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Some photos I took yesterday

Bought an RO DI unit from FSA. Free postage and it arrived in 2 days. Very happy. The TDS pen arrived today so I got busy. For reference, I’m about 2 hours North of Sydney. Tap water: TDS 155-157. PH 7-7.2 RO water: TDS 0-1 (Remineralised to 150). PH 6.6 CRS tank water: TDS 198. PH 7-7.2 I siphoned a vey small amount of tank water and am in the process of drip feeding the RO water into the tank. I’ll do this method during water changes until the tank water PH is at 6.6 I guess. Also found new born shrimplets yesterday and two more berried females. I haven’t seen any berried in about a month so I’m happy.

Springs here, so maybe the shrimp are more active for breeding? Hope you are collecting the waste RO water for watering your plants.

But the shrimp will be thinking otherwise. Look at all that yummy brown diatom!

I am old school like that too. I prefer the classics patterns/colours. And I try very hard to not create further hybrids. I want my CRS to be CRS. My tigers to be tigers. etc... @kms, all the more to support the site and sign up as a paid member. @Cesar, what's the deal now with the new forum update? Has the photo size limits been changed, and if so what is the max for regular members?

New tanks often go through a brown diatom phase and its just a waiting game before the diatoms naturally senesce. Ride it out. The shrimp will certainly help clean it up and I'd wager that diatom rich biofilm is good nutrition. You'll have shrimp breeding before you know it. There is certainly a good complex variety of habitat for them to explore and exploit. Are you using any plant fertilisers yet?

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