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Question on shrimp substrate

guntash

By guntash
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guntash Be nice I'm new here

guntash

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Hi

I am looking at setting up another shrimp tank, perhaps a nano. It would be great to be able to have the option of at least two different types of shrimp in there which won't interbreed. I understand different shrimp require different water parameters. Not sure at this stage if I should set it up for cherries (using an inert substrate) or set it up for shrimp which require more acidic parameters / lower PH and go with the new black earth premium? Will cherries still thrive in a lower PH environment if I go with the black earth? If not and I stick with the cherries, what is the best inert substrate to use? I have heard some shrimp keepers use Black diamond quartz gravel or Tahitian moon sand? Any other brands I should consider? Thanks for your help guys.

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michael Shrimp Breeder

michael

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Set it up for Crystals that way u can keep either or both. I had inert gravel but changed it all over as I can breed better quality Cherries at a lower pH. When the pH is is higher it's harder to pick the best shrimp to breed as they all look nice. Lower it and any that stay the colour u want are the ones to breed.

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BlueBolts Shrimp Guru

BlueBolts

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I agree, getting a tank's PH around 6.3-6.7 would give you the ability to keep the neocaridina and cardina species....doubling + up on a tank's shrimp variety slows down MTS...OR does it accelerates it . LOL

Cherries will eventually adapt to the lower PH, they may not be breeding a such a prolific rate, but as mentioned at last you're able to keep the CRS's etc.. In the same tank.

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guntash Be nice I'm new here

guntash

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Has anyone used black earth premium substrate before? Not sure if I should go with that or another one.

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Wraithie Shrimp Breeder

Wraithie

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I have BEP in my scape tank (the cherries are very happy in there, and they never get fed even). I dont test the parameters as i chose it more aimed towards plants.

The generally accepted 'gold standard' for shrimp substrate at the moment is the Benibachi soil which a lot of forum members use.

I also have the fluval shrimp soil as well as inert in different tanks.

Both of the first two products are available from our sponsors :)

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guntash Be nice I'm new here

guntash

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Thanks. I have heard good reports about Benibachi too, but also that some users of Benibachi have quite a low PH (in the 5's), which I don't really want. Is that true? Is it also true that planted tanks don't do as well with Benibachi? I was also wondering if it leaks ammonia?

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Bunnybom Shrimp Keeper

Bunnybom

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I reset my 3ft tank with Black Earth Premium soil and Benibachi powder soil 2 weeks ago.

I used R/O water to fill my tank and also as change water.

On second day WP was pH 7.2 GH 7 NH3.NH4 1.25ppm NO3 a little bit.

Then again on 5th day pH6.3 GH9 and second grade level of ammonia and NO3.

I havent check the WP for a week so not sure how it changed.

Seems like either of the soil is producing ammonia, just not sure which one is.

Also my cherries are dying one by one due failure in molting because of high GH level.

Ps. Im suspecting API water parameter testers(NO3, NH3.NH4) might be faulty as those gave me 0 reading while Tetra products gave me a bits of each. In which i think is more reliable 'cause it doesn't make sense that there non nitrate nitrite and ammonia during water cycling.

Need a investigation on this!

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Hyzenthlay Shrimp Keeper

Hyzenthlay

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I've used black earth premium on both my shrimp tanks and I'm happy with it. Doesn't buffer quite as much as I've heard some of the others do once it has settled down. Just keep an eye on the ph when you are cycling the tank as if the water has no buffer it can get too low for the bacteria.

My large tank (the longest established) now stays around ph 6.5 Gh 6 Kh 0.

In my experience the black earth releases very little to no ammonia by itself. Definitely not enough to cycle a tank. I used bottled ammonia to cycle mine.

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guntash Be nice I'm new here

guntash

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Thanks. I have an established existing tank, but just want to change the substrate in it. What is the best way to do this? I will use the existing filter media with good bacteria to seed the new tank, but will I need to let it run a full cycle (like a brand new tank) to be ready?

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