Caridina water parameters

[Mac]

Hi masters im back again. My other account got lock i dont know how to open it again, its automatically sign out and i cant open it.

Ayways i have concern about the caridina water parameters.

I mix our diy minerals in the tub with ro water with 80tds gh3-4

Then when i put the water into my tank the tds become lower its about 60tds and 3gh 

The question is, is that possible? And is that ok to caridina that kind of water parameter im bothering with my tds, before in my tub its 80 when i mix minerals then when i put the water into my tank it become lower the tds not 80 but it become 60tds. What should i do? 

The 2nd question is 

Im bother and confused that every hobbyist or breeder they have there own water parameters, for the caridina taiwan is

 80tds. 

6.5ph.

gh 3-4

temp 24c - 23c,

and other breeder in taiwan they have

tds 100-150

ph 5.5-7

temp 23c 25

Then here in my place they have 

Tds 80-150

Ph5.5-6.5

Gh4-6 

Temp 22c-26c

Why every breeder or hobbyist have there own water parameters for caridina im very bother with that none specific water parameters is that good or not? Because im very confused 

Thank in advance masters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sdlTBfanUK]

The tds dropping in the tank  could be down to several things;

a) The tank water is lower to start with so the new water mixture is being diluted. Did you cycle the tank with just RO water, or even tap water with a low tds?

b) There is something in the tank absorbing/leaching the tds, possibly soil/peat substrate.

The thing to do is get the tank parameters to where you want them and then test that every few days and see if there is any noticeable change in the tds. The tank needs to be filled to the same level when you test and use pure RO water only to top it up.

The parameters should be kept as steady as possible, and if the breeder keeps theirs at a certain set of parameters then matching those would be a good idea. Of coarse that only works with shrimps if they were all kept in those same parameters, which is unlikely if bought from different breeders etc. 

The range I would AIM for is below, and so aim for the mid point to allow for fluctuations, and as long as you get all the parameters somewhere in this range (they are unlikely to ALL be in the middle though) you should be fine,

PH 5.5-6.5

TDS 100-160

GH 4-6

KH 0 - 2

temp 20-26 

What is used in the tank set up, substrate etc?

As water evaporates and the water level in the tank drops, the tds will rise slightly but that is normal and why you use pure RO water to top-up!

Have you got any shrimp in this tank and are they doing ok?

[markie]

I dont have the shrimp yet.

Actually my tank is since nov last year so its 1 year later and i decided to order shrimp in taiwan to check how it goes, because the first time that i buy caridina they all died because i only use filtered water. And now i have ro water and the diy minerals i want to see if they can survive so now i have 10 days lesft before the arrival of the shrimp. Im bother if its okay. Because taiwan said that my parameters is ok 60tds and 3gh thats ok.. so im doubting because to the other keepers im confused for there water parameters like i said i have known 2 breeders in taiwan they have  different water parameters and there in Australia and here in my country its different water parameters so im so very confused why are there so many water parameters for the caridina i thought that theres only one water parameters for caridina

[sdlTBfanUK]

Good to hear you have shrimps on the way and it is also good that you are getting things ready!

Just get the tank water to the best parameters and then check every day the tds, to see if it is stable, as mentioned previously. As there are no shrimp in the tank it is much safer and easier to do this now! The shrimp  being sent may be from tanks with very low parameters and therefore may be ok in tds 60 and GH3 and if that is the case (they are from a breeder with the low parameters) your best option may be to aim for around tds 100, GH4, ie the lower end of the usual 'ideal' parameter range to start off with, and you can then take time to slowly (weeks/months) increase those parameters from there once the shrimp are in the tank so they can slowly adapt?

When you get the shrimps you want to drip acclimate them to the tank water and the slower/longer you do that (3+ hours or more if possible) the better!

I understand why you may be confused as we have all seen different figures quoted by different sources. I suspect that the figure you quote of tds80, gh3 is your supplier/breeder and if so I recommend you set the tank up tds 100, gh4 for the starting point, and see if the tank holds those figures (only need to check tds daily) until the shrimp arrive in 10 days, topping up with RO water daily (if necessary) only. If the tds does decrease by a large amount rapidly then something is absorbing it so you need to identify what that is?

What shrimp have you ordered if you don't mind me asking?

[markie]

Im ordering

GFB boa genes grade S 

Blue bolt SS 

Crs and PRL 

blue bolt S 

My supplier said that the 60tds is ok and 3 gh and if its goes down like 40tds thats not ok but 60tds and 3gh thats fine he said. What do you think master is that ok? Because until now im confused please help me 😔

 

 

 

[jayc]

4 hours ago, Mac said:

Then when i put the water into my tank the tds become lower its about 60tds and 3gh 

Does the water in the tank have a lower TDS?

Are you using activated carbon?

[markie]

Yes its 9 tds 

No i dont have carbon in my tank

[sdlTBfanUK]

That is a great mix, blue bolts are one of my favourites. Lets hope this lot do better, they should!

I would still aim to get the tank ready at tds 100 and gh 4 (if tds 100 is gh 3 don't worry though) if it were mine, and then try and very slowly up it from there once the shrimp are settled and happy. The lower figures they may survive in, especially if they have lived in those since birth but it would be better to get them in their ideal range longer term!

If the tank water is only tds9 and you add the tds80 then the tank water will be diluting the tds 80 water. That is why you need to concentrate on the tank before the shrimp get here, and not just the 'new' added water!

Edited November 19, 2022 by sdlTBfanUK

[markie]

How will i raise my tds master? Do i need to put some minerals again to increase tds? But im thinking of the gh..

[jayc]

6 minutes ago, markie said:

Yes its 9 tds 

Well, that's the reason the overall TDS in the tank is lower. 

 

4 minutes ago, markie said:

Do i need to put some minerals again to increase tds?

Yes. Add a little bit at a time until you get it to 100 TDS.

Edited November 19, 2022 by jayc

[markie]

Why i need to increase the tds? 

Im so very confused right now masters. Because taiwan said that gh 3 - 4

80 tds 

I have many questions in my mind right now.. 😔

 

[jayc]

30 minutes ago, markie said:

Why i need to increase the tds? 

Because you said your TDS in the tank is 60. So if you want it to go up to 80 (or 100), you need to add more remineralising mix to the tank.

Don't get too caught up with getting it exactly the same as the breeder. 80ish to 100ish TDS is close enough. Just get close. Water parameters will never stay the same. But they key is to maintain it at a constant/stable parameter. So if you aim for 80 or 100 TDS in your tank, it doesn't matter so much. Just keep it at that level for the long term.

 

[sdlTBfanUK]

You are well out of my expertise if you want to go deeper into tds, it stands for 'total disolved solids' and therefore is what is disolved in the water as regards, metals, minerals etc. Why different types of shrimp need different quantities is beyond my knowledge, I just accept the fact! This is why I buy specific shrimp products like gh/kh+ as I let the experts get the balances correct. 

Obviously tds is easier to adjust as you are dealing with a different scale than gh, but by increasing the tds it will also increase the gh, but maybe not enough to show up on a gh test as it may be only say from 3.1 to 3.3 but the test kits only show whole numbers (so both would show gh 3 on a gh test kit), that is why it is more sensible to just use tds at this point, and that is easier to test anyway if you have a tds pen/meter. 

[markie]

27 minutes ago, jayc said:

Because you said your TDS in the tank is 60. So if you want it to go up to 80 (or 100), you need to add more remineralising mix to the tank.

Don't get too caught up with getting it exactly the same as the breeder. 80ish to 100ish TDS is close enough. Just get close. Water parameters will never stay the same. But they key is to maintain it at a constant/stable parameter. So if you aim for 80 or 100 TDS in your tank, it doesn't matter so much. Just keep it at that level for the long term.

 

Is the tds is really important? To caridina? Because taiwan said that i need to focus on GH not to TDS. 

im really confused 😔

[markie]

28 minutes ago, sdlTBfanUK said:

You are well out of my expertise if you want to go deeper into tds, it stands for 'total disolved solids' and therefore is what is disolved in the water as regards, metals, minerals etc. Why different types of shrimp need different quantities is beyond my knowledge, I just accept the fact! This is why I buy specific shrimp products like gh/kh+ as I let the experts get the balances correct. 

Obviously tds is easier to adjust as you are dealing with a different scale than gh, but by increasing the tds it will also increase the gh, but maybe not enough to show up on a gh test as it may be only say from 3.1 to 3.3 but the test kits only show whole numbers (so both would show gh 3 on a gh test kit), that is why it is more sensible to just use tds at this point, and that is easier to test anyway if you have a tds pen/meter. 

This is my set up

[sdlTBfanUK]

Is that a couple of snails (pink) you have in there?

How many shrimps have ordered (can't wait to see them in the tank)?

Have you got anything else ready, like Indian Almond leaves, Bater AE, shrimp food that you plan to use? I assume you are  lucky enough where you live that you won't need a heater either! 

[markie]

Yes its rams horn snail 

20pcs gfb boa genes s 

20pcs blue bolt ss 

20pcd PRL 

My temp now is around 25 to 26 😅 hoping they survive 😅 

I dont have indian almond leaves but i can get here in the roads 😅 bacter ae i dong have , food yes i have and i have also mulberry trees here hehe so i can get leaf's there hehe for food source also hehe

 

 

 

 

 

[sdlTBfanUK]

Ba careful where you get leaves from as any polution on/in them can kill the shrimp. Certainly leaves near/on roads I would stay well away from!

If you can get hold of bacter ae I would encourage that, it helps with biofilm growth etc. Assuming all goes well I would encourage some 'baby shrimp' food (powder) with that many shrimps as well, but wait and see if the new shrimp do well for 2-4 weeks first.

[jayc]

9 hours ago, markie said:

Is the tds is really important? To caridina? Because taiwan said that i need to focus on GH not to TDS.

The remineraliser you are using for will increase GH. And since it's easier to measure TDS with a TDS pen, we ask you to raise TDS to a certain point to get (close) to the desired GH.

SO yes, TDS is important. But so is GH, KH, pH and temperature. The point is not one parameter is more important than another. They all work together to get to the right parameter for shrimp or fish. If anyone tells you that one parameter is more important than the others, RUN away. 

 

[markie]

I add minerals on my tank and its now around 80tds and the gh is 4 now if i still add minerals on it and make it 100tds theres posible the gh will become 5gh.  Is that ok that i set it in around 80?

[markie]

I have questions masters 

What minerals that increases the gh? Is that the calcium sulfate, magnesium or potassium?

 

[jayc]

6 hours ago, markie said:

sulfate, magnesium or potassium?

These all raise GH.

[sdlTBfanUK]

8 hours ago, markie said:

I add minerals on my tank and its now around 80tds and the gh is 4 now if i still add minerals on it and make it 100tds theres posible the gh will become 5gh.  Is that ok that i set it in around 80?

If your remineraliser is using just gh minerals then at tds 100 you will be at, or close to gh5. Shrimp specific commercial products that are gh+ have other minerals mixed in which add tds but not gh! Gh5 is ideal anyway under normal circumstances as it is in the middle of the accepted ideal range.

You are definitely getting the tank better suited if it is now tds 80 and if you feel happy leaving it at that then go with it. It should now stay at that (near enough) until the shrimp arrive as long as you top up to the same water level with pure RO water when the level drops from evaporation!

[markie]

How to water change masters?

Do i need to mix again the minerals or its ok just ro water?

[sdlTBfanUK]

Water change needs to be remineralised to the parameters you want which should be very close to the tank water, in your case gh4 and tds 80! The new water should be added slowly (dripped if possible) when the shrimp are in the tank. I do about 10% change each week.