Hi everyone

[Dable]

Hi everybody thanks for accepting me onto the forum :-), I have cycled my first shrimp tank (70 gallon) with one sponge filter and one corner filter for chemical and additional bio filtration :-).. I'm going to start with cherry shrimp , water parameters are ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 5 ph 7.3 kh 4 gh 9 ..

Im looking to breed strong solid red cherries this will b my first attempt :-) any help or advise would b welcomed :-)..

[jayc]

KH and GH seems a bit high.

I'm assuming this is coming out of your tap water.

Aim for KH 1-2 and GH 5-6.

Your other parameters look ok for Cherries.

Another important water parameter for shrimps that you need to know is TDS.

All shrimp owners should invest in a TDS pen.

[OzShrimp]

Welcome to the forum :) Port macuarie is such a nice place

[Dable]

Thanks guys thanks jayc ye out of the tap mate , I have access to filtered water which has a kh of 3 and gh of 3 and ph of 7 I can do a water change and start adding that in :) I have some fluval shrimp gh raiser that I can add to it to get it up to 5-6 mark..

Where can I get a tds tester from ? And what are they worth and what range should I aim for ?

Oz shrimp it is really nice here :-)

[OzShrimp]

I'm hoping to move to port in 2 years if things go well :)

[Dable]

That's awesome :-) can someone tell me why my navigation on this site is limited? And how do I gain access to stuff such as classifieds and general forum duscussion so I can browse posts and expand my knowledge on shrimp ?

[OzShrimp]

You unlock areas by posting more however to access the bargains in the the classifids you must be a premium member. If you become a premium member you get instant all areas access :) best $12.50 you will spend http://www.shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/payments.php

[jayc]

Thanks guys thanks jayc ye out of the tap mate ' date=' I have access to filtered water which has a kh of 3 and gh of 3 and ph of 7 I can do a water change and start adding that in :) I have some fluval shrimp gh raiser that I can add to it to get it up to 5-6 mark..

Where can I get a tds tester from ? And what are they worth and what range should I aim for ?

Oz shrimp it is really nice here :-)[/quote']

A TDS pen isn't expensive, although you can get ones that are.

Our forum sponsor sells a cheap one for $25.

http://aquakitz.com/filteration/water-testing-tempreture/

A good TDS range to aim for is 140 - 160.

So if you stick to 150 TDS, then any fluctuation up or down is still going to be within the ideal range.

If you are interested in knowing more, check out the "Water Parameters" subforum. It's only 6 pages long :rofl:

If you can read all the threads there, you'll be an expert by the end of it.

[Dable]

All done :-)

[Dable]

Fantastic thanks jayc :-)

[Squiggle]

Welcome to the forum, I was always lead to believe that cherries are very versatile & the PH, GH & KH had a wider range of acceptability, I believe they can handle, for PH, between 6.5-7.8, for KH, between 0-10 &, for GH, between 4-14, but in saying this, everyone has had different success with different parameters, you will have to find what works for you within these ranges. Hope you have as much fun here as we do! :beer:

[Dable]

Thankyou very much squiggle:-), ye I will aim to have kh around 2-3 and gh 5-6 and asses how they go :-) how will I know if my levels need adjusting?? Like will I get dead shrimp or sick shrimp etc if my levels need lowering ? Or raising ? How will I know ?

[jayc]

Cherries are hardier, as Squiggle has said. They have been know to survive at higher KH and GH, but as you get to those levels, potential issues "might" arise. So sticking to the recommended levels will reduce those potential issues. It also depends on where/whom you source your shrimp stock.

Always find out the water parameters from who you purchase your shrimp. It's likely that the shrimp would have been born in that tank with certain parameters, and you have to try matching it as closely as possible. Acclimatise the new shrimp to those parameters slowly, and you will be fine.

You can then change the WP (Water Parameters) slowly if you want.

So if you HAD to aim for a certain KH/GH & TDS figure, then ... KH 1-2 and GH 5-6 and TDS 150 is the ideal.

How do you assess?

Invest in a KH/GH test kit.

Invest in a TDS pen.

Test regularly at water changes.

Finding dead shrimp is certainly a sign that something might be wrong. But that's not ideal - it's too late from those dead shrimp.

Also, another point to note is that lowering pH, GH, KH, TDS is a LOT harder with tap water than it is to raise it to the correct levels with RO (Reverse Osmosis) water. Australian tapwater comes out with high pH, GH, and KH already.

[Dable]

Thanks heaps jayc :-) yep I have all those kits and just purchased tds tester :-) and I think what I will do is use filtered water which gives me ph of 7-7.2 and a kh of 3 and gh of 3 and just add some fluval gh raiser to achieve the 5-6 range ??

I am very interested in RO filter also what brands do u guys use or recommend and what price range are they at? I know they are quite pricey but if I'm going to give my colony and future ones a good habitat there's no point being cheap

[Squiggle]

Cherries are hardier' date=' as Squiggle has said. They have been know to survive at higher KH and GH, but as you get to those levels, potential issues "might" arise. So sticking to the recommended levels will reduce those potential issues. It also depends on where/whom you source your shrimp stock.

Always find out the water parameters from who you purchase your shrimp. It's likely that the shrimp would have been born in that tank with certain parameters, and you have to try matching it as closely as possible. Acclimatise the new shrimp to those parameters slowly, and you will be fine.

You can then change the WP (Water Parameters) slowly if you want.

So if you HAD to aim for a certain KH/GH & TDS figure, then ... KH 1-2 and GH 5-6 and TDS 150 is the ideal.

How do you assess?

Invest in a KH/GH test kit.

Invest in a TDS pen.

Test regularly at water changes.

Finding dead shrimp is certainly a sign that something might be wrong. But that's not ideal - it's too late from those dead shrimp.

Also, another point to note is that lowering pH, GH, KH, TDS is a [u']LOT harder with tap water than it is to raise it to the correct levels with RO (Reverse Osmosis) water. Australian tapwater comes out with high pH, GH, and KH already.

Well put dude, totally agree!! :beer:

[jayc]

Well put dude' date=' totally agree!! :beer:[/quote']

:beer:

Dable,

Not too familiar with filtered water kits. I thought they are usually higher in pH (Alkaline) so as to not ruin your teeth.

pH 7 - 7.2 isn't bad if that is what you get.

Check the TDS when you get your pen.

[slin1977]

Welcome dabble.

my cherries are doing fine breeding in KH 0 and dkh 10

175 ppm

[fishmosy]

Hi Dable, welcome to SKF. Great to see another keeper on the mid north coast.

[richie]

Hi,

my first go at this. I'm going about it totally backwards.. got a tank full of overgrown weeds and a bit of algae, not sure the PH, not sure the GH, not sure the KH, just going to dump the little shrimpies in and cross my fingers. Will check on them after a week, see if any survive. if they do, I think they will expand the population well. I'm taking the approach that shrimpies are the roaches of the sea, so they should survive in anything.

These are some red and white bee shrimp I got at the LFS. The shrimpies are at my inlaws about 50km away on the coast. PS hate this editor, it keeps auto saving and I lose every third keystroke... grrrr typing speed is AWFUL.. how to turn it off??

[richie]

Also' date=' another point to note is that lowering pH, GH, KH, TDS is a [u']LOT harder with tap water than it is to raise it to the correct levels with RO (Reverse Osmosis) water. Australian tapwater comes out with high pH, GH, and KH already.

I tested my tap water today, in Glen Waverley Vic , ph 7.0, kh 1, gh 17.9, looks like I have neutral soft water with low carbonate as well. I'm near the Amazing Amazon store. Anyone else with similar water?

[Squiggle]

It sounds like you have some CRS & if you do then the PH needs to be about 6.5 & the GH is a bit low at 17.9 or 1dGH, that's a bit low for CRS, it should be between 4-6dGH. The KH is good as they like between 0-2dKH. I suggest you get a TDS pen as well cause their water should be around 150-200ppm. Hope this helps! :encouragement: