Breeding Difficulties

[Aiden123]

Hi everyone

In September 2015 I was quite successful with breeding in my crystal bee and TB mixed tank and had quite a lot of berried shrimp and shrimplets. Unfortunately at the same time I had a planaria outbreak so I treated with No Planaria. I did lose a lot of shrimp with the treatment (mainly adults) and it took me a month or so to get things stable. Since the treatment, I have had no planaria and no more shrimp deaths, however there has been no signs of breeding since. I have had no berried shrimp let alone any shrimplets.

I do have quite a lot of adult shrimps now who were the survivors of the No Planaria treatment. I don't think there are any problems with regards to molting. I have not seen any shrimps struggling with molts and I have not had a dead shrimp in months. 

Tank Details

45cm x 45cm custom made tank (approx 90 litre)

Borneowild Substrate

2 x 100 litre sponge filters

2 x Eheim air diffusers

Fluval E 200 heater

Boyu S2000 AIr Pump 

Java Moss, Java Fern, Flame Moss, Weeping Moss and some Lava Rock. 

Water Parameters

TDS: 170

GH: 6

KH 0.1

PH: <6.0 (my test kit only goes to 6 but I suspect that the PH is closer to 5. I base this on the fact that no snails, even pest snails, can survive in this tank)

Ammonia: 0ppm

Nitrite: 0ppm

Nitrate: 5ppm

Feeding

I usually feed 5 or 6 times a week at once per day.

Feeding includes:

Glas Garten Bacter AE

Borneowild Multipara

Borneowild Spinach

Borneowild Barley

Tank Maintenaince

I tend to only do a small water change ever few months with dripping 1 litre of RO water per week to account for evaporation. I found that the less messing around I do with the water, the better. When I did weekly changes (5/6 litre), even with matching the water temp, tds, etc I always had a few deaths a day or so after. After a drip 1 litre of RO water in I put half a spoon of Borneowild Enlive in the tank.

There is  Borneowild Mineral Rock in the tank for mineral release and I also seeded the tank on set up with Borneowild minerax, bebe and enlive. There are also some Borneowild Bee Balls, Azoo Max Bio Balls, Indian Almond leaves and Alder cones in the tank. 

Anyone have any ideas why I there is no breeding?

If you need anymore info, please let me know.

Thanks in advance!

Edited March 17, 2016 by Aiden123

[jayc]

6 hours ago, Aiden123 said:

PH: <6.0 (my test kit only goes to 6

HI Aiden,

welcome to SKF.

in my experience, get a pH pen immediately.

Those API pH test kits are only reliable to get a range. 6.0 - 6.4 is a big gap.

But the bigger problem is not knowing if your pH is lower than 6 and by how much.

I did a low pH experiment with my CRS once, and they stopped breeding too. So get that pH checked immediately.

Then take measures to raise it sloooowwwwwwly. Never rush raising pH. Do it over a few days.

[Ronskitz]

Hi guys and sorry if im hijacking this thread but jayc what would be the best way to raise ph naturally and slowly as well I mean i know my soil (ada) is buffering it but i dont want to stir it up by sucking some out i also use cattappa leaves but dont want to take them out because of the antibacterial properties they give and i do have dw in there but would like to avoid taking that out as it has most of my moss on it. My ph is currently 6.2 but i would like it to be around 6.5 so i am accomadating both cherrys and crystals

[jayc]

1 minute ago, Ronskitz said:

My ph is currently 6.2 but i would like it to be around 6.5 so i am accomadating both cherrys and crystals

That's not much of a change.

So a small handful of coral chips in a sock/stocking at the top of your filter (or sump) would be the best way of doing it.

You will need to adjust the amount of coral depending on the size of your tank.

With such a small change 6.2 --> 6.5, you could even start dosing some Potassium carbonate to increase pH, and that has the added benefit of introducing a major mineral that is used by both plants and shrimp.

[Ronskitz]

Excellent thanks for the info is potassium carbonate available at LFS?

[jayc]

12 minutes ago, Ronskitz said:

potassium carbonate available at LFS?

You would have better luck at Gardening stores, hydroponics stores or Homebrew stores.

A previous sponsor of SKF has it as well. 

@Dave has some on his website.

 

Fortunately, raising pH is a lot simpler than reducing pH.

You could also use BiCard Soda (not baking soda, there is a difference). But it adds no benefit like Potassium does. 

You could even mix a little tap water to RO water.

Edited March 18, 2016 by jayc

[Ronskitz]

I work at bunnings and i just searched the website and nothing came up but could it be under another name maybe?

[jayc]

2 hours ago, Ronskitz said:

searched the website and nothing came up

Potash. 

The closest is http://www.bunnings.com.au/manutec-2l-liquid-potash-plus_p2961865

You might as well get it off Dave, it will be cheaper.

[Ronskitz]

Im an idiot lol my mrs just started work at u brew it so i should be sorted. Sorry to keep annoying you but if i get the brewers one what sort of doseage is enough or do i just need to add little by little and see how it goes? Aiden im sorry for my hostile takeover of this thread lol

[jayc]

14 hours ago, Ronskitz said:

Im an idiot lol my mrs just started work at u brew it 

?

Where is that face palm icon?

 

15 hours ago, Ronskitz said:

 if i get the brewers one what sort of doseage is enough or do i just need to add little by little and see how it goes? 

Yeah, no idea how much is necessary.  Add and test.

Just remember,  the substrate, leaves, etc will all fight to reduce pH. So it is not going to be a 'set one and forget' kinda thing. 

[Ronskitz]

Lol tell me about it

Awesome thanks for gracing me with your knowledge once more [emoji106]

[ineke]

I know people stress about low ph but please do remember stability is more important than numbers. I have 13 tanks sitting at PH 5 and 5.5 per ph pen that is calibrated. Once my cherries adjusted to the lower ph they were breeding machines. Admittedly when first put into a low ph tank their breeding slowed but once they adjusted they bred very well. In one tank they overtook the other shrimp. 

[ineke]

@Aiden123 I wonder if your problem was actually ever caused by no planaria as it is extremely shrimp safe even at higher doses. Perhaps your problem coincided with the use but not because of the use of the no planaria.

if your soil is not depleted , all your water parameters are within normal range and most importantly you still have mixed sexes in your tank you could try to mimic nature to bring on breeding. An almost foolproof way to bring on breeding when your tank has stalled is to do some water changes with water that is slightly cooler than your tank water but not by much. The method is to do a 30% water change 3 times x 3 days apart. It seems to trigger a breeding response - I guess it mimics rain coming into the ponds and streams that shrimp are found in. It is not recommended to do this often and not if you have any berried girls as it will cause them to moult and they may lose their eggs. 

This method was recommended to us several years ago by the then owner of Boss Aquaria - Dean - as long as everything else in your tank is OK then this method usually gets the shrimp back into breeding. I have tried it a couple of times with good success. I did put the water in slightly faster than drip rate as you want them to feel the cool change and drip rate is a bit slow so you can speed it up just a bit as long as you make sure the WP's you are putting in are equal to what is in the tank so check all the parameters of the new water and apart from perhaps 1-2 degrees cooler it should match your tank.

i have used this method on Crystals, TB and cherries

[perplex]

what are the tank temps?

[OzShrimp]

I did my water changes by pouring bucket in my 4ft. Always caused them to dance and have happy times lol

@jayc whats a good ph pen at reasonable price?

[jayc]

@OzShrimp, PH pens are not difficult to buy and the brand is not important because it is constantly calibrated.  Get extra calibration solution and storage solution,  and any pH pen, even cheap ones,  will work well. 

Have a look at our sponsors.  They sell reasonable pH pens.

Calibration & storage solution can also be bought from them,  if you cannot find it send me a pm.

[OzShrimp]

No dramas :) cheers

[revolutionhope]

Good luck Oz hope you figure it out soon keep us posted please.

[OzShrimp]

7 hours ago, revolutionhope said:

Good luck Oz hope you figure it out soon keep us posted please.

I am confused lol, what am i figuring out ? 

[revolutionhope]

I am confused lol, what am i figuring out ? 

Oh you know, meaning of life

Sent from my SM-N920I using Tapatalk