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Hey guyz, im cycling a 30l tank to get some rcs in it. The tank is almost cycled and im thinking of getting them next week. 
I have tested the water and the kH is at 9 and ph is 7 (i have yet to buy a gh test as i bought the jbl pack and didnt realise it does not include gh). I have read about parameter for neo carodina and they say that the hardier the water the better. But i have also read that the water can be too hard which will make it hard for them to molt.
What would you recommend for the parameters ? And how much should i start as a basic colony? 
 

Hi I'm an animal enthusiast with many frogs snakes and arachnids but it's my first attempt at caring for cherry shrimp..i researched with my girlfriend quite a bit and already set up a planted tank in a nano 2.6gallon aquarium. It will be cycling and until then I just wanted some feedback on how it looks and what y'all think about it? Thankyou ~ 

3 nights ago I moved 15 shrimp from a planted 1 gallon jarrarium to a 4 gallon bent glass tank.  The tank has a small PennPlax HOB which was seeded and has been up and running for about 1 month prior to transferring the shrimp.  The jarrarium in which they were born only had Aquasolum substrate, Anubias, and a bunch of java moss.  In the new tank I used black sand for the substrate and added a nice piece of Malaysian Driftwood along with java moss from the jarrarium.  When I first put them in the tank (after drip acclimating for 1-1/2 hours) they were swimming all over checking things out, acting pretty ecstatic about their new home.  This morning their behavior has become very subdued and most of the time I don't even see them (the driftwood has many openings for them to hide in).  A few have already molted.   All water parameters between the 2 tanks were the same with the exception of nitrate and GH/KH levels.  The jarrarium always had 0 nitrates, the new tank has 10ppm.  The jarrarium GH/KH were both 4, the new tank reads 5 for both the GH/KH.  I'm keeping a close eye on them but don't see any signs of stress.  Most are hiding in the driftwood, the others are resting very still in place. 
How long does it generally take for shrimp to acclimate to new surroundings?  They are neocaridina davidi var. orange that were born in the jarrarium so this new environment is a huge change for them.  They've gone from a vertical water column to a horizontal water column that offers major hiding capabilities.  It was nice to be able to view them when they were actively swimming, now they've gone incognito on me.
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Hello,
So I thought I'd do a quick write up on how to "quick cycle" a new tank.
Please note:
This is generally for emergency use and I'm not recommending people just do this as a standard procedure every time, when intending to buy livestock make sure the tank they are to be housed in is fully cycle before you make your purchase.
 -Its best to always let your tanks cycle and mature naturally before adding livestock and this is especially true for shrimp.
 
Many of these steps are aimed at introducing BB (Beneficial Bacteria) Aswell as reducing Nh3 (Ammonia) No2 (Nitrite)  No3 (Nitrate) and heavy metals.
 
1) If it's a sand or gravel then grab as much established substrate from an existing tank as you can, obviously without taking too much,- you don't want to set off a cycle in the original tank! :)
2) The sponge filters I use have 2 sides so it's possible to take off one sponge from an established tank and replace it with the new sponge without upsetting the BB too much, Then use this cycled sponge in your new tank. Or if you can pinch some cycled filter media like bio balls, ceramic rings etc,- If you absolutely can't take these from your existing tanks then just squeeze all the "mulm" from the dirty sponges into your new tank.
3) This step IMO is not really as beneficial as the others as only very small amounts of BB actually live in the water itself, but I'll add it.         Use as much aquarium water from an existing tank as you can.
4) Get some Seachem stability or similar product, I think aquaone make one called "Bio". You can't really overdose this stuff, but having said that I wouldn't recommend wasting it.-There is dormant BB in this product that activates when introduced to Nh3 etc. I guess if your test kit reads any level of Nh3 you could dose again.
5) Whether you use tap or RO, Get a decent water dechlorinator that specifically states "Reduces Ammonia, nitrite and heavy metals" You can dose this at the recommended dose daily (not to dechlorinate) to reduce all the nasties.
6) Add plants and driftwood preferably from an established tank if you can, as lots of BB will hitch a ride over on the wood etc, and plants will eat up Nh3, No3 aswell as heavy metals.- I'd go with low light, low maintenance like ferns and moss etc.
7) Grab some Indian almond leaf, This does many things but mostly what we want it for is to slightly lower the ph converting toxic Nh3 into a less toxic substance Nh4 (Ammonium). Also the medicinal properties of the cappata leaf will heap reduce stress when livestock are introduced into their new environment.
8) Small daily water changes like 10-20% and try to remove as much organic matter as you go.
9) Add some mineral balls, They absorb Nh3 and release important minerals into the water that aid in shimp moulting and stabilising ph.
 
Dont clean the filter for atleast the first 3-4 weeks- obviously unless it's full blocked.
If you do all this as directed your tank should be safe for livestock even shrimp in about the time it takes for the water to settle and clear, however accurate testing should be performed before introducing livestock, if you have  a few days to do this it would be even better.
Once again people shouldn't go out buying shrimp and a new tank in one go at the lfs, Nor should they rely on methods like this to instantly setup a new tank every time they buy stuff.
Cycling a tank naturally over time is a safer, better way to go, and lots of these tips can still be used to help speed up this process aswell.
These tips can even just be used for reducing Nh3 etc in a problem tank.
Quick product review:
The API test kits are fine for general use despite their apparent bad rap, you just have to shake the heck out of them as per the instructions. Although with the No3 test, its really hard to tell a difference between like 10ppm, 20ppm and 40ppm, they are all pretty much the same shade of orange- yet the kit goes right to 160? Lol why? like if it's over 40 you know there major issues, they should have instead focused on a more accurate low range, eh just my 2c.
Hope this helps some people :)
peace.
 
 
 

Hey everyone how's things?
So I was on and off with shrimp the last 6 months or so while I was doing other things and getting into nano softwater fish, building tanks and saving money, now I've got a bit more free time again I just bought a ton of new tanks, equipment and shrimp in the last few months, it's all coming together now.
This is what my lounge room/fish room looks like ATM lol