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I would say that your KH is fine. Leave it at 1, that's not going to be an issue for the shrimp. Using a remineraliser like Salty shrimp Bee shrimp GH+ will fix your low GH and TDS in on go. Alternatives are products like Mosura Mineral Plus Ultra. There are also similar products that will raise all 3 - KH and GH and TDS. Like Salty shrimp GH/KH+. But if you want to keep a low pH, then avoid altering the KH.

With so many dedicated new members, and the mountain of information, I thought I'd summarised my 6 most critical water parameters I frequently test, to ensure my shrimps have the best possible water quality. GH (General Hardness) GH is the measure of Magnesium (Mg+) and Calcium (Ca+) ions in water. Water described as “soft†or “hard†is in reference to GH. GH is measured in dH, and 1 dH is approx.. 17.5mg/L (ppm) 0-4 dH (Very Soft) 4-8 dH (Soft) 8-12dH (Medium hard) 12-18 dH (Fairly Hard) 18-30 dH (Hard) KH (Carbonate Hardness) KH is the measure of carbonates and bicarbonates in water. KH measure the alkalinity (buffering capacity resulting in the resistance of a PH fluctuation). KH is measured in dH, and 1 dH is approx.. 17.5mg/L (ppm). The higher the KH the more stability and resistance PH will fluctuate. pH (Per Hydrogen) pH is the measure of the balance of Hydrogen (H+) and Hydroxide (OH) ions in water. The pH scale goes from 0-14. pH reading of 7.0 is neutral, 0-6.9 is Acidic, and 7.1-14 is alkaline. pH is also a function of KH and CO2 concentration. Nitrates Nitrates are critical to our beloved shrimps, and often utilized to indicate the level of water quality once a tank is cycled. Nitrates between 0-20ppm should be our goal. Nitrate should be tested/checked frequently, as high nitrates can/will lead to shrimp deaths even weeks after the event. TDS/Ec TDS (Total Dissolved Solids)/ Ec (Electrical Conductivity) is essential to ensure overall purity of water. A TDS reading measures contaminants , but also minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and other trace elements and metals. The TDS reading of most natural clean spring water is approx. 100-200 ppm. RO (Reverse Osmosis) water will have approx. 0 TDS, and by adding essential salts/minerals to the required TDS/Ec,, this will ensure our shrimps have the purist of water with the right/essential minerals. http://www.shrimpkeepersforum.com/forum/showthread.php/3078-Dean-s-(Ec)-vs-BlueBolts-(TDS) Temperature Water temperature is a critical factor, and depending on the type of shrimp, a higher/lower range can be tolerated, but does add stress to the shrimps. Ensuring no sudden fluctuation, and maintaining the recommended level will ensure the best survival/breeding zone for our shrimps. There are many breeders using varying WP (i.e. soft water vs hard water, low PH vs high PH...etc)...please do your research and/or ask the forum members of their experience/knowledge, depending on the shrimp species you intend keeping.

Looks like I'm really lucky. It used to be standard practice when I started keeping tropical fish to let water sit for 3 days before adding fish. Fishkeepers in my area didn't have to bother, we just poured the water in closely followed by the fish. We didn't do cycling back then.

@Munroco, you have the perfect tap water for fish/shrimp keeping! Its almost rainwater.

Thanks Jay. I'll leave the KH as it is then, thats good to know. Looking at ads for salty shrimp, most of them mention RO water. I am planning on using tap water. Assuming its ok to use with tap water then I'm just about good to go. Tanks have been cycling for about 3 weeks and are all showing zero ammonia and nitrites and minimal nitrates.

Illegal to import. That's not to say there aren't any in the country though. HAHA. LOL. Yeah, we miss out on a lot of species in the hobby, but I guess it's for to good of the ecosystem. We have a few invasive species like the Cane Toad, Fire Ants, but fortunately no Conservative Republicans. Or maybe we do, and they go by another name to camouflage their presence. Well, good luck with breeding the RCS. I was a fish keeper for many years as well. When I started the shrimp keeping hobby, I found that I had a lot more to learn, as these little pets demand a lot more knowledge in water quality than fish do. So read up, there are many great articles on SKFA. Start with the stickies, but don't dismiss the threads that are not stickied, as there are little gems of information in some of them. When I started keeping shrimps I also found that I soon had to expand on other skills. Shrimp keeping has made me a Gardener, a Carpenter, a Chemist, a Biologist, a budding Photographer, ... I'm sure there are a few. So don't be surprised that you might become one or all of the above as well.

New breeding project. Green strain from tang tigers. Love the banded pattern on the legs.

There are a lot of newer beneficial bacteria additives on the market that claim to be better than Stability. I don't want to suggest one over another, as I have not tried any of them since I use the bacteria from my other tanks to seed new tanks. But if all you have to select from is Stability, then go ahead, it cannot hurt the cycling of a new tank. Dr Tims one and only, and ATM Colony are two products which I have heard good things about. Absolutely. Increase the temps to 28degC or 82degF. Then reduce the temps after the tank has cycled, and you know a colony of bacteria has grown in the system. Ammonia should read zero. On the contrary, adjust the tank's parameters to where you want it to be (ideal parameters for the type of shrimp you will be keeping) BEFORE introducing the shrimp, BUT adjust the water parameters AFTER the tank has cycled. Water Parameters will alter too much during the cycling phase to bother changing it. So wait till the tank is cycled and parameters are relatively stable before fiddling with it. Get the parameters to the ideal range and then slowly drip acclimate the shrimp to the new water. Nothing is worse than adjusting the water parameters WHILE there are shrimp in it. The shrimp don't take too kindly to the large changes.

Something else that you might find the fry will go crazy for is Nori sheets, the same seaweed sheets that you use to wrap up Sushi. I find my fish/ snails/ shrimp all go mad for it.

Cheers for the tag @jc12 - yes i've been a little dead in the hobby :( As said, i did indeed breed my LG6. They are very similar to whiptails in general though. I have not bred royal whiptails but from my understanding and memory from reading online , etc is that most people lose a lot or all of them around the 1 week point and i think it was something like 4 weeks or so. I believe royals need a higher algae percentage in their diet, especially in the early days. If you can get mulberry leaves, blanch them and drop them in. These are very good in my experience. Another good one is spirulina as mentioned above, however what i suggest is to max a mix of spirulina and agar agar. I believe its 2:1 spirulina to agar. mix with a little bit of hot water to make a paste. Spread this past over something like a rock or slate or similar and chuck it in the freezer for like 24 hours. Then just grab one and throw them in the tank for the fry to feed on, you should be able to see them eating it pretty easily as it will disappear, if they are not it will simply fall off the rock and onto the tank bottom. If you haven't already, i suggest separate the fry from adults for maximum survivors. The spirulina worked well for me with LG6, but i also used micro worms as they sink to the floor and they enjoyed these too. Try this also, but remember I believe that the royals need a slightly higher algae % vs LG6. Good luck! :)

I know @s1l3nt has successfully bred LG6s as he has sent me a bunch some months ago. He is at the moment too busy playing with his other high tech toys... haha... not sure if he will log in here and provide some advice.

Have you tried baby brine shrimp? Try spirulina powder, boiled mash peas (without the skin), or drop a blanched lettuce leaf into the fry tank. They love baby brine shrimp. And the blanched lettuce is nice and easy.