Can I use my tap water for caridina?

[Josh16622]

1 hour ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

Try not to get too carried away at this early stage as you don't know whether your tap water will even work with caridina yet, fingers crossed it does but there is alwayd a chance it won't? Maybe try and get that sorted out before embarking on the sulawesi as well!

Simon

Might wanna change my mind in caridina, I dont know if they will work, I live in a tropical region and room temp is 29degrees, caridina wont breed in that range while sulawesi does around that temperature range. Can't really afford a chiller now. And I don't have ro water to top up the tank often if I use a fan on it hahaha.

[sdlTBfanUK]

That makes a lot of sense and the Sulawesi would be easier/safer in the temperature where you live. There are a range of products commercially produced for the sulawesi water parameters, but I assume you know about those? I doubt the caridina would even survive 29 degrees, let alone breed! As you are dealing with higher figures to aim for in all parameters it is more likely to work with your tap water and remineralisers.

If you can easily get hold of the sulawesi shrimp then I would give them a try as it should be easier where you are!

Simon

[Josh16622]

42 minutes ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

That makes a lot of sense and the Sulawesi would be easier/safer in the temperature where you live. There are a range of products commercially produced for the sulawesi water parameters, but I assume you know about those? I doubt the caridina would even survive 29 degrees, let alone breed! As you are dealing with higher figures to aim for in all parameters it is more likely to work with your tap water and remineralisers.

If you can easily get hold of the sulawesi shrimp then I would give them a try as it should be easier where you are!

Simon

So If I decide on sulawesi should i get the remineralizer and mix it with my tap water?

[sdlTBfanUK]

I would give it a try, as all you need is the remineraliser and shrimp in theory. I have seen several commercial 'sulawasi' over the years, but only seen this one recently, but I think salty shrimp do/did one as well; 

https://www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/shrimp-king/686-shrimp-king-sulawesi-mineral-ghkh-200g-4001615061505.html

You may even be able to buy it from proshrimp here in UK? I think someone in hong kong does. 

There may be a formula on here to make your own, but few peope keep these type of shrimp I think. I haven't ever seen them here in the UK!

Simon

[Josh16622]

28 minutes ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

I would give it a try, as all you need is the remineraliser and shrimp in theory. I have seen several commercial 'sulawasi' over the years, but only seen this one recently, but I think salty shrimp do/did one as well; 

https://www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/shrimp-king/686-shrimp-king-sulawesi-mineral-ghkh-200g-4001615061505.html

You may even be able to buy it from proshrimp here in UK? I think someone in hong kong does. 

There may be a formula on here to make your own, but few peope keep these type of shrimp I think. I haven't ever seen them here in the UK!

Simon

Okay thanks, salty shrimp is the only one available here for me, so I should mix my two water with the remineralizer and reach desired tds right?

[sdlTBfanUK]

I had a quick look and the salty shrimp sulawesi is still available/made. You would just mix that with 100% your tap water. Probably you would use a little less than the recommended on the pot, as you have a small amount of TDS/GH /KH already in your tap water, that will require some experimenting yourself!

Simon

[sdlTBfanUK]

Try watching this short video,

Simon

[Josh16622]

14 minutes ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

I had a quick look and the salty shrimp sulawesi is still available/made. You would just mix that with 100% your tap water. Probably you would use a little less than the recommended on the pot, as you have a small amount of TDS/GH /KH already in your tap water, that will require some experimenting yourself!

Simon

Okay thanks Simon, hope all goes welll.

[Josh16622]

1 hour ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

 

There may be a formula on here to make your own, but few peope keep these type of shrimp I think. I haven't ever seen them here in the UK!

Simon

Let me just create a post to see if anyone has any experience making their own salts for sulawesi. Just curious.

[jayc]

14 hours ago, Josh16622 said:

is there any way I can try to make it myself? I thought of getting sulawesi aswell.

Sulawesi need hard, alkaline water like African Cichlids.

So add lots of carbonates to raise KH.

[Josh16622]

3 hours ago, jayc said:

Sulawesi need hard, alkaline water like African Cichlids.

So add lots of carbonates to raise KH.

It is possible if I use your mix as a base, change the calcium sulphate and replace it with calcium carbonate, because I read it increases ph which is what sulawesi likes? And if needed change the kh and gh of the mix to suit sulawesi's needs? Not sure about the ratio tho.

Edited April 17, 2021 by Josh16622

[jayc]

2 hours ago, Josh16622 said:

change the calcium sulphate and replace it with calcium carbonate

yes. but use Calcium Chloride instead to replace the Calcium sulphate.

 

2 hours ago, Josh16622 said:

Not sure about the ratio tho.

That's where you will need to test after creating the remineralising mix.

[Josh16622]

3 hours ago, jayc said:

yes. but use Calcium Chloride instead to replace the Calcium sulphate.

 

That's where you will need to test after creating the remineralising mix.

Oh but I read that calcium chloride lowers ph instead of increasing it. And for the calcium I'd have to do my own testing aswell or can I follow your weight for that?

 

[jayc]

37 minutes ago, Josh16622 said:

calcium chloride lowers ph

Ah you're right. I forgot about that. I was thinking of the ease of dissolving. It's easier with CaCl compared to CaCo.

[Josh16622]

2 hours ago, jayc said:

Ah you're right. I forgot about that. I was thinking of the ease of dissolving. It's easier with CaCl compared to CaCo.

? yeahh, do you think I can just use the amount of calcium stated in your mix but change up the rest?

[jayc]

21 hours ago, Josh16622 said:

do you think I can just use the amount of calcium stated in your mix but change up the rest?

Thats as good of a starting point as any.

I have carefully measured Ca:Mg ratio to match 4:1 in that recipe.

Use that recipe ratio and test the mix to see what you get.

[Josh16622]

22 minutes ago, jayc said:

Thats as good of a starting point as any.

I have carefully measured Ca:Mg ratio to match 4:1 in that recipe.

Use that recipe ratio and test the mix to see what you get.

Okay, not sure if I'm right. Just want to check. So I replace the calcium sulphate with chloride and just remain the other salts as it is right and see what result it gives me? Thank you btw for assisting me, appreciate it alot!

[jayc]

43 minutes ago, Josh16622 said:

So I replace the calcium sulphate with chloride and just remain the other salts as it is right and see what result it gives me?

Yes, That's right.

The two main ingredients are Calcium and Magnesium sulphate. You can leave everything else out.

[Josh16622]

57 minutes ago, jayc said:

Yes, That's right.

The two main ingredients are Calcium and Magnesium sulphate. You can leave everything else out.

Okay thanks Jay, I'll try the mix when I'm home and update.

[Josh16622]

I think i will go for the salty shrimp sulawesi 7.5 and mix it with my tap water, but the thing Is my gh of my tap water looks like its changing it's currently 2 and my kh is still the same. Do you still think its viable? Also I read online and in another article on here that people are using nutrafin cichlid booster for sulawes? And what do I test for when I'm mixing the salt? Tds or gh and kh?

Edited May 3, 2021 by Josh16622

[JefFrH]

Here's another video that might be useful