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I've been avidly watching these little guys since receiving them yesterday, and I thought I'd make a new thread for the observations! Fist up some pics! Next, some interactions with shrimp. First up, a pair getting intimate (or failing to - looks like the male was just seeing if she was in the mood) while ignoring some nearby shrimp. Next, a male getting territorial and chasing off a sunkist neo. Sorry about the lower quality - camera was set to low res accidentally. This movement is different from how they attack snails, so I think it's a territory issue rather than a hunting attempt. If you slow down the film you can see he raises his body and claws really high as though to look intimidating. But I'm not a crab expert so I dunno. Next a shaky-cam quick-and-dirty video evidencing snail-eating prowess. Don't watch if you get motion sick!! Next up, a rookie attempt at a close-up film. A bit shaky and focus is off, but you can see the female's cute face.

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I would imagine that the crabs will eat dead shrimps, even shrimps eat dead other shrimps, as they are both scavengers. Not sure that they would attack a live shrimp but it is probably best t keep a close eye on what happens before getting any more of either shrimps or crabs for that tank! Simon

I think the live shrimp will be fine. The micro-crabs are delicate creatures taking advantage of a rotting corpse. I'm sure the crabs will enjoy the protein. Ordinarily I avoid feeding dead livestock to other livestock to prevent transmission of disease or unknown parasites although I will say as a shrimpkeeper the temptation is strong. ?

Yesterday I put a 3 new shrimps in the tank, and one dead shrimp that was DOA in the bag, nothing happened to the 3 shrimps, but the dead shrimp was swarmed by 3 crabs as food, would you presumed the live shrimps might get attacked soon or later.

Thanks so much for all the info guys. I’m very appreciative! I’ll update once I get the RO going. Fingers crossed I don’t kill them all ? I’m really hoping this will encourage more breeding. In saying that, I have 3 berried as of the last week, which is pretty exciting.

No! It's like salt. Does salt go off? Unless moisture and water has got into the container, it should last until the container disintegrates. Add a bit of Salty Shrimp GH+ into the RO water (go slow), stir it in, until it reaches 150 TDS. Keep measuring with the TDS meter you are getting. Doesn't have to be exactly 150 as Simon said. If you have the tools for it and the patience, that is the best way. Or if you are like me, impatient, I add 25% of the new change water back into the tank every 20-30 minutes. So over the span of 2hours or so.

You basically do as you have been doing just with the new (RO) water instead of tap water! The RO water will be 000 so you just keep adding a bit of GH+ until the TDS is near 150 (doesn't have to be exact)! You should be fine with the GH+ you were given, but if it looks old, personally I would buy a new one, (I use a liquid one which is also easier) it's not that expensive and lasts a long time anyway. The PH will almost certainly be lower with the RO water but if you don't do a large water change but just substitute the new water into your normal routine it will VERY slowly bring the PH down a bit which is I guess what you want anyway longer term. Simon

A friend gave me Salty Shrimp GH+. Does this stuff “go off”? The container appears to be quite old. How do I adjust TDS? Will the RO system have an adjuster or something? I never dump whole buckets into the tank when doing changes, but do you mean the RO water needs to be drip fed? Thanks for your help. You’re a legend.

Correct. Have you got the remineraliser yet? Looking back at the pics of your shrimps, you have CRS, so you will need a GH+ remineraliser. You are aiming to remineralise to 150 TDS for CRS. No you don't have to wait to use the remineralised RO water. But at the same time, don't dump the whole bucket of water into the tank at once.

So I’m jumping in and buying an RODI system. Not sure if we can fit an under-sink system in the laundry cupboard so I’m leaning towards a portable variant. Either of these two (I think one is just smaller? https://www.filtersystemsaustralia.com.au/reverse-osmosis-water-filter/aquarium-systems/portable-reverse-osmosis-aquarium-water-filter-with-di-resin-0-tds-1-70di-872.html or https://www.filtersystemsaustralia.com.au/reverse-osmosis-water-filter/aquarium-systems/portable-reverse-osmosis-aquarium-water-filter-with-di-resin-0-tds-1-70di.html I know I need to then remineralise the water. What parameters am I aiming for, for max shrimp happiness? ?I’ll buy a TDS pen at the same time. Can I just add the powder to the bucket of RO water and do the WC immediately? Or does it need to sit for a period of time? I’ve no idea about this stuff, sorry. Thanks in advance!

Always wanted sulawesi shrimp and snails since they first appeared in PFK magazine (from memory) back in the mid 2008. Today I got realised a bit of that dream with the arrival of some juvie cardinals - thanks to @JPN07 After acclimating them over a couple of hours they went into the tank and within seconds they had coloured up and were feeding away. It might just be because they are new, but these shrimp are really fascinating to watch. Cant wait until they get bigger. Excuse the dirty glass.