Jump to content

RO water and salty shrimp


Shrimpy

Recommended Posts

Hi all, after seeing so much success of members using ro water and salty shrimp, you have all convinced me to get a unit myself. However, i am still a little unsure of some certain factors.

1. How do i know how much salty shrimp mineral to add to the ro water

2. Can i store the RO water in an old fish tank?

3. What pen must i used to measure the important aspects of the water like ppm.

cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. How do i know how much salty shrimp mineral to add to the ro water

It says how much on the container, I think its about 3g per 20L from memory (container is in the shed and its too cold to go check)

2. Can i store the RO water in an old fish tank?

I have seen top up units which are supplied from a fishtank containing the water so there isnt any reason why not.

I would just make sure the lids fit well so no bugs can get in.

3. What pen must i used to measure the important aspects of the water like ppm.

A TDS or an EC pen will be able to tell you this.

There are various qualities/price ranges and there should be a thread or 2 around here discussing the pros and cons of each.

Hope that helps :)

What RO unit are you looking at?

Just make sure its RO/DI so it takes the TDS to 0.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The way to check how much Saltyshrimp to use is EC pen or a TDS pen, both work but EC is better as the specifications on the jar are in EC.

You can store RO water but you really should keep it in a drum with an air tight lid because the CO2 in the atmosphere can have an effect on the ph, you can get cheap wide top drums from Bunnings, you can get 25L-30L.

What particular aspect are you talking about? There are many that you want to be able to test, TDS/EC, PH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, GH, KH etc. TDS & EC are measured with a pen, you can get cheap PH pens but they require calibration a lot, but the rest are measured with test kits. Hope this helps :victorious:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks alot mate, pretty much answered most of my worries. Also do you know what the ideal tds or CRS and tb's would be? and in your opinion is an EC or tds pen better. cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The ideal EC is 200 which they recommend on the jar, but if this is in TDS you need to know what the conversion is as all TDS pens measure in EC & convert it to TDS, some are 0.5 & some are 0.7. I have both & my TDS pen is 0.5 conversion of EC so I use the EC pen to mix the water & TDS to check the tanks as my TDS pen is more accurate :encouragement:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks alot mate' date=' pretty much answered most of my worries. Also do you know what the ideal tds or CRS and tb's would be? and in your opinion is an EC or tds pen better. cheers[/quote']

6 one half a dozen the other I think.

The TDS pen is actually just an EC pen with a conversion factor. Something in the range of 0.5-0.8 I think depending on where it is made.

I think some may be calibrated for different salt compounds but that is chemistry and therefore over my head :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks blindfisherman and squiggle. So basically i only need to measure the TDS when adding salty shrimp minerals to the RO water. After that just add the pre-mixed water into the shrimp tan kand the magic happens?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks blindfisherman and squiggle. So basically i only need to measure the TDS when adding salty shrimp minerals to the RO water. After that just add the pre-mixed water into the shrimp tan kand the magic happens?

Pretty much.

Its so easy :) Probably why a lot of people have started to use it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

+1 Agree, as long as you know the conversion on your TDS pen you're set, happy shrimping :victorious:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hahaha' date=' that's very observant of you dude :encouragement:[/quote']

No one else is joining in the convo :S

Sorry I'm off to bed so no more hijacking :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

post-3445-139909852661_thumb.jpgpost-3445-139909852666_thumb.jpg

View item:

Digital 3-in-1 EC TDS Temp Meter Tester ppm ppt uS mS C/F 6 Parameters Pen-Type

Would this type do?

Details of the ad are as follows

Features:Acost-effective and reliable device you could ever find!

Units of measure: µS, mS, ppm, ppt, °C, °F

Dual display temperature & conductivity or TDS with ATC value

Easy and simple to use, all push-button operation

Measures 2 parameters, Conductivity and TDS using one device only

IP65 Waterproof housing (waterproof & dustproof)

Adjustable TDS factor

Adjustable Temperature coefficient factor

Adjustable Normalization Temperature (Reference Temperature)

Auto & Manual Ranging Capability

Allow resetting to factory default setting

Water proof membrane keypad

°C/°F unit switchable

Data hold, hold current reading freeze readings

Low battery indicator and auto power off disable

Calibration data for ranges can be retained & can be viewed anytime

With over & below the limit value indicator

Quick response and easy to calibrate with one touch only for calibration

Easy battery replacement, uses only 4pcs LR44 batteries

Pen size, easy to fit in pocket

Low cost design with high accuracy

Totally Brand New

Specifications:

MeasuringRange

***Conductivity: 0~1999 µS

*** * **** * ** 0~19.99mS

***TDS: 0~1999 ppm

**** ** 0~19.99ppt

Resolution:1 µS / 1ppm or 0.01mS / 0.01ppt

Accuracy:±1% Full Scale + 1 digit

Calibrationstandard range: (0.2~1)* full scale

Operatingtemperature: 0~50°C (32°F~122°F)

AutomaticTemperature Compensation (ATC): 0~50°C

TDSFactor: 0.4~1.00

Temperaturecoefficient: 0~4.0% per °C

Normalizationtemperature: 20°C or 25°C

Powerrequirements: 4 x 1.5V batteries (Type A76 or LR44)

Calibration:2 point (Calibration range is ±40% of factory defaultparameter)

Autopower off

Holddata

Unit°C/°F switchable

BatteryLife: >80 hrs continuous use

Dimension(H x W x T): 165 x 35 x 32mm

Accessories included:

FREE1.5V LR44 battery x 4

UserManual

StandardPackaging Box

Easy to calibrate with just a push of a button, no need to calibrate with screw driver !

Warranty:2years warranty

All our products are manufactured under the strict qualitycontrol guidelines established by EN ISO9001-2000 Standards

post-3445-139909851278_thumb.jpg

post-3445-13990985128_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm new to all this and as my hubby has indulged me thus far in buying me a shrimp rack and allowing me to begin stocking it well I don't want to push it and go spending HUGE amounts on a meter. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yes That would be fine, many members here use the cheaper TDS pens and seem to be working with not many complaints or any that I have heard of, it is the PH pens that a worry as they tend to need calibration constantly. Aquakitz a sponsor of the forum sells TDS pens that I am currently using and so far so good, I tend to stick to pens that have one specific function in case of some malfunction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use those cheap tds pen and have no problems. Even if the pen is abit off, it will only be by abit which isn't important as long as the tds is stable which In my opinion is important. Stability is the key to shrimp keeping.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • HOF Member
I use those cheap tds pen and have no problems. Even if the pen is abit off' date=' it will only be by abit which isn't important as long as the tds is stable which In my opinion is important. Stability is the key to shrimp keeping.[/quote']

I agree with you MrShrimp stability is the main issue and if your shrimp are doing well then that's the main thing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Join Our Community!

    Register today, ask questions and share your shrimp and fish tank experiences with us!

  • Must Read SKF Articles

  • Posts

    • beanbag
      Update to say that after a few gravel vacs, front wall scrub, moss / floating plant trim, that the condition seems to have improved.  My current theory is that it is due to waste / debris management, where "stuff" like that brown mulm accumulates in the substrate and behind the HMF filters.  Maybe some tanks can somehow deal with it, but mine can't.  Also another experienced shrimper suggested that maybe those "shell bugs" don't just live on the shrimps but also in this debris.  Maybe this is the reason some tanks fail due to "old tank syndrome" where all they need is a good gravel vac? Also, I am guessing that plant trim helps too because now more of the nutrients and light go into growing algae instead of more plants? Well anyway for this tank I will try weekly water change and monthly gravel vac / plant trim.  For my next tank, I'm thinking of something like an under-gravel system where this mulm can fall down and I vac it out.
    • sdlTBfanUK
      Good to have an update and good to hear you are getting shrimplets, so hopefully your colony will continue and you may not get to the point where you have to cull some to stop over population. These type of shrimp only live 12 - 18 months so the adult deaths may be natural? If you have the time I would do weekly 25% water changes, adding the new water via a drip system and do some vacuuming clean of the substrate each week, even if only a different bit each week! See if that helps in a few months and if it does then stick with that regime? It should help reduce any build-ups that may be occuring!
    • beanbag
      Hello again, much belated update: The tank still has "cycles" of 1-2 month "good streaks" where everybody seems to be doing well, and then a bad streak where the short antenna problem shows up again, and a shrimp dies once every few days.  I am not sure what causes things to go bad, but usually over the course of a few days I will start to see more shrimp quietly standing on the HMF filter, and so I know something is wrong.  Since I am not "doing anything" besides the regular 1-2 week water changes, I just assume that something bad is building up.  Here's a list of things that I've tried that are supposed to be "can't hurt" but didn't prevent the problem either: Dose every other day with Shrimp Fit (very small dose, and the shrimp seem to like it) Sotching Oxydator Seachem Purigen to keep the nitrates lower Keeping the pH below 5.5 with peat Things that I don't do often, so could possibly "reset" the tank back to a good streak, are gravel vac and plant trim, so maybe time to try those again. One other problem I used to have was that sometimes a shrimp would suddenly stop eating with a full or partially full digestive tract that doesn't clear out, and then the shrimp will die within a few days.  I suspected it was one of the foods in my rotation - Shrimp Nature Infection, which contains a bunch of herbal plant things.  I've had this in my food rotation for a few years now and generally didn't seem to cause problems, but I removed it from the rotation anyway.  I don't have a lot of adult Golden Bees at this point so I can't really tell if it worked or not. Overall the tank is not too bad - during the good streaks occasionally a shrimp will get berried and hatch babies with a 33-50% survival rate.  So while there are fewer adults now, there are also a bunch of babies roaming around.  I guess this tank will stagger on, but I really do need to take the time to start up a new tank.  (or figure out the problem)
    • jayc
      If that is the offspring, then the parents are unlikely to be PRL. I tend to agree with you. There are very few PRLs in Australia. And any that claim to be needs to show proof. PRL genes have to start as PRL. CRS that breed true after x generations doesn't turn it into a PRL. Neither can a Taiwan bee shrimp turn into a PRL despite how ever many generations. I've never seen a PRL with that sort of red colour. I have on Red Wines and Red Shadows - Taiwan bee shrimps. So somewhere down the line one of your shrimp might have been mixed with Taiwan bees and is no longer PRL. It just tanks one shrimp to mess up the genes of a whole colony. 
    • sdlTBfanUK
      Sorry, missed this one somehow! The PRL look fantastic and the odd ones look part PRL and part Red wine/Red shadow in the colour. They are still very beautiful but ideally should be seperated to help keep the PRL clean if you can do that.  Nice clear photos!
×
×
  • Create New...