Sprice Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Hey there, I am very new to the world of shrimp keeping but am already finding the preparation addictive! I haven't even got the shrimp yet. I bought my 15l tank about two months ago and have been cycling (fishlessly) since. I had a bit of a bacterial bloom about a month ago and now I think the tank has finished cycling. I tested my parameters today and they came out as follows; PH 8 (consistantly 8 from start) NH3 0 NO2 0 NO3 0.25 KH 8 GH 12 Temp 24c I really want to invest in around 10 A-C Black bee shrimps but obviously want to make sure everything is just right for them before introducing them to the tank. I have a couple of small Anubias and a couple of small jave ferns and some moss balls and some redwood. I realise my PH, KH and GH are way off for black bees. I have today added (started to add gradually) some Aqualibrium salt and also ordered some almond leaves to try and soften the water a bit. I also ordered some triangle moss mats today to create a little shrimp stage at the front. I'd really appreciate any advice you can give to a complete noob, specifically what I should do about thePH, KH and GH levels. I'm so excited but really want to try and get it right first time. Thank you in advance Sally Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk mjb1959 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 You need RO water. KH and GH is way too high. Maybe find a store that sells RO water. You can buy your own RO unit. mjb1959 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprice Posted December 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Thank you, I have just started reading about RO and strangely enough found a shop down the road today that sells it. Should I just use that everytime I do a PWC? Also will that ultimately help to lower the PH and keep it consistent? Thanks for the advice Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 If you want black bee shrimp, you'll need a buffering substrate and a remineralizer to boost GH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprice Posted December 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 The substrate I have is what came with the (cough, cough) biorb I know they're rubbish but I was silly and started my research after I'd bought it Can I replace it with buffering substrate or use it alongside? Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Remove all the substrate you have and put in buffering substrate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprice Posted December 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Ok cool, thank you. Will I need to start the cycle again? Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMG Aquatics Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 Your filter shouldn't be effected much. Depending on which substrate you get, some may release ammonia. Wait until there's no ammonia or nitrite and you're good to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprice Posted December 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 That's great, thanks again. I'll do some research on which substrate would be best Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35ppt Posted December 31, 2015 Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 And I believe what poopians was saying is, you will need to do a 100% water change and replace with RO water that has been remineralized with a shrimp-specific product. Since the bacteria are mostly on the hard surfaces, this will not affect your cycle. Of course, replacing the substrate will affect the cycle to some extent. OMG Aquatics 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprice Posted December 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2015 Ah yeah that would make more sense to do 100%. I'm concerned about being able to use shrimp substrate with a biorb halo? Could I keep the original substrate and use shrimp substrate on top? Also when I set it up with the original substrate it says to remove any pieces that were smaller than a pea? Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35ppt Posted January 1, 2016 Report Share Posted January 1, 2016 Not familiar with biorb halo. Got a link? I don't think keeping the substrate will net you anything, plus layering them would probably cause some issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprice Posted January 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2016 http://www.biorb.co.uk/en-gb/shop/aquariums/halo/biorb-halo-15-mcr/ I thought that might be the case. I just need some substrate that's relatively big in size, also I could put some tights round the filter. I think I'm going to buy RO water for now and then see how I get on then maybe invest in a unit in the future. Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprice Posted January 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 I have chickened out of shrimps for now, might get a shrimp cube in the future as a project but for now I thought I'd get some endlers; [emoji7] Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wygglz Posted January 10, 2016 Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 What a pretty setup! If you decide to do the shrimp tank, you may want to look at neos or tiger first as they are much easier than bee shrimp. You might find the entire process less overwhelming and more enjoyable, and the options are quite spectacular. Soothing Shrimp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprice Posted January 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2016 Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soothing Shrimp Posted January 12, 2016 Report Share Posted January 12, 2016 We have some members who have not ventured into getting shrimp yet, but enjoy the friendships here. We also have the fish section here, not to mention when you feel you want to sell some of your fish we have the market section here, too. Stick around, we're glad to have ya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprice Posted January 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Aw thank you, this is such a friendly forum, I'm glad to have found and have found the info and advice invaluable! Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Soothing Shrimp and Wygglz 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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