New 3g hex tank help

[PrezRoosevelt]

Hi, I currently have a new 3g hex set up and cycling. I want to make it a shrimp tank once it is ready.

 

My water ph is 7.5 and the water is fairly hard. I've heard sulawesi breeders in my area just use tap water. The tank doesn't have a heater but it is usually a stable 76f in my other tank. I can get one if necessary. I currently have a sponge filter, Aquatop caf 10, with matrix replacing the biomedia currently inside.

 

What shrimp could I keep in the tank? Should I get dark or light inert sand? Are sulawesi out of the question even if I get a heater?

 

Plantwise, I plan on low tech with hornwort, mossball, and Java fern. Might use Lava rock as decor.

[miniminx136]

In my opinion, I'd go with neos, since they're just extremely hardy. Neocaridinas would do fine in your water parameter; I keep neos with ~77 F, with 200 TDS and a pH of 7, and they're doing great; I personally wouldn't recommend Sulawesi for a tank less than 20 gallons, as they're very sensitive to changes in water parameter (you'd also need to invest in a really good heater that can keep a good constant temperature). Caridinas would require lower pH, and also like softer water, so unless you want to invest in a RO system to get pure water, I wouldn't recommend them either (there are some breeders who have species that have been bred in hardier waters though). 

[PrezRoosevelt]

If I were to get RO water for crystal reds, what else would I need to add to the water? How often do shrimp need water changes?

[Shrimp Home]

5 hours ago, PrezRoosevelt said:

If I were to get RO water for crystal reds, what else would I need to add to the water? How often do shrimp need water changes?

 

You need to put mineral outside before add to tank. I personally change water once a week to reduce Nitrate parameter

[ibebian]

If I were to get RO water for crystal reds, what else would I need to add to the water? How often do shrimp need water changes?

I use the Salty Shrimp brand of remineralizer, specifically the gH/kH+ which has a set ratio (sometimes people want them separate to more finely tune) added to my RO.

In terms of WC, it's less about a particular prescription and more about keeping water params clean AND stable. Usually this is accomplished through a combination of things including: plants like floaters to reduce nitrates, light feeding to reduce bioload, and matching WC water to the tank water in pH, temp and hardness (my opinion of order of importance) as closely as possible. But I think this is the fun part! Learning the profile of your tank in terms of what you want in it, and developing a routine that keeps the ecosystem happy and stable.

My 6 gallon gets very small WC (~15%) every 6 weeks or so, with small top offs since I also have a glass lid to reduce evaporation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PrezRoosevelt]

Do you think it is safe to transfer my blue dream neos into the tank with CRS? Or should I keep them separated? If I can keep them both, should I get gh+/kh+?

 

What substrate best brings out their color while either being inert or lower in ph? Would like a budget option. Would I need a heater for CRS? Live in socal and the Temps are usually 76ish in the water.