API KH test question

[torface]

Apologies if this has been asked before!

I have an API GH/KH test kit... it says that to measure the KH, the water must turn from blue to yellow. However my water doesn't even turn blue to begin with, its yellow from the first drop (but very pale). I read elsewhere that this means the water is extremely soft. Is this right? If so, do I need to RAISE the KH?

GH is 3... Is this too low too?

I hope i'm doing it right!

[Squiggle]

It depends on what type of shrimp you have? :encouragement:

[torface]

Yellow cherries and Darwin red noses at the moment! But hoping to venture in to the world of CRS in the not too distant future! :)

[BlueBolts]

Firstly, ensure you shake the bottle. Low KH for CRS is ideal (0-1), with GH at 4. You can raise KH by adding bicarb soda, but this will raise you PH as well. Try sprinkling some bicarb soda in your test tube to visually see the colour chnage, so that you know what your looking for/seeing. You can increase GH by adding Calcium, GH Booster, coral chips etc.... But all this depends on what shrimps you intend keeping. What soil is in your tank ATM .

[torface]

Thanks BlueBolts.

I need to re test as I haven't done it in a while. The cherries are doing fine though.

Substrate is ADA Amazonia. PH is steady at 6.4ish.

[Squiggle]

Well said BB, in the words of meatloaf, you took the words right out of my mouth, only thing is you said way better than I was going to, well done :encouragement:

[torface]

Ok, just did a re test. KH is definitely 0. It's yellow from the first drop. I added bicarb as suggested and saw the blue, but i must have put too much in and couldn't get it to turn yellow again haha

GH is definitely 3

But I guess all this is probably irrelevant cos i'm going over to RO and salty shrimp soon :)

[hoang1912]

Mine KH is 1 and GH is 10. Is it good or not. I am losing 6 crs from yesterday. Checked WP. ammonia 0, nitri and nitrate is fine, yellow and blue. i dont know what's wrong in my tank....So sad now

[Squiggle]

Your GH is a little high for CRS, it should be around 4-6 :encouragement:

[hoang1912]

Is it because high TDS isnt it? I have 11 dead in 3 days and I am changing water 20% everyday since yesterday

[Squiggle]

Could be a combination of high TDS & GH,I personally wouldn't do so much water at a time, maybe 5-10% per day :encouragement:

[hoang1912]

Thx again Squiggle. I gonna change to 5-10%. It's really sad when seeing these crs dying...

My 3ft tank might be ready this week. U reckon that I should move them to 3ft tank?

[Squiggle]

I'd just concentrate on getting this tank right & stop the shrimp dying, then you can shift your attention to the 3ft tank & get the WP in that tank the same as this one so you can move them later if you want, but get this one right so you have less to worry about :encouragement:

[hoang1912]

I think so, it's better to move from the old tank to the new one, but ammonia still between 0.25-0.5, so I wont move them yet.

And some of them are pregnant, better to leave them in the old tank? I afraid that they gonna sock while moving

[al4n]

Sounds like ur tank isn't cycled properly?

[hoang1912]

U mean my old or the new tank? The old tank it's 10 months old :(. Because I put water ager which contain heavy metal and I didnt know that. The shell building up to hard for them to molting for long time then they......are dying. Got 1 more dead this morning, everything's ok until now. Hopyfully no more dead from tmr

[hoang1912]

A lot of dead in my old tank since last weekend. I changed water 10% each day but TDS keep increasing after a night.

This morning I check tds 361,gh 6 (which is decrease from 10). Change water from morning and check again in the afternoon TDS is 260 and it increase to 300 atm.

Currently, my new tank setup have:

NItrate: 0

Nitrite: 0

ammonia: ~0.25

ph 6.4-6.6

Kh 1

GH 3

TDS: 70

temp: 23 (which is the same as old tank)

Should I move these shrimp from old tank to the new tank? (I take tape water for both tanks)

[al4n]

If u slowly acclimatize them to that tank then it should be good,

I was battling high TDS/gh before and one thing I did do was give my canister a rinse with the tank water and they seem to have helped the TDS rising. Coincidence or not I don't know? Maybe worth a try?

[ninja]

I don't like the fact that you have slight Ammonia and no Nitrates, doesn't sound like your filter is mature?

[hoang1912]

I dont know why. Both of my tank have the same WP, except TDS,GH and ammonia. Anything wrong with my system? Cheers