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Thankyou@ineke I decided to go ahead and treat the tank with shrimp in. After all they're only cherry shrimps.. I gave the first treatment with the recommended dosage and 24 hours later I can't see any hydra on the wall where they were well established last time instead there are tiny shrimplets grazing the biofilm hooray! Before and after photos attached. [emoji173][emoji111][emoji445] will

Actually (technically), it is similar but not the same. Bicarbonate of soda (bicarb soda for short) is a pure leavening agent made of NaHCO3. Baking soda contains bicarb soda is a ready to go product with its own acidic ingredient, usually cream of tartar. Cream of Tartar is an acidic agent required to activate the bicarb to make it "rise", you know, for baking cakes. So if you don't want to add Cream of Tartar into your tank (and you don't), avoid baking soda or baking powder. NaHCO3 will raise KH, but it won't last, and will cause KH to crash again. Causing a yo-yo, up down effect in water parameters, until sufficient carbonates are built up in the tank. The most stable way of raising GH and KH is with Ca and Mg. CaSO4 (Calcium sulphate) will raise GH & TDS without raising KH. CaCO3 (Calcium Carbonate) will raise GH, KH and TDS. MgSO4 (Magnesium sulphate) will raise GH & TDS without raising KH. Alternatives are Potassium carbonate (K2CO3) or Potassium sulphate (K2SO4). Potassium has the added benefit of being beneficial as a major element that plants need. And shrimps as well. Potassium is almost always deficient in any aquarium.

Many aquatic keepers combine their passion for plants and shrimp in the one tank. One common question for newcomers is how to keep the shrimp safe in a planted tank that requires fertilizers. Why is this important? Well, how do you know what's safe, what's not, how it affects water parameters, what's not recommended, premixed liquid vs dry and the list goes on and on. One SKF Aquatics member, @Brentwillmers, found the following as a safe method for Taiwan Bee shrimp in his planted aquariums. Using only use R/O water with salty shrimp GH to a TDS of 80-90, the fertilizer dosing schedule is a mix of liquid and dry powders. This mix depends on availability and cost. Micro-Mix supplies a broad range of trace elements demonstrated to be necessary for proper plant health and growth. The following dosage of Micronutrients was found to be safe for his Taiwan Bee shrimp: Iron: 0.5ppm Magnesium: 0.80ppm Zinc: 0.002ppm Manganese: 0.001ppm Boron: 0.002ppm Molybdenum: 0.003ppm Cobalt: 0.00002ppm For trace elements, Seachem Trace, Aquavitro envy or a dry powder using a product such as Plantex CSM+Boron can be used. Often people will choose to dose chelated iron separately from other trace elements, though most commercial trace mixes do include some level of chelated iron. For this reason, Aquavitro propel is preferred. However, with some micro-mixes be aware of the copper concentration as these can be fatal for your shrimp. Micro-nutrients can be used alone or in conjunction with a macro-nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Liquid Seachem Nitrogen can be used or a dry powder form via adding the compound Potassium Nitrate (KNO3). Try to keep the levels at around 10ppm in low, medium and high light aquariums. Do not exceed 20ppm!! If you do stop dosing and do a water change and test again. Liquid Seachem Phosphorus or a powder form as Monopotassium Phosphate or KH2PO4 can be used in the aquarium but keep the levels low. It's best used in low, medium and high light aquariums and kept at around 0.5ppm. Always keep these levels low as possible it can be harmful to shrimp. Seachem Potassium or powdered potassium sulfate, or K2SO4 can be used. Keep the dose to around 10ppm in low to medium light aquarium and 20ppm with high light aquariums. Do not exceed 20ppm as it can be harmful to more sensitive shrimp. Dosing macro's 3 times per week and micro's 3 times a week alternating between days generally works well. You can find the perfect balance by dosing in the mornings and performing water test before lights out. On day 7 it’s important to do a water change, 50% weekly is recommended to reset water parameters. Unfortunately, a 50% water change will cause TDS levels to fall quickly. One method to minimize the rate in reduction is to perform 2 lots of 30% water changes (morning and afternoon) instead of a single 50%. The PH of the new water should be as close to your aquarium PH as possible. TDS will increase again after each dose of fertilizers so keep this in mind when adding remineralization to R/O water. Some methods of dosing are: Estimative Index (EI) Dosing Target Dosing PPS Pro Dosing EI method: EI dosing involves dosing each individual macro and a trace mix up to a high level throughout a week and at the end of the week, a 50% water change is performed, cutting the remaining nutrients in half, and the tank is dosed again. This is a simple way to insure you never bottom out on any nutrients. However, not a great idea for shrimp. Target Dosing (preferred method): Target dosing involves performing water tests on nitrate, potassium, phosphate and iron levels, dosing as per the target levels for your tank. PPS Pro Dosing: PPS Pro dosing involves dosing the tank with the amount of each nutrient needed during a 24-hour cycle. It requires daily dosing, but is great for keeping the tank from having excess nutrients which can cause algae issues. It does involve some math and some pretty small measurements, but is a very effective way to dose. Whatever the dosing method, one key point to remember is that everything is dependent on CO2, lighting and plants. Hope you enjoyed this article and happy shrimping. References and Content/Image Credit SKF Aquatics member - @Brentwillmers View full article

Just a quick shout out to Ineke for helping me out with some issues with my CRS tank at the moment, constant back and forward msging between us has gotten the issue solved and all is well again, appreciate it.

Awesome that's all good to know. I'm glad I keep a list of who I have sold what shrimp to and I have contacted the 2 folks who have had ycs from me to let them know to be on the lookout as a matter of courtesy. I'm doing a 30% wc tonight and will have a check around the sponges and driftwood as you suggested thanks. It's been another good reminder to be strict about using seperate nets for my tanks I need a few more now so I'm fully covered for the timebeing! [emoji173][emoji111][emoji445] will

excellent well done. May I suggest you take a look under any driftwood you might have as that is a place they tend to congregate . If you don't see them there and also behind your sponge filter you have probably got them all. I use this product in any tank I need to regardless of type of shrimp. I have never lost any shrimp including my TB . When I use it for planaria I use a syringe and extension tube and push the liquid into my substrate. That way I can leave my filters running and I don't get white water hanging around for some time. Sometimes before using the syringe the powder would stay in suspension in the tank for sometime even after a few water changes -I always try to disolve it before adding to the tank never just sprinkling the powder onto the water. Luckliy I haven't had to use it very often.

Keep an eye out for any ammonia, nitrite or nitrate spikes. Too much cleaning could potentially lead to a mini-cycle.

I used benibachi planaria zero the one time I had hydra and they all died with only 1 treatment. I left the shrimp and plants in with no ill effects. I would treat everything you had in the tank as hydra are very good at hiding in and under plants and rocks , driftwood etc. I only ever got hydra when I introduced new plants .

I know the general rule of thumb with red cherries is dark substrate usually produces darker red shrimp, however the darkest most stunning cherry shrimp I had where in a 4ft tank with potential fish predators with pure white sand. They where just purchased as what would be considered low to middle grade but developed into what I think was high grade. My black cherry colony is on multi-coloured and quite fluro coloured gravel, an these shrimp are a lovely glossy almost blue black, and living with a BN, whiptail catfish and Pacific Blue Eyes. I think there is 4 ways factors that largely influence the colouration of shrimp 1. Genetics 2. Water parameters eg pH, gH and temp 3. Food variety and quality 4. Lighting intensity, duration and spectrum. I add lighting because I had noticed with my red cherries when in the 4ft tank with a T8 light (forget which spectrums the bulbs where) first thing in the morning when the lights first came on I would see partially or all blue cherry shrimp, but within a short time these would drop the blue and go back to their normal complete red colour. I know they where colour changing because when I caught the blue shrimp and put them in a baby fish net/ trap while in the same tank within a few minutes the blues had reverted to red.

Planorbidae make up a significant portion of aquaitic pulmonate gastropods. In Australia alone, there are over 20 species group taxa that have been described. Their common name, ramshorn snails, comes from the spiral shape of their shells, which looks like a ram’s horn. Ramshorn snails come in a wide range of colours, including red, brown and black, and they can even be shimmery and translucent in colour. Because of the unique design on their shells and their colour, they can be a welcomed addition to an aquarium, offering vibrant colour and interest. However, oftentimes, these snails inadvertently appear in aquariums, hitchhiking on the live plants and/or accessories that have been transferred from one tank to another. If there is enough food available, these snails can quickly breed and take over an aquarium; but, if they are properly maintained, they can be a welcomed addition, even if their presence was not intended. These snails eat food that is leftover in the water, dead plant material and algae, and as such, they can help to maintain the health and appearance of an aquarium. Maintaining Ramshorn Snails Whether you are interested in adding ramshorn snails to your aquarium or they have taken up residence unexpectedly and you decide that you want to keep them, it’s important to understand how to properly maintain them, which fortunately, is easy to do. They do well in aquariums of various sizes. They are also very adaptable, which means that they can do well in various types of water conditions, though they prefer water that is filtered. Additionally, they do best in tanks that do not undergo sudden changes in their condition. These snails consume algae and food remnants from fish, but they prefer to eat dying and dead plant matter that is shed from live plants. They will also eat dead fish, shrimp or other snails. Things to Avoid If you are interested in maintaining Ramshorn snails in your aquarium, you should be aware that there are species of fish that will eat them. The most common predators of Ramshorn snails include bettas, loaches and dwarf puffer fish. Assassin snails will also prey on these snails. Live Plants Some people claim that Ramshorn snails destroy their live plants, while others have reported they do not cause any issues. However, in most cases, they do very little damage to live plants, but if a large amount of them are present and there are delicate plants in the aquarium, such as Water Sprite and Cabomba, they can do damage. Behaviour Ramshorn snails are peaceful and non-aggressive. They will not cause issues with fish, shrimp or other types of snails in an aquarium. They spend their time moving about the tank eating and adding interesting colour, texture and dimension to an aquarium. References Arctos. (n.d.). Retrieved May 7, 2017, from http://arctos.database.museum/name/Planorbidae Brown, D. S. (2001). Freshwater snails of the genus Gyraulus (Planorbidae) in Australia: taxa of the mainland. Molluscan Research, 21(1), 17-107. doi:10.1080/13235818.2001.10673736 Image credit - @Paul Minett View full article