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This 40 gallon breeder will mark 1 yr in December. Funny how the fish all disappear for a photo op. Schools of Lemon Tetra, Albino Cory, 1 Bolivian, Bloodfins, 1 Bristlenose, 5 Adult Oto's. Low tech, no co2. Fluval Plant 2.0 8-10 hrs daily. Aquaclear 70 with sponge filter.

New Reds and hoping to see some shrimplet's soon. Not a shrimp only tank... what are the chances with 6 Pygmy Cory and 8 Embers as tank mates? It's well planted, has driftwood and a Paradise Nut. GH 6-7 KH- 5 PH 7.5 Temp 76F Cuttlebone. Established Tank with bio film on the back walls. Do I need any additives that might help? ie Salty Shrimp Minerals?

@Cesar I'm raising Bolivian fry as we speak. They colour up beautifully when spawning. In with Pepper Cory's... the parents put the chase on them! I've moved the dozen fry that are left into a quarantine tank for rearing. They all have fat little pink bellies filled with live baby brine shrimp. ?

Hello folks, I have a new 6 gal bee shrimp tank that took about 3 months to finish cycling. I added shrimp just a few days ago. The water I add in is SS GH+ with a tiny fraction of GH/KH+ (explained later) for a total tds of 100, GH 5, KH <1. I also have UNS controsoil. The baseline pH is right around 6.2 or so, and goes up and down maybe only 0.2 during lights on vs lights off. Here's the problem: When I add even a half dose of my all-in-one fertilizer (NiloCG ThriveS) (0.5mL per 5 gal water) it causes the pH to plummet by about half or more points. I figured out during the cycling that if the pH drops below 6.2 or so, the nitrifying bacteria shut down. This is why I have added the touch of SS GH/KH, for the tiny bit of carbonate that bumps the pH up by a little. My older tank uses SS GH only, and for some reason, the pH is a bit higher - like mid-upper 6's. I know there are many people with Taiwan bee tanks with pH in the 5's, and their bacteria must be working somehow. Anyway, just wondering what I should do about my pH issue. Will the pH and buffering capability both rise with time as the tank becomes more established? Is it a good idea to have even a little bit of carbonates? I also have potassium bicarbonate so I can increase kH without also increasing GH.

I am keeping daphnia together with rcs and I love to view them magnified. I'm using an old 50mm lens, which is great if the subject is right against the glass. I'd love to be able to view stuff in the tank. Does anybody have any suggestions? A jewellers loupe? D&D nanoscope?

Yeah, the reason the cycle took so long was that I wasn't watching the pH, and every time I added the ferts (to help plants grow) it would drop the pH and then stall the cycle. So I got a pH probe and now I know. Next time, what I would do is raise the bacteria in high pH (where they grow faster), and then slowly lower the pH to have them acclimate. I looked thru some research papers, and people still aren't sure how these bacteria are able to work at low pH, except to say "perhaps they have developed an ammonium transport mechanism", which in layman's terms means "maybe they got used to it". Ever since I added shrimp, I stopped trying to add fertilizers. But the plants stopped growing, and now they are covered with a thin layer of (hair?) algae. I haven't fed the shrimp food yet as they are still eating the biofilm in the tank. But now poop is building up, and I sort of need to check for ammonia every few days or so. I'm kind of worried since the pH is right at the lower level where the nitrifying bacteria are about to shut down, so that's why I was asking if I could give a little kH nudge to keep the bacteria going.

First @ineke came out of hiding, now @Disciple. Good to see you around. Hope you stick around. ?