TheShrimporium Posted January 21, 2015 Report Share Posted January 21, 2015 I still do not have a co2 setup yet for dissolving SS 8.5 So I have 5g of RO water, used two level scoops of SS, run a circulation pump for about a week and of course there are still remnants of the powder. Test results, GH 7-8, KH 5, TDS 130. My question is, do I need to add "TDS UP" until I reach about 225-ish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenteam Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 What shrimp are you mixing this for? shrimprus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elo500 Posted January 22, 2015 Report Share Posted January 22, 2015 What's the ph? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShrimporium Posted January 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 Greenteam, cardinal shrimp Elo, I hope close to 8.5, checking now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShrimporium Posted January 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2015 My Milwaukee monitor seems to be leveling of at a PH of 7.8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShrimporium Posted January 24, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2015 Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elo500 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Ok just finished my 2nd attempt to dissolve 2 scoops of 8.5 in 5g this time with co2 and this is what I'm measuring: Ph 7.7 Gh 7 Tds 155 I don't know if tds needs to be higher. Not sure why ph is low but I don't have a lot of confidence in my cheap ph pen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Weird. Would the carbon dioxide need to off gas before you get a good pH reading? When I try to measure pH, I get variable results depending on which test I use, often +/- an entire point. So that could definitely be a factor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elo500 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 I have an air stone In the bucket tonight and will recalibrate my ph pen in the morning and try again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elo500 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 My ph pen was off a bit. After recalibration and air stone all night I'm getting 8.1 ph on the mix. My $24 fluval co2 seems to do the trick. It took one whole 20g co2 cart but I ran it for almost 3 days 24/7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShrimporium Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Elo, how much is one cartridge? I'm just trying to get a rough idea of cost. I may just go full blown on the co2 purchase, as in buying a 10 pounder with all the goodies and I can do a legit high tech tank and use an added line just for SS 8.5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Oh, that would be awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elo500 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 The kit comes with a 20g cylinder , but you can use 16g threaded co2 used for bike pumps and BB guns that are about $2 ea So I bought:. Fluval Mini Pressurized 20g-CO2 Kit Fluval 88g-CO2 Bubble Counter I used an airstone as diffuser only because the real one is not hear yet ( Fluval Ceramic 88g-CO2 Diffuser) The kit comes with enough co2 tubing to connect the counter then I used regular airline from the counter to the airstone. chibikaie and TheShrimporium 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheShrimporium Posted January 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 Thanks elo!!! This d*MN hobby will nickel and dime you to death! I've been in it for almost 12 years now and have not learned my lesson yet!! Lol Jen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 I was considering that CO2 rig but was put off by the cost of replacements. Do you mean these? http://www.amazon.com/30-threaded-cartridges-INFLATOR-charger/dp/B00957L0EY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elo500 Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 I have to laugh at myself. In another thread I argued how these BB gun co2 rigs were a waste of money and it was better to just spend the money on a full 5lb rig.... But then I talked myself into trying this first. Since water changes are infrequent for sulawesi tanks I figured a few bucks to make new water once in awhile wasnt bad. Storing and setting up this little contraption is a lot easier than a full rig. One annoying thing is that you have to adjust the valve every few hours. As the co2 is used the pressure drops so the bubbles stop and you have to open it up a little more each time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 That's pretty annoying. I'll be staying low tech, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elo500 Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 If you use co2 for plants definetly get a full 5lb rig, will last a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 Can I ask what the GH and KH of the reconstituted Sulawesi 8.5 are, please? I have a batch of chocolate rabbit snails on order, and although rabbit snails are adaptable, I did see one site that recommended a KH of 10 to maintain the calcerous covering on the shells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elo500 Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 My gh is 6 not sure on kh but the salty 8.5 setup a ratio between gh and kh. I'll measure tonight. Reading the link in your other post, rabbit snails are found in.... Lake Towuti: Temperature 29.2°C/84.6°F; pH 8.4; GH 6; KH 4; conductivity 146 µS/m; oxygen 7.15 mg/l. So a kh of 4 is normal for them. Just make sure to feed them veggies and other food with high calcium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 There are several different species, all from different locales in Sulawesi. The ones I've been trying to pin down are from a river near Lake Poso, and not in one of the three lakes. The area is described as having a large amount of calcium oxide (!!!) in the water. I'm just curious about the 8.5 mix now that I'm reading more and more about Sulawesi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elo500 Posted January 26, 2015 Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 Hmm didn't realize the rabbit snails came from different environments. I gave several colors but no idea of proper names or where they came from. I see a need for a chart with pics and parameters ! Where do you get calcium oxide? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted January 27, 2015 Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 If you think shrimp taxonomy is unclear, well, some of the snail species haven't even been described. Or they hadn't been when the article had been written. Or they have different names in other languages - Google Translate is my new best friend. Calcium oxide and calcium hydroxide are both used to make Kalkwasser/limewater for reef aquaria - CaO releases a lot more heat and essentially becomes CaOH, which then reacts with atmospheric carbon dioxide to form calcium carbonate. You can get food grade calcium hydroxide as pickling lime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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