sfsam

Ammonia and chloramine from my understanding are removed at the carbon stage... I'd love to know if that is an incorrect belief because I don't dechlor my RODI before adding to shrimp tanks. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

That's what I use. I've never read my TDS at the tap less than 450, through three stages it comes out TDS between 14-16. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

As far as I know anything that will kill mosquitoes chemically will also kill shrimp. Betta love mosquito larvae but kill shrimp as well and in all likelihood will kill shrimplets. I have endler guppies (hybrid) that are supposed to be fairly adept at it and less prone to eat shrimplets. I plan to test the theory on a bin outside that will have shrimp but cannot say for certain at this point. Many danio or rasbora will nab them as well but again are just as likely to hunt shrimplets though full grown shrimp are generally safe with danios and rasboras. I use Celestial Pearl Danios to control seed shrimp in my shrimp tanks, works well to separate and condition for spawning but after a week or so when seed shrimp have been decimated they begin hunting shrimplets. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

With the choices rather than the babulti why not Amano? They won't interbreed and are in my opinion more adaptable than even neos. Similar colors and more variety of size.... Though I can't comment on if they'll get along with with the tangerine tigers as I've never kept them together. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

If you are planning Cardinas I'd recommend RODI simply so you can remineralize the water exactly to their preferred parameters and have the best chance at success. [emoji4] Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Wow! Doesn't look DIY, looks great! Thank you for sharing it! Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Chappy6107 can you post a photo of your DIY setup? Mostly out of curiosity on my part, maybe something for me to look into to expand later. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

@wyazz and@afeather that is actually very reassuring information, thank you! Research can only take a person so far lol it's very very reassuring to hear that what I've been reading and understanding is off kilter from the reality of it all. I'd wanted shrimp when I was in better water and didn't as work required a huge amount of my time and RO seemed simply too time consuming. And since moving to this water I assumed the rate at which I'd go through filters would be atrocious and just never could quite pull the trigger on the purchase. Aerating a bucket or adding salts isn't anything. I already run EI and dry ferts in a couple tanks as well as raise some fry both of which take time every day, significantly more than what you are saying this will take, other than waiting for water of course lol. I actually feel a whole lot better, thank you. I just need to dig up a way to run it off my washer. If I can figure that out I'm sold. Someone's done it I'm sure I can't be the only person trying to do this with that being the only space to put it. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

OK so several more hours down on RODI research today here's where I'm at and why I never purchased to start with when I moved. Now though I've gotten a better with understanding of exactly why full RODI is not my personal best route and I'll explain. Maybe some of you guys have some insight or solutions that will help make this seem less failure prone for me. My TDS averages around 460 (water report). A standard 4 stage RODI unit isn't recommended above 300. On to 5-6 stage units and their exceptionally steep price tag in comparison and I'll still be burning through DI resin at around 65 gallons of product water. Then there's the whole I have no water softener (and no space for one in the house) which brings my costs further in sediment filters and more so even in RO membranes. Couple the costs with the expanded size of a 6 stage unit and its not a realistic option for my personal circumstances. At least not that I can figure in any fashion I twist it. Plus the fact I don't even know if a 6 stage unit will fit in the only place I have to put it. I'm sure size would become a factor for me at that point as well even going with a 50-75gpd unit. That said I'm far from knowledgeable, and realistically I'm not all that handy so I'm apt to have to find someone to do the initial plumbing in for me, so I really should have my ducks in a row to start. I understand how it works but not nearly well enough to be able to see ways to improve my situation, and although I'm completely confident that I can manage the RODI unit itself, modifications or additions may well be beyond my experience level. I could in theory reduce the cost by going with just RO and eliminating the deionization aspect but my water is high in silicates (think diotomite all around the area kind of high) so if I going to do this it's almost silly to leave that in the water. That is if I understand correctly, the silicates are removed during DI? So to start... Where to start? I'm not even sure what to ask as it just seems to be one of those disinheartening situations where I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't, and I'm not keen enough on RODI or the chemistry behind it to see a "best" or even realistic workable solution. Cost is a factor though my budget can accommodate some things (even the extra costs of 6 stage eventually) but putting out an extra $30-50 a month in RODI maintenance and remineralizer and not actually reducing my other expenses any doesn't make sense to me. Someone mentioned above sounding harsh... No offense taken, I'm often seen myself as being abrasive I'm also not trying to be impossible but I am trying to work out a best solution for my personal circumstances as well as the shrimp which unfortunately my household and family will have a precedence in. And considering I paid like $40 shipped for the shrimp I'm just not that into paying that monthly in maintenence, it makes more sense to spend my $40 every 10-12 months replacing them (FYI not at all my intentions, I'm not that kind of jerk lol). Also to note, I'd really like to figure out how to make RODI work as I'm exceptionally interested in testing my hand on more difficult shrimp eventually. I even already have a couple in mind that would be worth their added expense anywhere else But if it isn't feasible, that dream can wait until I move back where I came from and much more reasonable water parameters Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

@wyzazz I apologize I assumed you were referring to the same type canned responses for Ammonia, nitrIte, kH and gH. Been fish keeping to long and am tired. I misunderstood. You were speaking of all that is comprising my TDS this past couple weeks as well as a potential seasonal fluctuation and municipal response... You're correct I don't have that. In this area I'd be lucky to get someone on the phone that knew what a water report was, paying the bill can be interesting enough, I dare not request something else lol. But I do intend to pursue that avenue this afternoon and tomorrow and see what I can come up with if anything. Just because having anything is better than nothing and knowing is half the battle. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

@chappy6107 yes I know. I use a similar comparison in conversation about fish. I'm looking for a small RODI unit that can be managed through the washer hookup and workspace required can fit atop my dryer. But it's a plan to mix to reduce rather than replacing my tap as I cannot commit to time, expense and space required to do full RODI. But for now... I have a problem that I'd like to prevent from wiping out my colony. A transition in parameters I imagine at this moment would be an additional stressor, takes quite some time to do properly and isn't exactly my best solution. So I'm hoping to get through this and get everything stable again and then I can decide how far I want to change things and build my plan to do so properly and bring things more in line. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I have the current state of my water in everything other than TDS which is a rough guess (according to the water report) Yeah that's what steered me towards bacterial. After 10 months and raising several generations now my kH, gH and TDS have become issues for them? I guess... Yes... But the assassin snails also died. I tried to state above I don't believe that failed molting is necessarily the real issue but a symptom of the actual problem. Leads me back around to something changing in the water drastically and suddenly that doesn't affect my fish, fry, or any other tank in any fashion at all... Which brings back a shrimp disease of some sort. I do have three other tanks that have shrimp as well on clean up crew and they are not at all affected, which again steers me away from the water and back to a disease. And, no deaths yesterday afternoon before work and none this morning, that I can see.... I still have the Amano that is cloudy looking but yesterday I thought it looked a bit out of sorts as it climbed and walked everywhere it was going and didn't swim and would kinda just hang out with a handful of food not eating. Today it's zipping around knocking over RCS for bites like normal. I by no means believe all this past week just stopped.... I'll look for info in muscular necrosis after a nap and see if that looks more like the Amano, but is it contagious? Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

The Amano has cloudy insides, like the meat that you'd eat if it were a prawn is cloudy rather than clear and it's definitely a new yesterday development. As for calcium I have that in abundance lol I'd never had any issues with snails or shrimp and molting or growing since May last year until this past week, and I don't think they are dying from molting issues per se... It's either an illness or my water swinging and the molting is just too difficult with whatever they've got going on. I've dealt with severe swings where I lived previously but I'm not thinking it would be that severe as we have had exceptionally stable weather and no run off as we've had no snow pack. But I'm not ruling it out. RODI and remineralizing, I understand the benefits but am not going to commit to the additional costs and time involved, a small RODI used in conjunction with tap is something I'm considering anyway but with 165 gallons a week in a very small house I don't have space even if I was willing too make the other commitments lol Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

So, in the last week I've started having a die off in both my painted fire and my cull neo tanks. This may be a bit long winded but I'm not sure what all will be pertinent. First I noticed two dead shrimp with what looked like a failure to molt issue atop my sponge filter in the cull tank. Strange, as I rarely see any bodies in there. I removed them and was out the door to work. After work I'm looking and see a pile of pest snails eating one of the assassins in the tank that has apparently kicked off also. Removed the remains of the assassin and decided something must be off. That afternoon (I work nights) I have two dead in the display tank. So I remove them and start researching. I've only been doing shrimp since May of last year and this is my first round of issues up until now I've been surprisingly successful and grown a very large number of shrimp. Through this afternoon I've continued to remove 1-2 corpses from each tank morning and evening and I lost my other assassin in the cull tank. Then this afternoon I didn't see any but found something more disturbing. An Amano with what I think is a bacterial issue (photo #1)? Up until then I thought it was my water as I wasn't seeing anything out of sorts other than bodies. There's a normal Amano in the background (I have 7 amanos in the cull tank) SOOOooo parameters for both tanks: I use tap water, Prime and until the molt issue dosed a reduced EI fert schedule since the beginning of November plus Excel. All dosing of everything other than Prime stopped upon first weird deaths a week ago. Ammonia 0, nitrIte 0, nitrAte has never hit 20 Temp 72-74 KH 10, gH 15, pH 8-8.2 Rock solid stable no changes in any of that in either tank since starting. TDS according to water report is 460. I don't test it myself. Cull tank is densely planted (photo #2 about a month ago), has a mix of small amounts of leftover substrates I had around all in fairly small amounts : fluval stratum, a Caribsea fine grain white sand, a Caribsea Cichlid Sand and possibly some flourite. Plants are Riccia, a couple very small swords, a variety of crypts and a huge amount of Christmas moss off a couple chunks of driftwood. Back in maybe September it was treated with Panacur at 1g/10 gallons for hydra, they were gone in one treatment, no shrimp fatalities. This tank was put together with trimmings and leftovers. Filtration is two sponge filters one 5 gallon and one 10 gallon. Nicrew light. Painted fire tank (photos #3 & 4) has a huge Crypt, a piece of malaysian dw and a stone I can't recall the name of at the moment. Flourite black and a bit of stratum that I'd placed near the crypt to start. It had a planaria issue I treated again with Panacur about a month ago successfully at 3g/10 gallons, it took two dosings with an enormous (85%-90%) water change plus two small changes and 5 days between dosings with one fatality which I believe was me clutzing the syphon and landing on the shrimp. It's a fluval spec v tank using fluval lighting and filter, no carbon replaced with filter floss and extra rings. Neither setup has changed except for maintenance since set up. Painted fires in May 2017, culls in early-mid July 2017. I've obviously moved culls but have not moved any since the beginning of December when I saw the first planaria. Weekly water changes of 50% on both. I initially assumed water since I use tap and where I lived before I dealt with some fairly dramatic seasonal changes in water parameters. I've only been in this water for a couple years and still am sorting out different issues... Back to the water report and I have .392 ppm Cu at the tap, to my dismay that's about a top end for neos but I use Prime which can bind that out up to something like 2.5ppm so it should still be rendered harmless as I understand things anyway, I could be wrong. And lead which is less concerning but still 5ppb (photo #5) Well yesterday I started a twice daily wc in both tanks, 1 gallon each, which is 10% on the culls and 20% on the painted fires. I waited as in fish keeping for the past 28 years I've learned not to jump to dramatic conclusions right off the bat, watch a couple days and if no improvement wc until you can diagnose... Now timing really couldn't get a lot worse for supplies lol, I just rehomed several large fish from another setup and used all my IAL for the three hour one way transport. Then came home with a couple new fish and found I had no heater for my QT so I'm now dosing a 55 with my QT regime. I'm short on paraguard (more arriving in a day or two). I did add Mulberry and Guava leaves to both tanks and have alder cones already but will add more after work, I have IAL and Amaranth on the way also hopefully by the end of the week I ordered Saturday after using the IAL. I've been reading two nights now at work and other than prescription type meds I'm seeing paraguard and h2o2 being dosed (separately of course) as potential solutions. I've not started either as h2o2 is going to convert to straight water in very short order (if I understand the chemistry correctly) and Paraguard is more parasitic and minimally effects external bacteria. So I'm not sure either is actually effective for an internal bacterial infection. I with fish would medicate food with Kanaplex but see that reaches a toxicity level quickly for shrimp so I wouldn't dare stress them more guessing a dose. Any help or ideas are tremendously appreciated. I sincerely do not want to lose my entire colony and be relegated back to the 10-15 or so very low grade cherries that are in a grow out tank as clean up crew. I was so enormously successful up until this point I'm just crushed by what's happening right now. Also worth noting is that I live in an extremely rural area I'm not exaggerating to say I quite literally drive 220 miles one way to the nearest pet store. So all meds must be available online, preferably Amazon Prime lol If I failed to mention anything or anyone wants any additional info please ask I'll do what I can. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Edited as I did snap a photo before removing this from the painted fire tank this morning as it was the first corpse that I got to see mostly uneaten and it struck me as off colored. So the last photo is of a dead neo that appears pinkish in body. At the same time I caught and euthanized a shrimp from that tank that was swimming sideways and couldn't right himself or leave the floor of the tank. He was still zipping along quickly enough but definitely wasn't healthy. I had another thought and lost it while typing I'll update again if I remember.

Well that's kind of where I'm at, and I've actually been culling Sakura for painted fire reds since I very first got them and I have enough to have a small pure painted fire colony now but have put off culling because I was unsure of what I had going on... I am upgrading this tank to a 10-15 gallon soon so it would be excellent timing to start these guys on their own colony and see what I can get from it. They are definitely not Bloody Mary as in the early days I definitely was culling low grade cherries and I've also thrown a few red rili. I have not added to my colony but intend to add some painted fires to broaden blood lines I just have to wait on weather and my tank upgrade. They don't have any indication of it until they are about half big but not quite breeding, the females seem to show it around the time they start getting their first saddles. There's a small one kinda in the hoopla in one of the photos above. Some less intense ones don't show until adult ages, like the lesser of the dark one in that photo, that one probably didn't display the changes until recently. To be honest I pay much less attention to my males and generally pick out the two or three best and return them to the tank after originally culling them lol but I have finally started getting some real solid quality males which is why I felt ready to cull to entirely painted fires. There's so many in the tank now though I absolutely cannot follow a single odd shrimp through growth its just general observation at this point lol All shrimp originally came from Aquatic Arts as Sakura grade. I was planning to decommission this tank and two other 5 gallon tanks so I'll have space to continue this line. If that's the common concensus I'll quit putting it off and tidy up two colonies! Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk