Shrimp Tank Basics: Water Parameters

[@cherylbeswick7327]

Finally someone who actually explains the KH, TDS, GH ect.. ive watched about 10 shrimp care videos prior to this and no explanation was given so well done!

[@RWAquariumPages]

Thanks so much for the kind words. I.made another video recently on shrimp terms on my channel that should hekp

[@veneshpillay2988]

Thanks for sharing your parameters. Running my tanks like that only have neo caridina and caridina , next ony list is saluwesi shrimp. Cheers from South Africa. Stay safe.

[@RWAquariumPages]

thx so much! keep me posted!

[@ShrimpTanksStuff]

Pretty much covers everything! Always love to see and learn from others. Thanks for sharing your passion and knowledge to this hobby. 🙏

[@RWAquariumPages]

Thx for the support and love. Until next video!

[@skytabin5917]

Jesus loves you! He is coming back so repent before it is too late!

[@attilaszamoskozi769]

Seriously, well done! Very professional summation of the water parameters needs for the shrimp you talked about. Good work.

[@RWAquariumPages]

Thx so much

[@gordie6604]

Awesome....everything makes more sense now. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@RWAquariumPages]

thanks so much for the support!

[@spintwinz5824]

What an excellent video. So professional.

[@RWAquariumPages]

Thx for the support!

[@FinalFlameXD]

Very well done video Ray :) looking forward to more videos

[@RWAquariumPages]

Thx so much

[@leonardmulrooney3806]

Great video. I have no trouble with neocaridinas but can't keep my caridinas alive. This helped me figure out why.

[@RWAquariumPages]

Awesome!! Glad it helped and wish you success. Water parameters is one of the key pillars to shrimp keeping in my opinion

[@randallkutch5333]

Great information. Thanks.

[@reneeturcottecicigoi9435]

Great video. I shared it on my local aquarium society page 😊

[@RWAquariumPages]

Thx so much for the love and support

[@nicksfishroom915]

Good video Ray

[@mattlkk623]

Hi Ray, Thanks for your sharing & great videos. I have learnt alot from you. Keep up the good work. Eagerly awaiting for more future content. I keep Sulawesi White Socks & Red Cherry Shrimps. I measure TDS, pH & temperature only. I use RO water & Sulawesi 8.5 for the Sulawesi White Socks. I use tap water for the Red Cherry Shrimps.

[@RWAquariumPages]

Thx thx for the kind words

[@harristan5206]

Liked before I watch it, keep it up dude !

[@RWAquariumPages]

thx so much for the love and support!

[@unusualaquariumecosystems5805]

Great video, you make it sound simple for people to lean from.

[@RWAquariumPages]

thanks so much for the feedback, support and love! until the next video!

[@hollyrasmussen4065]

What a great video. Thank you

[@RWAquariumPages]

Thx thx

[@pieal]

Very informative

[@RWAquariumPages]

Thx so much

[@lukpascal]

Thank You

[@WopGenius]

Great Video

[@RWAquariumPages]

Thx so much for the support

[@shrimpkeepermatt1989]

Hello, I am confuse about why Neo parameters can be KH 6-9 and ph 6.5-7.5, while the ph going down, it means more H+ in the tank, does H+ consume HCO3- ? And KH goes down while PH goes down?

[@RWAquariumPages]

Very good question, kh affects ph, the carbonate, so kh lower the ph is lower. Hope that helps

[@barbbear68]

I have a planted,10 gallon shrimp tank with very fine gravel. Is it necessary to move this gravel with a substrate vacuum pump to remove waste, or is it best left alone?

[@RWAquariumPages]

fine gravel as in sand? are there fish? if it's shrimp and diet, not as often or as much, it's just how much waste is accumulated in there and then clean it out, with shrimp's small waste and bio load, i personally don't that often or even at all, hope that helps!

[@richardmaccarthy101]

Woah, a fellow Vancouverite!!! Dat tds tho...I had no idea before I bought the meter. So, question time! im a migrant with my first tank in 15 years...I'm trying to split the difference between cherry shrimp and Phoenix rasbora; gg 6, kh 5, 6.4ph, tds etc. all good (thanks, B.C.)...any thoughts on how far I can push the parameters before it goes from 'a compromise to 'bad for everyone's? The plan is to mostly keep the shrimp happy, let the rasbora adjust. too late to go back and swap them for caradina!!).

[@RWAquariumPages]

Nice to meet u! Cherry shrimp are so hardy. They wont mind honestly

[@didnthurt4077]

Have you already done a video on remineralizing after waterchanges? Think this might be interesting as peoples opinions on this is a bit different. After a waterchange i fill the tank up with ro water, check tds, then mix the missing minerals in a cup so when i add it to the tank the tds should be back to the desired 130ppm.

[@RWAquariumPages]

Great suggestion. Let me do a video on this topic, thx for the support

[@didnthurt4077]

@@RWAquariumPages Great! Looking forward to it :) I read that Ching Thung Vin actually doesnt remineralize outside of the tank, so thats where opinions start to split. Also, best practices to keep constant water parameters with multiple tanks would be interesting to see. Was thinking of a way to automate the remineralization process, but havent made the move yet not to mess up anything by accident.

[@emeryz10]

You got caradina kH at 0-1 Then Neocaradina kH at 6-9 0-1 means two water changes a week at least; plus pre-treating your water every single time and if the water is a chore then it’s a no-go 😅

[@RWAquariumPages]

Yeah you'll need rodi water to be successful with caridina

[@RWAquariumPages]

Great point for sure!!

[@emeryz10]

@@RWAquariumPages , I have Nano tanks and I use a water distiller instead of RODI. Water consistency without a single filter change. Downside: slow water make-up. I have two distillers; One is electric and the other is stovetop.

[@RWAquariumPages]

@@emeryz10 oh thats amazing to hear. Thanks for the details. I love nano tanks Wishing you success in your aquarium journey

[@pecosR0B]

Awesome video man! I've been keeping some neocaridina (basic cherry, green jade, blue dream, snowball) and just got some rudolph shrimp but the info on them is thin out there and conflicting. Do you know of any good books that might have information about them in them I could check out? Trying to figure out how to balance my TDS with the salinity, seems like the GH and TDS are so high when you're trying to reach the right salinity for them to breed and have surviving larvae (which is my current goal).

[@michaelmah2861]

Do you have experience using Seachem's Equilibrium and Alkaline Buffer to achieve the GH/KH values? If so, what are your thoughts on these?

[@RWAquariumPages]

I have used them but prefer shrimp specific ones for my caridina shrimps. For my neos seachem stuff works . Just keep it consostent

[@aquaticmaniac8979]

Hi! I've seen a lot of your Sulawesi Shrimp Videos and I really enjoy the Info! I've got Neo Caridina and Caridina down, and was looking to get into the Sulawesi Game. And I was wondering, for a smaller tank (14 gallons) could distilled / purified water work? Also could I basic Lava Rock as a Substrate for the tank? I really appreciate the Information you put out, Thank You!

[@RWAquariumPages]

Yep as long as you remineralize then it will work for sure

[@capefearkayakfishing1539]

With the low kh do you get ph swings when you fertilize your plants. The ammonia breaking down sometimes tanks my ph.

[@RWAquariumPages]

i don't, as i i fertilize minikmal

[@jaydenstapleton6114]

Very helpful tutorial! What’s the name of those shrimp at 0.42??

[@dombui8137]

Great info. If you get the kh gh ph right do you still need to use the sulawesi minerals?

[@RWAquariumPages]

nope, that's a great point!

[@dombui8137]

@@RWAquariumPagesthanks for the reply. My kh gh are at reommended levels for my tropical planted tank at the moment but i want to add shrimp to my tank but the shrimp require gh of 8-10 and kh of 6-9. My kh is 3 and gh is 5. If i change the parameters to suit the shrimp how will this affect my fish and plants?

[@RWAquariumPages]

@@dombui8137 do you know fish adapt more easily than shrimp and accept a wide range of parameters

[@dombui8137]

@@RWAquariumPages yes, wasn't sure what parameters to acheive to make all the animals happy. But from what your saying shrimp are more sensitive so parameters must be closer to what their use to. What do you recommed to raise gh and kh? my ph is at 7.8-8, neo cardinas will be ok with this right?

[@sko1beer]

@@dombui8137 if you are only keeping neo it’s fine them shrimp are indestructible as long as your tank has a bit of algae

[@truthseeker2692]

Ray, your videos are amazing! I was looking at the possibility of importing caridina shrimp from their native habitat, can you recommend any good importers of caridina shrimp? Thanks so much in advance for your time!

[@RWAquariumPages]

Thanks for the support and kind words. I usually buy mine locally so I don't do any imports. So can't really help you there

[@truthseeker2692]

@@RWAquariumPages thanks so much for the super quick feedback! Have a great day!

[@RWAquariumPages]

@@truthseeker2692 I would totally share of I had some contacts, but I always aim for locally bred. Let me ask around and get back to you. I bet the shipping costs more than the shrimp itself thoigh

[@truthseeker2692]

@@RWAquariumPages thanks so much!!! That would be amazing.

[@truthseeker2692]

@@RWAquariumPages Hello, was just curious if you happen to find any information about shrimp import companies that i could contact ? thanks so much again for all your awesome and amazing content. You are the best on youtube!

[@DsouzaDrivingSchool]

The TDS goes up with addition of fertiliser. We do 20-25% water changes every week in cardina shrimp tank using RO water. However I notice the GH is affected with addition of fertilizer and the TDS tends to go up. How do we resolve this issue?

[@RWAquariumPages]

great question, whatever your idea tds is say 130, account for the increase with fertilizers, within range and consistency is key, not a specific number, hope that helps!

[@jesse0M]

Would seachem equilibrium work for caradina blue bolts ? Or is there anything eles I can use that is easily available ?

[@RWAquariumPages]

Yes it would its basically the same with different concentrations. Shrimp specific salts have more vitamin for shrimp.

[@jesse0M]

@@RWAquariumPages thank you Alot , i just started a blue bolt tank , and what I'm wondering is as you add food /things the tds starts to creep up at what number do I do a water change ? My second question is can I remineralize to water a couple days before I use it ? Or do I have to do on that same day ?

[@RWAquariumPages]

@@jesse0M great questions. My pro friends that use the the method about creep.of 10 to 15 tds increase they dl a water change. For bee shrimp I mix just before I do the water change. For sulawesi I age for 5 days. Liquid salts mix better than dry salts but Liquid salt you're paying for water. Hope that helps

[@Tomatochanification]

What's the conversion factor of your TDS meter? There's like 3 of them. I prefer EC (electrical conductivity) meters since it's standardized. TDS ranges aren't useful if there is no conversion factor stated.

[@RWAquariumPages]

It can do .5 or .7

[@Tomatochanification]

​@@RWAquariumPages Thanks for the reply, Ray. Do you know what the most commonly used conversion factor in aquaria is? (I think it's 0.5, but I see 0.7 used a lot in hydroponics). Since I use an EC meter, I have to do a reverse conversion from TDS to get a value in EC. A lot of shrimp additives made in Europe use EC which is measured in microsiemens, which just adds to the confusion haha

[@wingingitadventures]

Good stuff. Hopefully it's ok to share to my channel. I'm just starting out getting into shrimp breeding and learning as I go.

[@RWAquariumPages]

For sure! Wish you success and let me know if you have any questions. Thx for the support

[@wingingitadventures]

@@RWAquariumPages Thank you. I appreciate that and if you don't mind checking out my video on my page regarding RO/Di and tds and basically if I can use the waste water for my Neocaradina shrimp. When ever you have some spare time that is. I did try reaching out to the community but I don't have much reach it seems.

[@RWAquariumPages]

@@wingingitadventures Great video, watched and commented. Hope that helps

[@zachofalltrades6116]

My tap water is 8.4 is this too high I already have 3 fish tanks and one shrimp tank here and there a shrimp dies these are cherry shrimp

[@RWAquariumPages]

It's possible for cherry shrimp and neos to adapt as I've done it before it 8.4. Drip slowly and start with quality shrimp. That'll help a lot

[@halfcaf1105]

I still don't understand TDS XD. I remineralize my water change to 190ish. Now if the rest of my tank after I remove 10% of water is reading higher should I just add distilled water until the TDS becomes diluted to 190ish and not add any other minerals?

[@RWAquariumPages]

Bingo! That is correct!

[@halfcaf1105]

@@RWAquariumPages Excellent. Say I over do it with the distilled water and now my TDS is like 100. Any particular way you recommend raising the TDS to not stress them out? bacterAE right into the tank? Remove 10% again and mineralize with saltyshrimp?

[@RWAquariumPages]

@@halfcaf1105 100 for caridina is great. Raise it on the next wc slightly. Or you could raise it 20ppm per day

[@halfcaf1105]

@@RWAquariumPages forgot to mention I'm keeping neo caridina. Thanks for the info!

[@RWAquariumPages]

@@halfcaf1105 ill be honest. Don't change numbers. Approx and within range and stability is key with these guys and get some epic locally home bred over import ed ones if u can

[@robinsonsitompul9362]

My pH 7,2 , I have canister filter. Do the canister filter increase oxygen in the water that make the pH 7,2? I use ro water with ph 6,4.. I use co2 to low the pH to 6,8.. I have caridina.. I have put cattapa leaves and spaghnum Moss, but still If I don't use the co2 the pH will still 7,2-7,4.. any idea to reach low ph?

[@RWAquariumPages]

Which substrate are you using? I'd be careful with over dosing with co2 for caridina

[@robinsonsitompul9362]

I using regular sand (rivers and), because my other tank is success breeding neo.. is the water flow from the canister produce o2 that raise the pH? My out flow is below the water surface.. any idea to lower the pH without overdosing the co2?

[@RWAquariumPages]

@@robinsonsitompul9362 regular inert sand doesn't buffer the ph. You could add a bag of peat. I've done that before abd it's natural and slow

[@skytabin5917]

Jesus loves you! He is coming back so repent before it is too late!

[@Kaikoura26]

Hey bud. Just starting my first shrimp tank and my water paramaters are PH: 7.5 GH: 7 and KH: 4. I have neocaridinas. What can I do to raise my KH and GH without messing with my PH? I currently have cuttlefish bone in the tank. I just recently placed them in the tank. Any help would be amazing. Thank you.

[@RWAquariumPages]

Thx for the support. 1st find out what water parameters the breeders shrimp are and try to match it. 2nd don't chase numbers consistency is key 3rd don't add cuttlefish bone as it raises the gh abd kh indefinitely which is the opposite of stable. If the stock is healthy and water is close enough let it be

[@Kaikoura26]

@@RWAquariumPages I understand I need to be consistant but they are slowly dying. I already lost three and I'm a bit concern.

[@RWAquariumPages]

@@Kaikoura26 are they imported adults or home bred local.shrimp

[@Kaikoura26]

@@RWAquariumPages shipped from california.

[@RWAquariumPages]

@@Kaikoura26 but imports?

[@justinlok8510]

What are the red and yellow shrimp around the 6:53 mark called?

[@RWAquariumPages]

yellow cheek

[@allthingsharbor]

I don't know how shrimp survive in the wild.

[@RWAquariumPages]

Lots of hiding spaces and only the strong survive

[@moeeddine2125]

Who also got scared at their first time getting shrimp after hearing about water perimeters

[@RWAquariumPages]

once you get it, it's pretty fun and easy