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Hi all. I have had a 123l planted fish aquarium for some time now with great success. I decided I also wanted a shrimp tank. I got a aquaone 40 55litre. I have blocked the filter inlets with foam to avoid sucked in shrimp. The tank is also planted using fluval stratum. I have a planted log in the back corner, java fern and various other plants, spider root and rock. I gained a amano shrimp with the planted log so purchased another 3 to go with it. I also bought some cherry shrimp as this was what I originally wanted. I lost a few cherries initially, having spoken to my local fish shop i.think this was due to the tank being too new (waited 4 weeks before adding shrimps). I have not lost any for about 2 weeks now. I change 10% of the water every week. I live in a hard water area. I have tested the tap water Gh over 14 but below 28 kh 10 ph10, ( basic test strips have a better test kit ordered). Tested the water today and Gh 14 ish PH 6.4 and KH 0. (Which is roughly the same as my fish tank) is the PH and KH too low for the shrimp? If so how do I increase it safely with out raising the GH. I treat the tap water with seachem prime and let it sit for a while before water change . Sorry for the long thread.

My tap water has too much nitrates out of the tap @40ppm and I'm cycling a new 20 gallon long tank for some shrimp. Can I use distilled water and to remineralizing it I have aqueon shrimp essentials which lists ingredients as water, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride, potassium iodide, inositol, micellized vitamin D3, strontium chloride, iron EDTA, artificial color.

Nerite snails are bigger than assassins so maybe they are snail eggs, that would be great! Just keep an eye on them and see if they move from where they are for now, unless someone else thinks they are something else? Hope the neons are doing well and it will make the tank more interesting to watch! Simon edit - just read up that the snail larvae need brackish water so I guess that won't work, on the plus side, I guess you can never get over-run that way!

They don't appear to be moving. I do have 2 nerrite snails in the tank.

Still chugging along, sorted out my PH and finally got some green neons in the tank. Do love watching the shrimp, espeically the amano, they're so active, well, greedy. I'm sure I saw 1 suplex another other a pellet. How often do shrimp molt? Saw another 2 big amano molts this morning (all accounted for). Also, any idea what's up with this cheery shimp? I can't tell if it's some kind of white stripe? Definately not seen it before. And these have appeared on the side of the tank...

I was trying to lower the nitrate because someone told me it could've stalling my cycle? My ammonia and nitrites were converting withing 48 hours or less but started to take longer and was told my nitrates could be the cause. So after finally getting to testing my tap water and finding out about the high nitrate reading I'm just worried about what to do during cycling now. I already purchased some king shrimp gh/kh+ and it's on the way. Ordered some salty shrimp gh/kh + and it's on the way! I was just concerned about cycling because someone said my high nitrates could be stalling my cycle? What do I test after adding salty shrimp to see if the parameters are correct? I have a liquid master test kit, a gh/kh test kit but I do not have a tds meter atm. I did order one and it'll take a while to get to me tho. Are the minerals that get added from salty shrimp sufficient for fish as well? I wanted to add some micro fish/otocinclus eventually down the line.

That is very hard water for shrimp. But ain't no one better than Simon, your friendly Mod to help with advise. He even lives in the area. KH is not what you need to be worried about for moulting. It is the GH (General Hardness) of the water that needs to be lower. GH is what influences the hardness of the shrimps shell and eggs. High GH like you have will cause difficulties in moulting, as the shell is too hard. And shrimps will have a harder time fertilising the eggs when the egg's shell is too hard.

Yes that is best. If you plan to keep Neo Caridina (eg cherry shrimp) or Tiger shrimp than pick Salty Shrimp GH/KH+. But if you plan on keeping Caridina shrimp like CRS, CBS, Taiwan bees than pick "Salty Shrimp GH+" (no KH). Seachem Equilibrium is better suited to for fish tanks. So go with Salty Shrimp GH/KH+ Yes. Always cycle with no livestock when ever possible. Tap water is fine for cycling. If you use plain aquarium gravel or sand, dose ammonia during your cycling. If you have planted substrate, the substrate releases enough ammonia to cycle new tanks. After cycling is complete, you empty the tank and refill with distilled or RO water, remineralise it to the right parameters for the shrimp you are planning on keeping. No use wasting distilled water during the cycling period. And tap water has the right parameters for the beneficial bacteria growth during cycling. Just don't forget to dechlorinate the tap water.

I would go with salty shrimp or dennerle do one as well? There is probably little point remineralising the water whilst you don't have any livestock anyway, unless I am missing something! I would have thought just dechlorinated tap water whilst cycling? If you want a really easy water filter jug then you can get a zerowater jug almost anywhere really cheaply in the US as that is where the company is based,. I am in UK and have used it for years, it produces the equivalent of RO water the easy way! https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=zerowater It does take a while to filter so may be a bit less convenient for larger tanks? Simon

Welcome fellow Sussex shrimp keeper! Although cherry shrimps are really quite simple and easy to keep and quite adaptable, I am guessing you didn't acclimate to the tank water over several hours as that is a common newbie error. They should be drip acclimated for at least a couple of hours? I always expect though to lose about 20% of new shrimp in the first couple of weeks anyway? The substrate will be lowering the KH and PH and that will continue until the soil has exhausted its buffering ability. My last tank took about 3 months of 20% tap water changes per week, but you need not worry too much about that as these shrimps are fairly hardy and adaptable. Once the buffering stops the PH and KH will gradually rise but it will be a drawn out process so the shrimp should be fine with that! The parameters that the soil helps get too are really aimed at Taiwan bee shrimps but I have 2 tanks with soil and cherry shrimps and haven't had any problems ever. Do you know what your TDS is, do you have a meter for that? Your GH could be as you state as we recently had someone on here from up north with those readings. How long have the shrimp been in the tank? How many did you buy, how many died and how soon? By far the easiest route to go is to get RO water and GH/KH+? If the shrimps are majority doing well then just carry on as is but use the RO water re-mineralised for water changes in the future and that will very slowly bring the parameters into ideal. This will take out everything from the water and by adding the GH/KH+ you know the water is perfectly balanced for the shrimps needs chemically. I use a jug water filter www.zerowater.co.uk and the filter does about 100L before it needs changing (that is only a rough idea as it will depend on your local water supply) and the GH/KH+ you can get widely or from www.pro-shrimp.co.uk (see below, either)! Be aware that I have used and failed many times with OTHER water filter jugs as they don't remove enough so don't go trying that route!!!!!!!!!!! Either zerowater jug or a full on RO water system, unless you buy the water from a fish store! https://www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/shrimp-king/688-shrimp-king-shrimp-mineral-ghkh-200g-4001615061345.html https://www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/salty-shrimp/99-salty-shrimp-shrimp-mineral-ghkh-200g-4260290710485.html As a very rough guide, parameters for cherry shrimps around: PH 6.5-7.5 GH 6 - 8 KH 1 - 4 TDS 150 - 250 Hope this helps but fire away any questions you may have? Simon

It was a test strip and the highest reads for GH are 14 and 28, the colouration was between the 2. I have a better test kit on order. I live in a very hard water area, west sussex uk. I have been reading that the KH should be higher for molting etc. What is the best way of lowering the GH? I struggle to understand the chemical side of this wonderful hobbies.

Then I guess I'll buy the salty shrimp gh/kh + ? Or is something like seachem equilibrium okay? How should I proceed with no livestock in my tank atm, just plants, while it is still cycling for a month and a half? Should I continue to use tap water and dose ammonia or really empty it and use distilled during cycling ??

You can use distilled water and remineralise with that Aqueon shrimp essentials as a temporary measure while cycling. Aqueon shrimp essentials isn't specifically a RO water remineraliser. It will almost certainly not have the right ratio of Calcium to Magnesium. Aqueon shrimp essentials is designed to replenish the minerals you listed that has depleted in a tank. You would have to use a lot more than recommended to maintain the right GH, KH, pH and TDS. Which is okay for the calcium and magnesium ingredients, but it will mean adding too much of the other ingredients of potassium chloride, potassium iodide, inositol, micellized vitamin D3, strontium chloride, iron EDTA, artificial color. (Not sure why they would need to add artificial colour). It will be fine while you are cycling the tank. But start looking for a proper remineraliser for shrimps.

The GH is way too high! pH and KH is fine for shrimps. Did you use a liquid test kit? 14 drops for GH to turn colour?