OEBT newbie having issues.

[beastykato]

Hi everyone, this is my first post here.  You guys all definitely seem to be very knowledgeable about shrimp keeping!

 

Recently, I bought a batch of 20 or so OEBT.  I put them in a 40G breeder with sand substrate and the pH was 7 to 7.4 and I believe my KH and GH were 4 and 6 at the time.  Nitrogen waste all read 0 except for nitrates at ~5.  Temp was at 76.  They started to die off slowly and inexplicably.  I still can't identify exactly why, but I think it was a molting issue because they die off one a at time for no apparent reason. 

 

Anyway, after the first few deaths I lowered the temp once I found out they like it a lot cooler.  So, they were 70-72 at the time and still continued to die over a period of a month or so.  

 

Finally, I was instructed that they need a lower pH and bought ADA aquasoil.  Last I checked it read a pH of 6.6 and 1KH and 4GH after the addition of the soil.  All other parameters are the same and nitrogen still 0.  After reading on this forum a little I have found that most people are saying OEBT won't even breed at these low pH levels?  So, I may have made a big mistake adding this to my tank =(

 

Anyway, I'm down to only 4 of 20 OEBT after a period of about 3 months. I definitely need some advice. Their diet consists of shrimp cuisine, crab cuisine and algae tablets.  Crab cuisine being fed very sparingly.  I notice they don't swarm the algae tablets like my RCS do.  OEBT not as crazy about the veggies? 

 

Anyway, I'm not sure what to do at this point I need a couple pieces of advice.

 

1: What's wrong parameter wise?  How do I fix it?

 

2: Was ADA soil a bad idea?  If so, can you recommend another shrimp for an intermediate shrimper to start breeding in this type of setup?  I'd rather not go thru the process of trying to remove the substrate at this point. 

 

 

[monty703]

In my experience with OEBT and I raised 300+ of them a few years ago, I didn't have any fancy soil at all, just plain old pebble gravel with driftwood and moss/java fern.  I didn't have a heater either so this tank was constantly at 70f with a dip at night, which didn't seem to bother them at all.  I didn't add anything to the water except tap conditioner (kordon aquaplus) and didn't vaccum or clean any algae off the tank walls except the front so I could see them. 

 

Tigers don't like low PH.  Ive never had any problems keeping them in PH 7.0 +   I have had them die on me in CRS parameters of PH 6- 6.5    I think the higher temp may have caused bacteria in your tank, and once one

dies the others get infected (could be they ingested bacteria from picking at the dead shrimp)

 

The crab and shrimp cuisine are very high in protein, so maybe that's the cause.  Hikari algae wafers are good, and some of the newer foods like snowflake etc.  Im finding my shrimps won't eat much of the new foods now, just pick at the driftwood/cholla wood and sponge filter biofilm.  Leaves like Indian Almond or Oak are good for them too as they like to pick at them till they are filled with holes, then you replace them.

 

I am done with fancy soil now and going back to the basics of using clay based soil like Turface.  I used this in

the past and raised many many shrimps of all kinds but since using ADA and other Bee soils I have lost more

shrimps than ever. 

 

Right now my fancy spotted head tiger/titaibees are living in a bare bottom tank with just moss/java fern and driftwood and they seem to be doing fine.

 

As for shrimp you might just get some CRS or CBS/Blue Bolts or some of the Taiwans, as they like low PH

and this soil is suitable for them, but for tigers not so much.  

[RyeGuy411]

I just got some OEBT a couple days ago but from what I have been told they can be kept in a low pH tank and breed well at 6.2-6.5. They are ideally kept at around pH 7. Was your tank fully cycled before introducing the shrimp and for how long? I have a feeling the higher temps to start were not good for them they can be very sensitive to bacterial infections. ADA Amazonia was probably not a good idea to add either and it will leech ammonia for a couple months unless cycled well.  And one of the most common mistakes in shrimp keeping is overfeeding, I have done it and killed many shrimp. It sounds like you might have had a combination of problems that led to their deaths. 

[beastykato]

Thanks very much for the replies.  I got to digging around yesterday and found that there were actually 7 still alive!  So, things are getting slightly less gloomy lol. 

 

The soil leeching ammonia has not been as issue for me.  I don't know why that is, but the plants and bacteria in there seem to be handling any ammonia given off just fine.  I only added a 1/2 of the bag now because I was aware of this, it dropped the pH almost immediately.  Anyway, ammonia is still testing yellow (0ppm) every time I do the test. 

 

The tank was not set up for a long time prior to adding them, maybe 2 weeks.  However substrate, foam filters, and the plants were all added from my RCS tanks.  So, there was a big jump start on bacteria.  

 

I don't think I am overfeeding.  I honestly don't know if I even need to be feeding them much of anything.  I let them go 2-3 days without feeding anything additional.  I have had RCS for a year successfully, I realize they are far easier to keep, but as far as feeding goes I'm pretty good with how much the shrimp can consume. 

 

 I did remove the heater a few days ago so temps are no longer an issue.  They were at 72, now 70 to slightly lower.  This is obviously not a water cleanliness issue since they have survived this long, not to mention this was 20 shrimp in a 40 gallon volume of water.  Possibly a parameter issue. 

 

Ok, so I have 3 options at this point the way I see it.

 

1.  Leave the 7 survivors in the tank.  Leave the soil alone and see how they do at this pH. 

 

2:  Same as above, but start removing the ADA soil slowly and putting it in a fresh 10g I have.  Use the 10g to attempt my first low pH shrimp

 

3: Move them immediately to the 10 gallon that is running ~74F without a heater.  This should drop since winter is coming, but my upstairs is typically 70-74 in the summer.  Help seed it with playsand and the plants and driftwood from the current tank.  My pH out of the tap is 7 to 7.2 pH.

[Fishprinceofca]

Are you using RO water or tap? I had the same problems as you when I first started with OEBT, and just used tap and Prime. Lost half the colony one by one. Quickly took the good advice of the experienced shrimpers here on SS, and switched to RO with Salty Shrimp GH+. Keep temperatures low; the cooler the better. If you're planning to move them, just make sure to slowly drip acclimate them to the new tank.

[beastykato]

I'm just using tap water.  I know what R/O systems are, but I have never actually used one.

 

How expensive are they to maintain?  I'd have to refresh myself on how they work and what media they use, but I'm familiar with the process of osmosis and what it means.  The media that absorbs the contents of the water obviously burns out eventually.  So, how often does it need to be replaced? 

 

I'll go ahead a do a google search now, but any direct input on the R/O systems or a link to a well recommended one would be much appreciated.  Thanks!

[Fishprinceofca]

I went with a cheaper unit:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GJCE2X4/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1443740489&sr=8-4&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=purewaterclub

After spending so much money on my shrimp and shrimp products, I can hardly believe I once thought this was something I could get around using. Small investment, but made a huge difference in shrimp keeping for me.

[Fishprinceofca]

I've been using it since February, doing 10-20 gallons of water changes and top-offs a week, and haven't changed any of the media yet.

[Fishprinceofca]

Other members have different needs, so find the one that fits yours and your budget.

[RyeGuy411]

I would recommend a BRS4 as entry level from Bulk Reef Supply, this is the unit I use and absolutely love it.

 

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-4-stage-value-ro-di-system-75gpd-2.html

[35ppt]

You could try setting up a smaller test tank with RO water that you buy from the store (like walmart) if you are not ready to invest in a system. And remineralize it, of course.

[beastykato]

I got my digital TDS meter in a couple days ago and it's reading 116 on my OEBT tank.  Seems a little low compared to what most people have in their shrimp tanks.  I'm actually surprised because tap water should normally be higher right?  My tap water actually comes out lower than this.  My RCS tank that uses the same tap water with play sand substrate reads 182.   

 

That one unit is very cheap at at only 60-70 dollars.  It definitely seems like it would be worth it even if I had to buy a new one every year. 

[beastykato]

Just wanted to come back and post an update because my last remaining OEBT's are still alive and well!.  I transferred them to a 10 gallon tank that has an inert substrate and a pH about ~7.  I don't remember everything off the top of my head but I think KH/GH and around 2-6 now and a TDS of ~200.  I raised my TDS from 120 to 200 with Blue Diamond (got this after I made this thread) and everything seems to be going great and we are still on regular old tap water.  

 

Now they are getting more deep in color, molting, and are far more active.  I just need them to start breeding now... no luck on that front.  

[Dukendabears]

Best succes for oebt tends to be gh 8-10 kh 3-5 tds 180-220 ph 7.2-7.6

[Vpier]

I went with a cheaper unit:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GJCE2X4/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1443740489&sr=8-4&pi=SL75_QL70&keywords=purewaterclub

After spending so much money on my shrimp and shrimp products, I can hardly believe I once thought this was something I could get around using. Small investment, but made a huge difference in shrimp keeping for me.

I also use the same RODI and you cant beat the price. It works great, 0 TDS and my well water is very hard. Salty Shrimp to re-mineralize.