Ammonia/nitrate/nitrite question

[Brando]

Hi group,

i am a new shrimp keeper and have had 2 Bloody Mary shrimp for 2 days now. 
 

I used Fluval Cycle(bio booster) for the first 3 days because that’s what is set to do on the bottle. This was used before I got the shrimp.

my Temperature is 82, ph is 7.6, ammonia is 0-.25ppm , nitrite 0, nitrate 10-20ppm. 
Are these levels fine? I am new to hobby! 
 

my shrimp randomly swim up to the top and along the glass then dive down to rest/eat. Is this a bad sign they are stressed?

 

please leave any tips or input!

 

[Crabby]

Hey Brando,

How long has the tank been set up? You said you have had shrimp for 2 days, dosed fluval cycle 3 days before that...

Sometimes people can get away with using those products for fish, but it’s not good for shrimp. They don’t produce much ammonia, but they like an ‘aged’ tank. This means it has lots of tiny little creatures, absolutely microscopic, that the shrimp can eat. Along with those an aged tank will have lots of ‘biofilm’ which is what it sounds like - a biological film, and shrimp love to eat it! A shrimp’s diet consist primarily of these micro fauna, biofilm and algaes. And a 5 day old tank will barely have any of those.

Since you have already got shrimp in it though, I’ll give you advice for what to do now. If the shrimp have no fishy friends they will frolick around, swimming and diving as you have noticed. This is good, it means they feel safe. 
Your parameters are okay for Bloody Mary shrimp, not perfect but alright. Can you test tds or KH and Gh? Your ammonia and nitrate are a bit high, should always be 0. This is another thing that would be different if you had waited properly. In terms of ph you may want to reduce that. Temp is fine, maybe a little high, aim for mid 70s if using a heater.

Can we see a photo of the tank?

Thanks for joining the forum Brando, looking forward to seeing your tank improve and mature. 

 

post note: sorry if I came off as a little abrasive, that wasn’t intended. Just trying to be clear.

Edited February 21, 2020 by Crabby