remineralizing distilled water or keeping what I have to suit shrimp

[thrujenseyes]

I've decided to rehome my endlers, as I can get the PH where they like it but never the hardness.

Shrimp seem to do well in my water...when the endlers aren't terrorizing them...which they have been lately...
So, this weekend I'm driving them to a new home and will concentrate on my shrimp and getting a few more male neocaridina (so I can get varied colors).

I've been told by a few shrimp keepers that I should do smaller water changes (I always did 50%) and use RO/Distilled remineralized.
This would be easily done purchasing gallons of distilled as my tank is small, but do I need to?

As some of you know I've had a tricky time keeping fish in my little nano 6 gallon fluval edge.

I have very soft source water from my well with a 0 kh which I mix with my tap water that runs thru a crushed coral softer bringing the kh up a bit (and everything else).

Once in the tank my readings come out:
PH = 7.6
TDS = 187
KH = 40 - 80 ppm
GH = 75 - 150 ppm
chlorine = zero
Ammonia = zero
Nitrite = zero
Nitrate = 0 - 10ppm

*heavily planted (mostly anubias species)
*only additives are Prime (in water change) on Mondays
and Seachem Flourish Comprehensive at 1/2 dose once midweek.
*I dose with medical grade dosers to assure correct dosing.
I mix my tap and straight well water 1/2 and 1/2 which sits in Primo 5 gallon water jugs weeks before being used.
I keep a small bag of crushed aragonite in filter as well as a small bag in the jug that holds the mixed water.

It was suggested to use Ro or Distilled with a remineralized like Seachem Equilibrium...
which seems to only up the GH and not touch the KH...
am I wrong to think that's silly as then it has no buffering power?
Wouldn't I want to up Distilled waters hardness all together, not just one aspect of it?

Which brings me to one called Salty Shrimp Mineral GH+KH
that sounds more like what I'd want.

But do I?! Isn't my own water mixture ok?

 

[SnailPocalypse]

Yeah.IMO your water is basically perfect for shrimp.No need to change anything.

 

[StevenF]

Matching the GH value to the needs of the fish is important for fish health. Same for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and PH. If you get these values wrong the fish may get sick and die. KH only stabilized the PH and it doesn't take a lot to do that. It has very little direct effect on the health of the fish.

Additionally as your plant consume some of the nutrients in the Equilibrium carbonates such as calcium carbonate and Magnesium carbonate are generated. This causes a slow but detectable increase in KH. Which is good. The bag of aragonite in your aquarium also helps stabilize your PH but will generally not show up in your water test. In my experience your PH is sufficiently stable due to the aragonite and KH in your water. Adding more KH to your water would have not had any big benefits other than increase you TDS.

Salty shrimp GH+KH by adding a chemical that is normally not present in rivers and streams. While it is safe the kh increase comes it with a increase PH and an increase in chloride salts which moves you even further away from the chemistry that is natural in the wild and desirable in a fresh water tank. In the wild it is possible to find rivers with low GH and KH, and other rivers with high GH and low KH, and you can find high GH and kH.

While some people with shrimp prefer smaller water changes, there are many that to 50% water changes without any obvious affect on shrimp. So overall I don't seen any reason for you to change what you are doing.

As to neocaridina you can ask for only males but in practice it is very difficult to differentiate small males and females. Also very small hard to see shrimplets may get mixed in with the shrimp you purchase and they could be females So mistakes will happen and you will probably end up with some females in your tank. Neocaridina is the name of a species of shrimp. Just like siamese cat and calico cats. They are both the same species of cat but look very different. The shrimp have been bread for color. If you mix different colors of Neocaridina and some cross breading occurs you may wind up with shrimp that look like the wild Neocaridina shrimp a shade of brown or a different color. Much like what would happen is you cross breed a Calico cat with a Siamese cat

Initially the tank may look nice with different color shrimp in the tank. Over time you may end up with a lot of similar shrimp that may not be as attractive. There is nothing wrong with that but it might not be what you want. And if you ever decide to get out of the hobby it might be hard to find a new home for them. Or you might get lucky and end up with a shrimp everyone wants.

More commonly when shrimp are mixed people try to select shrimp that will not cross breed. for example Amano, red cherry shrimp (neocaridina) and tiger shrimp (cantonensis). These will not cross breed. and the offspring should look like the parents. You could use a chart like this to pick shrimp that won't cross breed:
https://www.theshrimpfarm.com/articles/dwarf-shrimp-compatibility-chart.php

 

[NickAu]

I agree, I would stick to 50% weekly water changes. As you know, It works for me.

 

[thrujenseyes]

Yeah.IMO your water is basically perfect for shrimp.No need to change anything.

I kind of thought the same

Additionally as your plant consume some of the nutrients in the Equilibrium carbonates such as calcium carbonate and Magnesium carbonate are generated. This causes a slow but detectable increase in KH. Which is good.

Ohhhh I see! So Equilibrium is only adding what I need (naturally..right?) to get my GH where I need it and other things should sort of fall into place?
I've read that people say it's messy and they don't like it...do you have any experience with it?
I follow a shrimp keeper on Instagram who has the most amazing shrimp and tanks and uses something called Tantora GH. Have you heard of this?

The bag of aragonite in your aquarium also helps stabilize your PH but will generally not show up in your water test

I think it does? My KH is zero out of the well and my GH is 25ppm.
the hardness barely registers but in the tank it goes up considerably (as well as PH).
Wouldn't this mostly be from the Aragonite?
And doesn't it seem my water mixture is ok? Do I really need to get into Using Distilled?

Salty shrimp GH+KH by adding a chemical that is normally not present in rivers and streams.

Ohhhhh Ok, makes total sense and no I do NOT want to add anything that not natural.

So mistakes will happen and you will probably end up with some females in your tank.

Oh boy, that's a good point! I definitely don't want a tank full of "not so pretty" shrimp...as they kind of border on looking like creepy bugs when they lose their pretty colors and it might make me a weeeeee bit squeamish
Not to mention I don't have the room!

More commonly when shrimp are mixed people try to select shrimp that will not cross breed.

Excellent and I will look into the water parameters of the bee family ones (can't remember). I do have an Amano, he's actually the critter thats been with me the longest and I adore him. He's actually huge, I had no idea they got so big.

I agree, I would stick to 50% weekly water changes. As you know, It works for me.

I've always had a bit of trouble with mine since my source water is so much different than my tank, I take every precaution and have it pretty well mapped out now but it's always like playing Russian Roulette and I always kinda hold my breath. So if I can get away with smaller, I'd much rather.
Having a tank this small leaves Zero room for error.

 

[SnailPocalypse]

Your water is fine stop asking about it lol.

 

[thrujenseyes]

Your water is fine stop asking about it lol.

Not to dismiss you’re answer, I just appreciate different view points and learning what makes something work and what doesn’t


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SnailPocalypse]

No it fine lol.I was just joking around.

 

[NickAu]

I've always had a bit of trouble with mine since my source water is so much different than my tank,

Tell us about your tap water.

When it comes to shrimp I have no problems.

I no longer have this tank.

 

[neoyyf]

I would not change your water either if you are keeping only Neocaridina species. However if you want to try your hand at keeping Caridina species, RO/soft/rain water is a must and then remineralise. However i believe you are keeping the shrimps with other fish, so i would not recommend that route for the sake of the other tank mates.

If you are worried the shrimps are not getting the benefits of the components in salty shrimp shrimp, research what you can feed your shrimps to get that stuff in their diet. I believe that they can benefit more from consuming minerals than having it in their water column.

If you decide to feed from natural food sources, make sure they are washed well and placed in the microwave to kill anything that might potentially harm them and give small amounts (1cm cubed or half a small leaf) so as to not pollute your water

 

[thrujenseyes]

Tell us about your tap water.

My tap is a 50/50 mix of direct well water/tap run thru softner using crushed coral.
The mix parameters are:
PH: 6.2-6.8
KH: 0-40 ppm
chlorine: zero
GH: 75 ppm
Nitrites: zero
Nitrates: 10ppm

Once in the tank the parameters (some) go up to:
PH = 7.6
TDS = 187
KH = 40 - 80 ppm
GH = 75 - 150 ppm
chlorine = zero
Ammonia = zero
Nitrite = zero
Nitrate = 0 - 10ppm

Heavily planted and also a small bag of aragonite in filter.

I would not change your water either if you are keeping only Neocaridina species

I agree and don't think I will be changing anything just yet. Also what I'd have to dose a 6 gallon tank is so ridiculously small I'm not even sure how I'd measure it...since it's a powder and not a liquid.
I'd be mixing to get close to parameters I have now (although my ph would be lower).

i believe you are keeping the shrimps with other fish,

Not anymore, I rehomed my endlers ....my GH wasn't hard enough for them anyway.
But they were going after my shrimp and I didn't want that.
You should have seen me trying to catch them in a heavily planted 6 gallon fluval edge!
It took a full hour and I was spent!

research what you can feed your shrimps to get that stuff in their diet. I believe that they can benefit more from consuming minerals than having it in their water column.

I like this idea very much. I will feed them something that contains calcium for their shells
Someone here suggested Kens shrimp sticks a while back.

 

[NickAu]

My tap is a 50/50 mix of direct well water/tap run thru softner using crushed coral.

Crushed coral softens water?

That is a huge swing, when you put the water in the tank these are the water parameters?

PH: 6.2-6.8
KH: 0-40 ppm
chlorine: zero
GH: 75 ppm
Nitrites: zero
Nitrates: 10ppm

and then it goes up to this.

PH = 7.6
TDS = 187
KH = 40 - 80 ppm
GH = 75 - 150 ppm
chlorine = zero
Ammonia = zero
Nitrite = zero
Nitrate = 0 - 10ppm

After how long? that is a huge swing IMO

 

[thrujenseyes]

Crushed coral softens water?

That is a huge swing, when you put the water in the tank these are the water parameters?


and then it goes up to this.



After how long? that is a huge swing IMO

It IS a huge swing!
*And I didn't meant to call it a "softner".....I always revert back to my childhood house that had one and apparently we had very hard well water and that contraption softened it...
but in this (my house) it does the opposite... sorry.*
But back to the difference in water to tank...
I've tried everything I can to bring the levels close but they change so drastically once in the tank that I just can't get there.
I let the water sit in 5 gallon jug weeks prior to water change days and I keep aragonite in there but it still isn't that close.

I assume the little bit of bioload I have mixed with the aragonite and all the plants I have bring the levels up that hi?

Now that I'm typing all of this out I'm wondering if I should just go the distilled/ro remineralized?