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Article - Should you use Reverse Osmosis water in all your shrimp tanks?


OblongShrimp

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Shrimp thrive when their water parameters are consistent. Municipalities often vary the source of the water they use during the year which can drastically change the water parameters of your tap water over a short period of time. Additionally tap water contains a lot of impurities which also change based on the source water. It is not uncommon to hear people doing a water changes and suddenly losing most or all of their shrimp due to some unknown change in their tap water.

I recently started using reverse osmosis (RO) water as the starting point for all my tanks. I have always used RO for my soft water species (Caridina species like Crystal Red Shrimp or Tiger Shrimp) but I decided to also start using it for my hard water species (Neocaridinas like Cherry Shrimp). The reason for the switch was so I could better control what is in my water. The process of reverse osmosis removes nearly all contaminates in your water, leaving you with almost pure H2O. While tap water is certainly more convenient, using RO water allows me to create a consistent product for all my tanks that shouldn’t vary over time. Providing consistent water parameters is critical to successful breeding.

You can’t use 100% RO in your tanks without remineralizing it with something. Shrimp need calcium and magnesium and other minerals in the water in order to molt properly. I use Salty Shrimp Bee Shrimp GH+ to remineralize my soft water species. Salty Shrimp also makes a product called Shrimp Mineral GH/KH+ that was designed for Neocaridina’s which I have recently started using as well. Both products are very clean (low TDS increase for the increase in GH or KH) and more economical than the competitors I have tried.

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  • 3 months later...

I do the same thing, I actually have most of my tanks mixed together and the Neos are active and breed in just the SS GH+. Does anyone else do it this way?

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  • 1 month later...

I know this is a pretty old thread, but the topic is very interesting and educational; I just accidentally found this forum today. Thus, I would like to add my comments and experiences.

 

I keep my Neos using the same salts as the rest of my Taiwan Bee, Tiger and Tibee. There are no side effects unless you keep Tiger below pH 6.0, which I am doing it to breed my own gene of Tibee. The salt I am using are DIY type and it buffer the pH at 5.8 to 6.2, depending on the age of the tank, subtstrate used, the type of rocks used and the amount of driftwood inside.

 

I would like to clarify a little misunderstanding in the article. Actually, Neos are soft-water shrimps just that most people keep them in less acidic water, pH 6.5 to 6.8. However due to their hardiness, they are able to acclimate up to pH 7.6 water and people just keep them with tap water. On the other hand, Tiger shrimp prefers harder water. Not that Tiger shrimp is hard-water shrimp, they are soft-water shrimp in nature, but they are previously breed in German's hard-water and now, most of the higher breed are used to hard water.

 

Hope these information helps. 

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Welcome to the forum hyoushoku. :)

 

What diy recipe are you using?  I know several have asked for making their own remineralizer.

 

I don't know originally what water neos come from.  Low ph is not out of the question as we have bastardized a lot of params for shrimp over the years.  Most of the neos bought from hobbyists here in the states are bred in 7+ water now and are used to that.  When these same neos are put into 6.5 most report that their breeding slows waaaaaay down.

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I know this is a pretty old thread, but the topic is very interesting and educational; I just accidentally found this forum today. Thus, I would like to add my comments and experiences.

 

I keep my Neos using the same salts as the rest of my Taiwan Bee, Tiger and Tibee. There are no side effects unless you keep Tiger below pH 6.0, which I am doing it to breed my own gene of Tibee. The salt I am using are DIY type and it buffer the pH at 5.8 to 6.2, depending on the age of the tank, subtstrate used, the type of rocks used and the amount of driftwood inside.

 

I would like to clarify a little misunderstanding in the article. Actually, Neos are soft-water shrimps just that most people keep them in less acidic water, pH 6.5 to 6.8. However due to their hardiness, they are able to acclimate up to pH 7.6 water and people just keep them with tap water. On the other hand, Tiger shrimp prefers harder water. Not that Tiger shrimp is hard-water shrimp, they are soft-water shrimp in nature, but they are previously breed in German's hard-water and now, most of the higher breed are used to hard water.

 

Hope these information helps. 

'

 

Welcome! You have sulawesi shrimps?

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Welcome to the forum hyoushoku. :)

 

What diy recipe are you using?  I know several have asked for making their own remineralizer.

 

I don't know originally what water neos come from.  Low ph is not out of the question as we have bastardized a lot of params for shrimp over the years.  Most of the neos bought from hobbyists here in the states are bred in 7+ water now and are used to that.  When these same neos are put into 6.5 most report that their breeding slows waaaaaay down.

 

Hi Soothing Shrimp,

 

Thanks. I'm using my own DIY mineral. You can find the formula here: http://www.shrimpydaddy.com/p/meso-mineral-mi.html

 

I just discovered this forum is own by a shrimp shop. Thus, I'm not sure all these sort of DIY formula will be welcome here.  :phew:

 

'

 

Welcome! You have sulawesi shrimps?

 

Hi Taylor,

 

Thanks. Yes, I keep Sulawesi Shrimps. I have both Cardinal and Harlequin.

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LOL  Oblongshrimp is an upstanding guy.  I'm almost positive he won't mind at all. :)

Hi Soothing Shrimp,

 

Thanks. I'm using my own DIY mineral. You can find the formula here: http://www.shrimpydaddy.com/p/meso-mineral-mi.html

 

I just discovered this forum is own by a shrimp shop. Thus, I'm not sure all these sort of DIY formula will be welcome here.  :phew:

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Your fine,I own it and run an online shrimp store but I won't start censoring posts here to push products or keep people in the dark about things. 

 

I was looking at trying that mix myself at some point but just haven't gotten the time to do it.  If anyone has tried it and has feedback I would love to hear about it (I think it would make a great separate article!)

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I don't even have shrimp (I'm in the midst of setting up a crayfish tank) and I found this utterly fascinating. I don't like the EI approach to planted tanks. It's refreshing to read about other options.

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Your fine,I own it and run an online shrimp store but I won't start censoring posts here to push products or keep people in the dark about things. 

 

I was looking at trying that mix myself at some point but just haven't gotten the time to do it.  If anyone has tried it and has feedback I would love to hear about it (I think it would make a great separate article!)

 

Thanks mate. :)

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  • 2 years later...
On 6/11/2014 at 11:52 PM, Shrimpy Daddy said:

I know this is a pretty old thread, but the topic is very interesting and educational; I just accidentally found this forum today. Thus, I would like to add my comments and experiences.

 

I keep my Neos using the same salts as the rest of my Taiwan Bee, Tiger and Tibee. There are no side effects unless you keep Tiger below pH 6.0, which I am doing it to breed my own gene of Tibee. The salt I am using are DIY type and it buffer the pH at 5.8 to 6.2, depending on the age of the tank, subtstrate used, the type of rocks used and the amount of driftwood inside.

 

I would like to clarify a little misunderstanding in the article. Actually, Neos are soft-water shrimps just that most people keep them in less acidic water, pH 6.5 to 6.8. However due to their hardiness, they are able to acclimate up to pH 7.6 water and people just keep them with tap water. On the other hand, Tiger shrimp prefers harder water. Not that Tiger shrimp is hard-water shrimp, they are soft-water shrimp in nature, but they are previously breed in German's hard-water and now, most of the higher breed are used to hard water.

 

Hope these information helps. 

Hello, I'm new here and I have question from ShrimpDaddy post, past ago.

 

On the other hand, Tiger shrimp prefers harder water. Not that Tiger shrimp is hard-water shrimp, they are soft-water shrimp in nature, but they are previously breed in German's hard-water and now, most of the higher breed are used to hard water.

 

ok, the question is, so We as shrimp keeper and Farmer, can change shrimp culture (slightly force an adaptation) then, for example, if someone success to breed some neocaridina using hard water, then that's new variant offspring will prefer slightly hard water condition than soft water (do not like the same shrimp at wild), is that true ?

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  • 8 months later...

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