RO water and salty shrimp

[Shrimpy]

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

[blindfisherman]

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.

[Squiggle]

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:

[Shrimpy]

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

[Squiggle]

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:

[blindfisherman]

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

[Shrimpy]

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?

[blindfisherman]

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.

[blindfisherman]

Sorry slightly off topic but anyone feeling purple?

[Squiggle]

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

[Squiggle]

Hahaha, that's very observant of you dude :encouragement:

[blindfisherman]

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 :)

[Squiggle]

Lol, me too

[BlueBolts]

Yes :-)

[blackcat]

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

[blackcat]

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.

[CNgo2006]

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.

[MrShrimp]

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.

[ineke]

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