I learnt something this week

[ineke]

I have been keeping shrimp for just over 16 months now. I have a lot of them both in numbers and types but am just a dabbler and haven't really bred very selectively except for my Rilis, Blue Velvet, Chocolates and Blue from chocolate.

I decided to get a bit more serious this week and have been culling and sorting etc just in my own way.

I was speaking with someone I fully trust and have found out that since using RO water with my Cherries I have been doing something wrong which I had no idea about- can't even think that I have seen it anywhere and despite my ignorance my Cherries have been constantly berried and seem very healthy.

When I changed to RO I also changed the Cherries to Shrimp Stratum (Fluval) from inert substrate. I initially used Salty Shrimp Sulawesi salts as that was all that was available at the time and then moved to GH/KH again with the shrimp stratum.

Well here"s the thing apparently when using Salty Shrimp GH/KH in your RO for CHERRIES - this does not apply to Crystals etc- they should be kept on inert substrate as the ph of one fights with the ph of the other. So if you want to use shrimp substrate with Cherries it is better to use the GH+ - the Cherries adjust well to the lower ph as we know when we keep them in with our Crystals.

so just to repeat if using GH/KH for Cherries use inert substrate or change to GH +. I have a big job ahead now of converting my Cherry tanks to GH+ as I want to use Shrimp substrate. At least I now only need to buy 1 type now and it will be interesting to see if this may solve the white shrimp mystery perhaps once back in a stable WP I might find out what colour it really is! Also if my Cherries have been breeding this well in adverse conditions I wonder how they will go when I fix my water issue?????

I will just add I do weekly water changes and monthly water testing so have never seen any instability in my WP's and apart from being told about the seesawing effect of what is happening I actually haven't seen any ill effects. This however doesn't mean it isn't happening but it is a testament to the veracity of the Cherry .

I throw this open for discussion as I said this was discussed with one of our top members who can make himself known if he wishes.

[Squiggle]

Thanks Ineke for starting the thread but I'm not sure I explained it right, it's not a see-sawing of the PH but more of a stalemate tug-of-war, the Humic & Fulvic acids in the substrates are trying to lower the PH while the Carbonates in the minerals you add to the RO water(i.e. KH) are trying to raise the PH & as this is happening they deplete each other very quickly & inevitably the higher PH will win as you are constantly replacing carbonates with WCs, while removing Humic & Fulvic acids at the same time. Hope that helps make what's going on a little clearer. :encouragement:

[ineke]

Thanks Squiggs. I'm still changing to GH + so I can have the other benefits that a shrimp specific substrate has.