Stitch Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 Cycling a tank right now with ADA Amazonia for some future TB shrimps. Tested my pH and was around 6.5 Is that pH good enough to house TB? I read somewhere that ideal ph would be 5.8-6.2 I'm a bit worried that my pH might be a bit high for them and that they'll just die out on me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadO Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 Do you have the stats on the water you are putting into the tank? For example, is this tap water, RO water that is remineralized, etc? The water's starting pH, KH, etc would be good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted October 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 It's RO water. GH/KH and TDS are all 0 since it's only cycling... I was adviced not to worry about remineralizing the water for now. Starting pH is close to 7. Only worried about the pH since 6.5 is what it buffers to. Not sure if it will rise or drop once my cycle is complete. Read a few posts here and there which mentions that a new aquasoil should have lower pH (5.xx) And yes I know the ideal GH and KH level for Taiwan bee. I have salty shrimp gH+ ready once my cycle is complete. So back to my question... Will a pH of 6.5 be a problem for Taiwan bee? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimple minded Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 I believe the recommend range for TBs is 6.2-6.6, so you are golden. Others, including myself, are successfully keeping Caridina in pHs as low as 5.5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 I believe the recommend range for TBs is 6.2-6.6, so you are golden. Others, including myself, are successfully keeping Caridina in pHs as low as 5.5. http://www.discobee.com/blogs/news/17030569-dwarf-shrimp-water-parameters 6.2-6.6 is recommended for CRS/CBS TB is best kept around 5.6-6.2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChadO Posted October 16, 2015 Report Share Posted October 16, 2015 So, if you are using straight RO water with no buffering (i.e. remineralizer added) then your readings are going to fluctuate and have no real value right now. Once you use remineralized water, then you'll have additives in the water that will stabilize it. The buffering of that stabilized water by the ADA substrate will result in meaningful data/readings. I'm hoping this is coming out right. The gist is, while you are not hurting anything right now by using non-remineralized RO water, any parameters you measure (that would be affected by remineralization) are not going to have any value to them. Let your tank finish cycling, prep your RO water with the "recipe" that you want to use, run that water in the tank, and then say, the next day, measure your params, and then they'll have real meaning. Shrimple minded 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stitch Posted October 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2015 So, if you are using straight RO water with no buffering (i.e. remineralizer added) then your readings are going to fluctuate and have no real value right now. Once you use remineralized water, then you'll have additives in the water that will stabilize it. The buffering of that stabilized water by the ADA substrate will result in meaningful data/readings. I'm hoping this is coming out right. The gist is, while you are not hurting anything right now by using non-remineralized RO water, any parameters you measure (that would be affected by remineralization) are not going to have any value to them. Let your tank finish cycling, prep your RO water with the "recipe" that you want to use, run that water in the tank, and then say, the next day, measure your params, and then they'll have real meaning. But remineralized or not my KH stays at 0 which means "unstable" water (pH wise) IF I'm not using any buffering substrate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Stitch, as ChadO is saying, there is no real value behind testing water parameters aside from Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia right now. Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia are the only three you should worry about until your cycle is complete. Once your cycle is complete, remineralize your water to the TDS/GH/KH you desire and then test the following day. Don't get so caught up in testing every single individual parameter and hoping its exactly what the "internet" says it should be. If you are using an active substrate such as ADA, your PH will be perfectly suited for any Caridina aside from Tiger species. Once your tank has cycled and your water remineralized the only thing you should worry at that point would be TDS/GH/KH. Hope that helps. Duff0712 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 If you are using an active substrate such as ADA, your PH will be perfectly suited for any Caridina aside from Tiger species. Not exactly 100% true. Maybe I just have super bad luck. My ADA AS buffered to 5.0 pH and sometimes even to 4.7 pH after cycling for 2 months. My ControSoil buffers to 5.0 and 5.2. Had to use baking soda to weaken the buffer effect. My RO water is like 5.3 pH colorfan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DETAquarium Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 I can say without a doubt 100% of the shrimp tanks I setup with ADA, Controsoil, Glas-Garten Environment, or UP Aqua Soil have produced the results desired for keeping and breeding shrimp successfully. Maybe you have had a stroke of rare bad luck, but 99% of the time you will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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