Fish of Sensation
New Member
So. I am a beginner level aquarist trying to set up my first 29 gallon tank. I have been cycling my tank for 8 days now and decided to throw in 4 amano shrimp and 5 cherry shrimp to rid the tank of the algae present. Levels are a pH of 7.5; alkilinity of 300 ; Total hardness of 1000; Nitrites and Nitrates of 0 according to imagitarium 5 in 1` aquarium water test strips. Water temperature is 79 degrees, and CO2 presence in tank is very low/darkgreen blue via NilocG drop checker. I have quite a lot of plants present including Water crest, cabomba, and various assortments of moss. altogether totaling 12 healthy plants in my tank. I have not used any fertilizer whatsoever in the tank. Just top soil topped with fine gravel.
So, now to the question. I just hooked up a CO2 system out of a reaction of baking soda and citric acid. I used a very low 1 bubble/second treatment of the water for a VERY brief period. I'm talking maybe 30 seconds to a minute. I noticed that my shrimp started acting strange (i.e. flipping upside down whilst swimming and falling to the ground). I instantly turned off the CO2 and added an O2 stone full blast. However, one of my shrimp is now dead. I was worried about the KH levels, since maybe the pH changed or swung hugely. But, upon checking my pH it did not show a huge swing. In fact, it was very much the same as before I added the CO2 (~7.5-8.0 pH). I am terrified to try the CO2 again since I don't want to gas the poor shrimp. Is it too much shock to instantly add CO2? What should I do? Should I keep CO2 out of the tank? I will be getting a Kh testing kit to test for carbonate hardness . Would a slight swing in pH be this detrimental to my shrimp? I just want my plants to be able to get the nutrients needed to grow big and healthy without endangering my shrimp. Thanks a lot guys. Oh, also on a side note. I adapted the shrimp to the tank over the course of a slow drip 1 drop/~1 second for 3 hours. I did this yesterday. Is it just the shock of too much change? Should I give my shrimp more time to adapt?
So, now to the question. I just hooked up a CO2 system out of a reaction of baking soda and citric acid. I used a very low 1 bubble/second treatment of the water for a VERY brief period. I'm talking maybe 30 seconds to a minute. I noticed that my shrimp started acting strange (i.e. flipping upside down whilst swimming and falling to the ground). I instantly turned off the CO2 and added an O2 stone full blast. However, one of my shrimp is now dead. I was worried about the KH levels, since maybe the pH changed or swung hugely. But, upon checking my pH it did not show a huge swing. In fact, it was very much the same as before I added the CO2 (~7.5-8.0 pH). I am terrified to try the CO2 again since I don't want to gas the poor shrimp. Is it too much shock to instantly add CO2? What should I do? Should I keep CO2 out of the tank? I will be getting a Kh testing kit to test for carbonate hardness . Would a slight swing in pH be this detrimental to my shrimp? I just want my plants to be able to get the nutrients needed to grow big and healthy without endangering my shrimp. Thanks a lot guys. Oh, also on a side note. I adapted the shrimp to the tank over the course of a slow drip 1 drop/~1 second for 3 hours. I did this yesterday. Is it just the shock of too much change? Should I give my shrimp more time to adapt?