Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ and PH

[DEL 707]

I'm using RO water with Salty GH/KH+ because my water is very hard, but I'm currently having trouble with my PH.

Adding salty GH/KH+ to my RO water, should it give me the same PH everytime?
I did a test with 10lts tonight and I got a PH of around 7.3.

[jayc]

3 hours ago, DEL 707 said:

Adding salty GH/KH+ to my RO water, should it give me the same PH everytime?

It should be close, but not necessarily the same, since adding a bit more or less will impact the reading.

pH 7.3 from Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ sounds about right.

If you don't want pH to increase, than you need Salty Shrimp GH+.

Not the GH/KH+, which increases KH as well as GH. KH increases raises pH.

[sdlTBfanUK]

That sounds about right and perfect for the cherry shrimps so you have the right one.

As JayC says, it is more difficult to get exactly the same reading each time especially with the powders, which is why I prefer the drops myself. As long as it is close it will be ok and when there are shrimps in the tank it is best to introduce the new water slowly (dripper) and not do too large quantities! The soil will adjust the water to the 5.8 until it is exhausted of its buffering ability as long as it is added slowly so it will stay 5.8 in the tank. It will very very slowly then go up in the tank when the soil stops buffering but it will happen so slowly the shrimps will be fine and adjust to it as long as you only do small water changes and add the water gradually!

Simon

Edited November 1, 2019 by sdlTBfanUK

[DEL 707]

Wish I wrote all this down, my RO water PH is 5.2, the remineralised water with salty GH/KH is around 7.3.
I did a small 10lts water change around 3 days ago, wanted to make some test water to see the PH, and I put it into the tank.
I did a PH test yesterday on my tank water and it's now around 6.3, which is making me think I didn't dose correctly on that last big water change.

The tank used to be around 6.5 PH, which was perfect, so I'll see if it gets back to that on the next big water change.

Is there a way to increase my PH without using KH?

[sdlTBfanUK]

For the cherry shrimps the PH of 7.3 is about perfect, not sure where you got the perfect figure of 6.5, that would be crystal/bee shrimps?

With RO water and GH/KH+ the parameters should always be perfect as that is what the products are basically. The PH is probably dropping due to the substrate and that will carry on for a while until the buffering of the substrate exhausts itself! The the PH will slowly creep up but so slowly it is unlikely to affect the shrimps in any bad way!

If you don't have any deaths then just carry on with what you are doing and mix the new water to PH 7.3 and the substrate will absorb some of it, as long as you only do small//slow changes of water I expect you will be fine? The RO figure you mention is about right (similar to mine anyway) as well so it all looks good to me so carry on and don't mess with it as that is probably more dangerous to shrimps than the slightly low PH is?

IN FACT I would ignore the PH at this point (as the figure you are getting seem ok) and just test it randomly for that, and use the GH/KH+ mixing to the ideal TDS instead because, as I say, the shrimp products are perfectly BALANCED anyway!

Simon

[DEL 707]

I was thinking of changing the substrate, but do you think I should just carry on as I am until the soil exhausts itself?

[sdlTBfanUK]

Definitely just go with it as it is, it will work out fine and any other soil substrate will do the same anyway! Not sure if you have any shrimps yet but I think the proposed cherry shrimp (and amano) will be fine as long as you acclimate them over a long period and don't do big water changes as normal maintenance, about 10% is sufficient. The plants like the soil substrate and I personally think it looks better and more natural.

I'm not recommending this but just to show how tough the  cherry shrimp can be, when I got the betta tank I put some cherry shrimps in his tank as food, he didn't touch them (he watches them sometimes) and now I have a colony of them in his tank (mostly wild colour), but they went directly from PH7.5 to PH6 and the temperature was at least 3 or 4 degrees different, I didn't acclimate them AT ALL as they were meant to just be food so why bother. The Betta tank is now at PH7.5 as the buffering has obviously exhausted and I use tap water which is PH7.5. It took about 3 months to exhaust the shrimpking substrate I used in my case, doing 20% weekly water changes (a bit more than with just shrimps as the fish makes poo also).

If you haven't yet got any shrimps you can do bigger more regular water changes to exhaust the substrate but personally I would just get some shrimps and give it a try. Drip acclimate them over about 3-4 hours and off you go, doing about 10-20% weekly SLOW water changes! You may lose a few shrimps in the first few weeks but that happens to me however careful I am anyway?

Simon

[DEL 707]

Thanks.

I do have some cherry and amano shrimp in the tank at the moment.
I have had 1 casualty, but it was a small 1 I got sent my mail, other then that everyone seems active and I have seen a few molts.

I was thinking of adding 5 green neons on Tuesday. I currently don't have any fish.

[sdlTBfanUK]

That all sounds good and that everything is going to plan.

There is always a risk adding fish but I would't think the green neons would be much of a threat to the baby shrimp, they may get the odd one IF they are lucky enough but that's natural enough! I had green neons with my red cherry shrimps some years ago, and it will give the tank movement in the otherwise empty mid water level.  I currently have a few neon and ember tetras with the red cherry shrimp.

Water changes tend to encourage molting and the shrimp love the new water, it brings them out and they swim about, I guess it is the equivalent of rain in the wild?

Fingers crossed it continues to go to plan!

Simon

[jayc]

8 hours ago, DEL 707 said:

I was thinking of adding 5 green neons

When adding companion fishes with shrimp, you have to take into account the temperature requirements of both.

Shrimp like it at a cool 22-23degC. Ideally, your fish should also be suitable for that sort of temperature range.

Tetras are going to like it a lot warmer. 

Just saying, not that you can't do it. But later down the track, you might be wondering why the tetra's are not doing that well, if you keep temps to the shrimps liking.

[sdlTBfanUK]

As JayC states it will be a balancing act with the temperature. I think the tetras I have in about 24 degrees and the betta about 26 degrees and the red cherrys are ok in both of those? Tanks will go above that sometimes in summer of coarse, though as long as it doesn't get to 30 degrees (very rare here, for water temperature) they seem to cope ok!.

I think the bee shrimp are more fussy but I don't keep fish with them anyway.

Simon