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CRS can be harder than Neos, but that's because people can't (or rather, "find it hard") to maintain water parameters around 6.5 - 6.6, with low GH and KH. Buy since your tap water is already there, it should be easy for you, theoretically. Just remember to use a dechlorinator. Avoid using Prime, as I find it to have too much formaldehyde, which can be a problem with shrimps.

Could be coincidence - I recently had a tank disaster, probably caused by overfeeding pollution, and I had also started using the Shrimp Baby product. I think the little bits get everywhere and if they aren't all eaten, start fouling the water.

Hi ! I live in Seattle where the water is incredibly soft and I have a tap water pH of 6.7, GH of 0-1 and KH 2. My existing tank with plants already has buffered substrate. Would I have better chance of keeping CRS than RCS with my current water parameters ? Or would RCS do okay? I do have an RO system already, and I could remineralize my water with salty shrimp KH/GH+. Which would allow my GH and KH parameter to be okay for neocaridinas, but I already have a tank with active substrate. I’m 100% I don’t have space to set up another tank with inert substrate. Would do you recommend ? What are pH you have successfully kept neocaridinas and have them thriving ? Thanks ! I appreciate all the help as I am new to the hobby.

Happy to hear any feedback. my tank is cycled the ammonia test kit i was using seems inaccurate and i believe it is a 0 ammonia reading even thought the test is still a light yellowy green. I only use the polyfilter to extend my time between water changes and maintain a stable environment. I was hoping this product would work out cheaper in the long run and was going to perform the same as i was starting to get more muck in my water from the new foods and the polyfilter was brown within a week and normally i would get 2 weeks or more out of the polyfilter. I dont use a whole pad just cut it into strips and run it under the spraybars. Poly cost me about $25/every two months and if this product worked would be maybe quarter of the price. I find my TDS fluctuation over 2 weeks from the baseline may be max 5TDS running polyfilter and the water change was only really to try force the shrimp to molt, speed up their growth and and get more berried shrimp. I have been following this routine for 6 months and have had no fluctuation in my water perimeters and no deaths up until now.

Hello, From the little bit of reading I did, Macropore is NOT the same as Purigen. Purigen is a scavenging resin, which means that stuff goes in, nothing comes out. It did not raise the TDS when I used it in my tank. Macropore is an ion exchange resin, meaning that stuff goes in, salt comes out. This is why Macropore can be recharged with salt, and Purigen cannot. Sorry, wish I saw this thread earlier.

shrimp room https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7klXqKsH1to

It's definitely Sodium (aka salt), but you wont be able to taste it at these levels. You can't taste salt until about 500 TDS. Sea water is over 1000 TDS.

Seems it is possibly nasty stuff for shrimps and sensitive freshwater fish then, this should be added to the packaging. Thanks for your confirmation as well jayc. You would assume by the written directions that you can use any amount per volume of water. I don't think the average person has TDS pens and would normally only either have basic test chemicals or be using use test strips. The average person would step back in wonder looking an the ultra clear tank and see their tests chemical or strip results looking marvelous not knowing their freshwater critters have now been converted to marine. I must admit i did rinse the water in my mouth during my test and it it not taste saline, I read articles that TDS is a poor measure of water quality but to raise TDS you have to add something back in for it to go up, so it has to be salt or some other chemicals from the polymers.

I recommend you watch this very good video as it may help with choosing which shrimps to go with and covers pretty much everything! https://skfaquatics.com/forum/forums/topic/14161-basics-for-shrimp-keeping-video/ NeoCaridina are a lot sturdier and adaptable than the Caridina but starting with RO water and remineralising makes both fairly easy though the remineralisers for each type are different so you will need to decide before buying that. Neocaridina GH/KH+, Caridina GH+. As JayC states, with RO water you also won't need to dechlorinate the water. Simon

5 hours later and TDS has topped out at 148 TDS. - That's 1 heaped teaspoon of Macropore in 250ml of RO water.

Many decholrinator products used formalin. You really need to read the fine print on the product to look for Formalin/formaldehyde or Sodium Hydroxymethane sulfonate aka Formaldehyde Sodium Bisulfite. Seachem Prime, Tetra, API, are all guilty of using it. Use too much in a shrimp tank and you could see deaths up to two weeks from using too much. Formaldehyde damages gills in fish and shrimp. My recommendation: 1) RO 2) Rain water 3) Aged water over 1 week. 3) Or use a bottled dechlorinator but let it sit for 24 hours with an air stone for the formaldehyde to gas off.

Okay my tests also verify that Macropore and I dare say the same for Purigen, will indeed raise TDS. 250ml of RO water in a cup with one heaped teaspoon of macropore raised TDS by 128 immediately (within 1minute of adding it to the water). I will leave it for a while and retest TDS later. However, Macropore does work in removing Nitrates. So the choice is up to the user - Reduce Nitrate and risk TDS or do nothing and risk high nitrates. Really, the best option is Water Changes. Looks like there is still no substitute for the good ole water change.

Hi Jayc, Thank you ! Yeah, I think CRS would be best suited for my current water parameter. I’m just debating whether if CRS are harder to keep than RCS. Do people in the hobby refer CRS harder to keep in that the water parameters for caridinas are harder to achieve or the species itself is pickier than neos. Thanks !

Hi @Seattleshrimp, welcome to SKFA. With that tap water and the fact that you have an RO system, and active substrate, you can try for CRS. Both RCS and CRS would suit your water parameters. However, you would be constantly battling to keep the right parameters with Neo caridinas.

Woke up this morning and and yes i am in morning finding 5 dead taiwan bees in the bottom of the tank.with 2 of them being berried females so i am a bit shitty. This product is going in the bin and is no longer welcome in my house.