Seachem Neutral Regulator

[riaanj]

Hi, did a search here and couldn't find anything, so, I want to hear if anybody here has used Seachem's Neutral Regulator? does it work without any side effects and is it safe for use with shrimp?

Any help will be appreciated..

[jayc]

@riaanj I don't use this product with shrimps or my fish. 

But I'm sure it works, or else Seachem won't be selling it.

This is a phosphates based product that aims at raising KH to stabilise pH (or rather raise pH from low to neutral).

While this product will work, I'm sure there are other methods of raising pH from acidic to neutral using more natural products rather than chemicals. I always prescribe to using natural products rather than chemical where ever possible. 

 

Let us know what your water parameter is currently, and what you aim to achieve. I'm sure there will be many SKF members here with first hand experiences that can help.

Changing pH while you have shrimp in the tank is not highly recommended. It's ok to adjust pH while your tank is still unpopulated, but constantly changing pH with shrimp in the tank will just stress them out. As would happen if you use this sort of product to artificially adjust pH. The scenario would go something like this, your ph is below 7 to start with, you add this product, and pH might go up a bit, as the buffering depletes, the pH will drop slightly, you add more, the pH goes up. This cycle of up down, up down continues until you have added enough of the product that there is enough buffering capabilities in the water to maintain a neutral pH.

Very stressful for shrimps.

Neutral pH is probably only needed by Cherry shrimps. However, they can still thrive in pH as low as 6.4 - 6.5. They can be made to adapt if drip acclimatised. There after, keep pH as stable as possible. 

CRS, CBS, Taiwan Bees and even Tigers prefer lower pH, so this product is not suited for them.

If you still really need to raise pH, there is nothing a handful of coral chips can't do naturally that this product can.

So before we blindly set you off on using expensive products, we might need to know more about your situation. A cheaper, and less chemically based product might be used instead.

 

 

Edited November 25, 2015 by jayc

[riaanj]

Thanks for the info @jayc I am doing some homework before I setup a dedicated shrimp tank, I was thinking of using RO water only in the tank but of course then the water is void of any minerals, I was primarily thinking of using this with the RO water to replace the minerals, I had no idea it affects the PH too, any other suggestions when using RO water only?

P.S. I will be using Aquasolum as the substrate, this is humate derived soil that lowers the PH and softens the water in itself..

[jayc]

8 hours ago, riaanj said:

, I was thinking of using RO water only in the tank but of course then the water is void of any minerals, I was primarily thinking of using this with the RO water to replace the minerals, I had no idea it affects the PH too, any other suggestions when using RO water only?

Now I understand what you are trying to do.

There are a few products that will replenish minerals in RO water.

Salty shrimp is the most popular.

But you can use seachem equilibrium as an alternative. You could even use Red Sea Coral Pro salts for marine tanks. But these two are not as specialised for shrimp as the Salty Shrimp products.

 

Alternatively, if you can get your hands on the raw ingredients, you can make your own for a fraction of the price.  See my post in water parameters subforum for instructions.

 

http://shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/topic/7159-diy-remineralisation-for-ro-or-rain-water/

[riaanj]

@jayc awesome thanks, the salty shrimp range is not available in South Africa as far as I know, I'll have to see if I can order from overseas or I'll have to make due with the Seachem stuff. (I think the red sea coral pro is also available here)

I'm busy going through your post on DIY remineralisation, I'll research locally and see if I can get my hands on the raw ingredients..

Thanks again!

[jayc]

5 hours ago, riaanj said:

I'm busy going through your post on DIY remineralisation, I'll research locally and see if I can get my hands on the raw ingredients..

Thanks again!

You are welcome. 

Try gardening stores,  or hydroponics stores or hardware stores that sell fertilizer. 

Just remember to buy calcium sulphate dihydrate. The dihydrate is important as it will dissolve in water easily.