better photos.


----------



## SeaHorse_Fanatic

And the adventure now really begins...


----------



## cammywf

I am very happy now. It has been almost 5 weeks with no death. Small babies are everywhere, and I found at least another 4 berried females this morning.

Now I totally agree that cherry shrimp is not hard to keep as long as you have the right water. In 5 weeks, I only did 2 water changes, about 10% each time. By keeping gh/kh/ph stable, shrimps are very active and happy.

Thanks again to everyone in this post.


----------



## cammywf

SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> And the adventure now really begins...


yes, the adventure is on now. :bigsmile:

After 2 months, I guess I have over 200 now.


----------



## knucklehead

cammywf said:


> yes, the adventure is on now. :bigsmile:
> 
> After 2 months, I guess I have over 200 now.


Wow, that was fast!


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## cammywf

It has been 3 months, and I am excited to report that my shrimp colony is growing big. At 2nd month, I took 20 out to start another colony, and they are doing great too, lots berried now.










2nd colony


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## effox

:bigsmile:

Glad to see you're colony is doing great. Taking the extra time to set it up right and ask the necessary questions is crucial. I know I didn't do that the first time with my cherry shrimp and paid the price.

Cheers,
Chris


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## mysticalnet

Nice shrimp colony buddy

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk


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## knucklehead

what's inside the pots?


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## cammywf

knucklehead said:


> what's inside the pots?


That's the tropica soil, and I use it to lower the high ph caused by adding Salty Shrimp GH/KH+. At first, I use only the soil, but I found it lower the ph to < 6.0, too strong buffering. Now I use black gravel and gradually add the soil to control ph.


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## cammywf

mysticalnet said:


> Nice shrimp colony buddy
> 
> Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk


Thanks. How is your DHG carpet plan now?


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## Dou

Tropica actually lowers pH?! That's crazy because I didn't notice that it affected my pH at all in my tanks... So nice to see all the success =).


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## mysticalnet

cammywf said:


> Thanks. How is your DHG carpet plan now?


Very Slowly spreading 

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk


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## knucklehead

cammywf said:


> That's the tropica soil, and I use it to lower the high ph caused by adding Salty Shrimp GH/KH+. At first, I use only the soil, but I found it lower the ph to < 6.0, too strong buffering. Now I use black gravel and gradually add the soil to control ph.


I see. Thanks!


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## effox

I'm glad you decided to take a 2nd chance, it obviously is paying off! Hope this can be a lesson for others who are interested, your tank looks great


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