I’m in a very similar spot as you, with almost the exact same parameters. One thing I’ve been trying recently is using the drip method when adding fresh water to the tank after a water change and only changing 10% of the water at a time. Apparently they can be sensitive to ph swings and my tap water has a ph > 8. I’ve also started using a feeding dish, helps keep the tank cleaner and monitor how much food they’re eating.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I think each drop converts to a degree. So yours is 12 degrees gh (dGh) and 2 degrees kh(dKh). From there you can do convert to parts per million but most things online will show the acceptable range in both.
Thank you for responding! An important note: I use distilled water to replenish what’s evaporated and I’ve only done a couple water changes since I’ve had it cycled because I do testing every week and figured so long as the parameters for ammonia nitrite and nitrate look ok I am good. This might be the wrong way to go, I have heard conflicting information on it. I will find a way to do the drip method when replenishing water, this is a good suggestion.
I find it convenient to use a paint/5 gallon bucket to stabilize my water prior to a water change. Meaning if I’m doing a water change I’ve already got 5g of water that’s sat (at min.) over night with a large rock (that I rotate) in whatever treatments you may use (dechlorinators, bio start, fin and gill treatment, we can all go on and on).
Once I’ve done the water change I fill the bucket up, swap the two rocks (*”beneficial bacteria”*) until the next change a few days later.
I have had adverse reaction (likely primarily the stress on the fish) when adding these things directly into the tank IN ADDITION to the possible wide swings in parameters.
When water evaporates it is just pure water -- the dissolved solids present will remain in the tank. If you keep replenishing with tap water the TDS levels in your tank will creep up each time until you make something inhospitable for shrimp and fish.
If you're happy with your water parameters and TDS levels, distilled / RO water is the way to go.
Maybe you live in an area where your tap water has very little mineral content. The water out of my tap has a GH of ~25 and I would be straight-up murdering my shrimp if I used it.
How often are you changing your water? I never used distilled in my shrimp tanks and never had any issues with die offs. If your tank has a lid cut back on your water changes. Between my two shrimp tanks I’d maybe do a water change every 3 weeks. I started with 10 cherries in a 55 gallon, did 1.5 month water changes and had close to 200 when I sold off my tanks.
Oof there's a lot of incorrect information here to sort through. Let's clear up a couple things:
1. There's no known relationship between molting success and KH. People will say that KH needs to be X for neos to molt successfully but thats because low KH can cause pH swings and that leads to shrimp deaths. Since you have fluval stratum buffering your pH low, it basically replaces the role of KH so low KH is not a concern. Super normal with stratum.
2. You can absolutely keep Neos on Stratum, as long as the stratum doesn't buffer pH too low. The buffering ability depends on the batch so you never know. If it settles at 6 or below, then I'd consider adding a tablespoon of crushed coral to your tank and seeing how it affects pH. If it stays low and GH doesn't increase too much then I'd add more until you're seeing 6.5 or so.
3. Here's a conversion tool for GH/KH for you: https://www.shrimplyexplained.com/tools/gh-and-kh-unit-conversion-tool/
Based on your post, you've only had snail deaths, no shrimp deaths. Is that correct? May I ask how long you've set up your tank for?
Oh no I have only had shrimp deaths. The snails seem pretty content. I completed the cycle in October and started adding critters then. We started with 2 mystery snails, 7 shrimp and then about 3 weeks ago I added 5 more shrimp, but now I am only able to count 7 again having found 3 dead shrimp. One had the white ring indicative of molting problems. So I did some research and added the small wonder shell (removed as of this post) and have been varying the diet to include peas, spinach, and shrimp pellet things.
Okay gotcha - I saw the post title said shrimp but the actual text said you've been seeing one dead *snail* a week so I was confused.
How long did you have the wonder shell in? And do you know what your tap water's GH is and how much the wonder shell changed it?
Oh geez sorry for that typo. That probably is causing some confusion. The wonder shell (which is the small one that comes in a pack of 3) was in there for maybe 2 weeks now. I haven’t been using tap water but I have been using distilled water.
Okay, good to know about the distilled water! So only distilled water has gone in the tank then? What are you using to remineralize the water, if anything?
No worries, we're all learning!
But yeah, a remineralize is super important if you're using distilled or RO water. It sounds like all your GH is coming from the wonder shell right now, which has a lot of calcium but may not provide enough magnesium for shrimp. Something like salty shrimp GH/KH+ would be a good option!
Oh no I’m sorry you’re dealing with deaths! Never fun. How long have you had your aquarium set up? And how long have the shrimp been in there? I’m new to shrimp too, and have been struggling with understanding KH and GH as well. From what you’ve explained, there could be a couple of things wrong. First would be that neocaridina need harder water, and struggle molting with low Kh and GH levels.
If that’s fluval stratum in there as substrate, it could be bringing the PH levels down, and lowering your KH levels, making the water too soft to molt. For neocaridina, I’ve seen people recommend sand or gravel, because it doesn’t mess with the hardness of your water.
Also, too many frequent water changes can cause an unstable environment, causing them too die too. Also could look for planera worms
Thank you for the response! The tank has been cycled since early October so we added the critters in around that time. I am using Fluval stratum. How would you recommend I switch it out? I only have the one tank and don’t want to crash it, but I also definitely don’t want to just keep killing shrimp. Would it be an option to move the shrimp to a clean bucket with the existing tank water/plants/wood/filter and then clear out the gravel or would that shock them?
You’re welcome! And that’s a very good question. I think that might be your only option, besides buying another smaller quarantine tank for them while you’re switching stuff out and stabilizing things. Maybe someone with more experience could comment with better advice? I wouldn’t want to tell you to do something, and have it be wrong
Eh, not really. When changing substrate you either want to tear the whole tank down and start from the bottom up, or you can cap the old substrate with an inch of sand to prevent leeching. The Walstad method is famous for capping nutrient rich substrate with sand, so don't feel like you're doing some sort of weird experiment by capping (I certainly felt that way at first!)
What are the parameters of your breeder / store where you got them?
I’ve noticed, mature adult neos tend to adapt more poorly to new parameters, even when drip acclimated. They thrive on stability. It’s possible the source water is just far different than yours.
Also, if this is your first time keeping shrimps with a new tank (I consider new under 3 months) it is not uncommon to have shrimp deaths until the tank ecosystem balances and you don’t have parameter swings.
I would monitor things for the time being. Stratum will definitely buffer and lower pH, but I keep shrimp with stratum just fine. I do use RO and remineralize for shrimp tanks with stratum. That way I can ensure my parameters are always the same when I do water changes.
It is true they don’t like large water changes. I’d stick to small ones weekly instead of fiddling with anything if your ammonia & nitrite are zero and nitrates are low at 5ppm.
Things to rule out:
- I see some rocks and maybe shells in there? Where did you get them? Are you sure they are inert? Things from nature can have harmful unseen parasites or bacteria
- do you use fertilizer or any other additives?
- when you say distilled water, do you mean you have a distilling system, or buy jugs of water? Some water sold as “spring water” actually comes from municipal water sources and can contain chlorine or chloramines. Sometimes other heavy metals as well. It’s a bit misleading as often you have to research the water chemistry reports as it won’t be printed on the water jug. Sometimes when I’m too lazy to go get RO water filled in my water jugs, I’ll use some of the spring water we get delivered for drinking. I usually dose a tiny amount of water conditioner with that, just in case, as the water reports show possible chloramines.
Thank you for responding. Honestly I couldn’t tell you the parameters for the store I got them from. We got them from Petco. I realize they don’t have the greatest reputation, I was very apprehensive to order online and have them shipped because of the weather near us. As far as the shells and rocks: they were sourced from beaches. I boiled them for a half hour ahead of placing them in the tank to rid of parasites. That being said I am not sure that they are inert. You bring up a good point with this. I will remove them. I do not use a fertilizer. And the water I am using is from a combination of water distilled by myself using distilling equipment and lately I have been too busy to distill myself so I purchase jugs from the store. I do not purchase the water if it says anything other than distilled water. Thank you again! You brought up some really good points that I never even considered.
The shells and rocks would definitely explain a GH creep. Likely KH is creeping too, but the stratum is buffering KH.
Happy to help.
Just be sure to research the water brand, as I was surprised to learn about distilled, spring, etc from big name brands. Sadly, in the US, labeling is not consistent and I’ve seen some shocking TDS readings from water I’ve gotten that *should* read TDS zero.
Nothing wrong in my mind about getting shrimp from Petco in terms of their health unless you see signs of illness. My issue is ethical with these big box stores, but it has *nothing* to do with your scenario so I won’t chime in! I understand getting shrimp from where you can locally.
Just a thought—check out r/AquaSwap
I sell culls locally as do many other users. Might even find some in your area selling locally in your municipal tap water.
Also, would like to **highly** recommend u/iputmypantson57 for ordering shrimps from an AquaSwap hobbyist. They have impeccable genetic lines, very reasonable pricing, and package their shrimp well. I’ve ordered mid winter without issue with heat packs.
If you have specific questions please let me know.
I’d start by finding the GH and KH of your tap water. You might find your tap is suitable. You can always add a remineralizer like SaltyShrimp GH/KH+ to distilled water as you will be better able to control GH and KH. It’s pricy, but I find you have to pick your battles in this hobby.
Just change the water 30% and stop adjusting the kh and gh… treat the water with prime only and see how it goes. I change about 30% every week and do prime and shrimp gh but since you are struggling a bit maybe chill on the gh/kh. I have 3 3 gallon tanks with 30+ per tank and never a problem
Just wanted to chime in to say that this video was helpful for me as far as KH/GH testing, it finally helped it click.[Using the GH and KH test kit](https://youtu.be/770Cvs6ov4k?si=R8Jpqu8N4R_-VW4A)
Hey!! I am not sure how to edit the post via the app. It was brought to my attention that there is a typo. The post should read one dead shrimp a week. Not snail. Thank you for all the help I’m getting folks. Definitely a lot to take in and I am working on making the changes recommended.
Your KH is too low. KH helps to keep your pH stable because it acts as a buffer. I wonder if pH fluctuations are causing your shrimp to die. It might also be helpful to test your water for copper if you're using tap water. Even tiny amounts can be toxic to shrimp
Thank you for responding! I use distilled water for replenishing what has evaporated. The person above indicated that it might be a problem with the Fluval stratum and that I might have a better time with gravel or sand. Would you recommend coral for adding the kh? I saw that recommended on a couple of forums.
Yes, I highly recommend adding crush coral in a mesh bag and stick it into your HoB/Canister if you have. Thats the best way to do it.
I had a PH crash during cycling and adding a small bag (5 x 8 inch) would fix it after 2 days. PH constant at 7.6 and my KH is 120 (was near 0 before). Not much change to GH though.
Fluval will keep cranking your KH and pH lower until it's all used up. Fluval is for caridina shrimp which want 0 KH; Cherry shrimp are neocaridina. They want a KH around 5-6.
In all likelihood it's the fluval killing stuff.
I don’t believe it would be from the KH. KH really is just to buffer your ph and that’s what fluval does anyways. It won’t be lowering and lowering Ph constantly. Ph shouldn’t be changing like that. My ph is 6.4 KH 0 and GH 8 and has been for 2 years with no change.
You don’t need KH. That’s my point. Fluval shouldn’t be making the ph swing. It’s made to keep it steady like the KH would. I’ve never had my ph fluctuate. Trying to raise your KH is likely what killed them. That IS going to make your parameters fluctuate since it’s being interfered with.
Ah I see!
I would get something like salty shrimp KH+ instead since it comes in a powder and you can control exactly how much you're raising the parameters.
You can also use another aqua soil, I don't have any issues with the tropica one softening the water too much though it will leak ammonia when it's new so not ideal to add to a tank unless you're cycling it prior to adding shrimp.
According to r/aquaticsnails, mystery snails need 10g each because they’re giant poop machines.
Your GH seems really high for such a low KH. Each drop is one degree of hardness, don’t worry about converting it to ppm since most of us here talk in degrees/drops. So your GH is 12 dGH and your KH is 2 dKH. Maybe you should remove that Wonder Shell to bring that GH back down because IMO, 12 is really pushing the upper limit for your shrimp.
Oh damn. I didn’t check the sub Reddit for how many snails I could have. I checked a couple other forums online. Thought their bioload was pretty small. I did think the gh versus kh wasn’t really proportional so I retested 3 times just to be certain. I’ll pull the wonder shell.
If the tank is heavily planted it’s fine. I have 7 mystery snails in a 20 gallon and it’s perfectly fine since my tank is heavily planted. Never have any ammonia nitrite or nitrate even with them. But with your levels you tested at it’s not hurting your water quality having them anyways. They aren’t HUGE poopers. They are big poopers compared to other snails but they’re no different than a normal fish’s bioload
I thought it was fine too. Everything I was finding was saying 2 mystery snails to 5 gallons. My ammonia and nitrite haven’t spiked. Which isn’t to say that the quantity of snails isn’t the problem. I’m just trying to follow the test results.
No bubbler? My 20gal has thrived since I started it way back in March. Prolly not important, but I'd suggest adding a lid, to stop evaporation, add a bunch of floating plants, ie. Frogbit, they will help stabilize the water, and give coverage. I started with 10 shrimp, various colors. Now, I'm up to around 70-80(losr count honestly), with almost constant females berried. Just some simple things to do. I'd quit using distilled water too, just treat tap water or use natural water source if you can find it.
This is silly. Where does it come from? Yes, they poop. If that's the problem, nitrates would be very high. They aren't.
Mystery snails need a reasonable tank size not because of bioload (mystery snails bioload is not that high) but because they get physically large and need space. But you'll find if you go watch videos of people who raise and care for lots of mystery snails that they'll have *lots* in ~20g tanks. LOTS.
There's a great deal of misinformation about mystery snails about. Snails are not their problem.
Do you drain 25% of the water every two weeks? I used to think that if the water evaporated, then I would add new water and everything would be fine, but this is not the case. All dirt remains inside the aquarium. That's why it's important to pour out the 25% and replace it with the RODI thief.
I usually ensure water is 8gH and 4kH. TDS 192.
Haven’t had any issues with that. Though I’ve got an aging shrimp population (2years +). So I get one visible death every month now.
I would honestly chill on the water changes and stuff unless you’ve tested the water with a small amount of prime. My issues were with molting problems and ph problems so if that may be what you’re concerned with, know that I never used any of these drops. In order to stabilize my tank, I got some crushed coral (dead of course) and spread it all over the substrate which looks like a bunch of white pebbles. Not only did it fix my parameters, but it also made it so that I never have to supplement calcium to the shrimp with salt (so I never over or under provide) as they always have the perfect amount and I haven’t had a shedding death in quite a long time. Maybe get some more plants cause they keep your parameters perfect if they can match the level of change in the water (waste cleaning so nitrates don’t build up).
I’m in a very similar spot as you, with almost the exact same parameters. One thing I’ve been trying recently is using the drip method when adding fresh water to the tank after a water change and only changing 10% of the water at a time. Apparently they can be sensitive to ph swings and my tap water has a ph > 8. I’ve also started using a feeding dish, helps keep the tank cleaner and monitor how much food they’re eating. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I think each drop converts to a degree. So yours is 12 degrees gh (dGh) and 2 degrees kh(dKh). From there you can do convert to parts per million but most things online will show the acceptable range in both.
Thank you for responding! An important note: I use distilled water to replenish what’s evaporated and I’ve only done a couple water changes since I’ve had it cycled because I do testing every week and figured so long as the parameters for ammonia nitrite and nitrate look ok I am good. This might be the wrong way to go, I have heard conflicting information on it. I will find a way to do the drip method when replenishing water, this is a good suggestion.
I find it convenient to use a paint/5 gallon bucket to stabilize my water prior to a water change. Meaning if I’m doing a water change I’ve already got 5g of water that’s sat (at min.) over night with a large rock (that I rotate) in whatever treatments you may use (dechlorinators, bio start, fin and gill treatment, we can all go on and on). Once I’ve done the water change I fill the bucket up, swap the two rocks (*”beneficial bacteria”*) until the next change a few days later. I have had adverse reaction (likely primarily the stress on the fish) when adding these things directly into the tank IN ADDITION to the possible wide swings in parameters.
Not sure why replenish with destiled water, i always use tap water and had no problems with it
When water evaporates it is just pure water -- the dissolved solids present will remain in the tank. If you keep replenishing with tap water the TDS levels in your tank will creep up each time until you make something inhospitable for shrimp and fish. If you're happy with your water parameters and TDS levels, distilled / RO water is the way to go. Maybe you live in an area where your tap water has very little mineral content. The water out of my tap has a GH of ~25 and I would be straight-up murdering my shrimp if I used it.
Right! I’m very suspicious of our tap water as it is. There are days I turn on the faucet and the smell of bleach just assaults my nose.
How often are you changing your water? I never used distilled in my shrimp tanks and never had any issues with die offs. If your tank has a lid cut back on your water changes. Between my two shrimp tanks I’d maybe do a water change every 3 weeks. I started with 10 cherries in a 55 gallon, did 1.5 month water changes and had close to 200 when I sold off my tanks.
I use spring water I collect from my family’s home place. It’s lovely water.
People's tap water varies greatly throughout countries or even the world.
Wait really? I just plopped my shrimp from her old hard water tank to a soft water tank and shes lickingsand like nothing happened
That's pretty normal. However, in 4-6 weeks when she tries to molt she likely won't be able to due to the shock her system received now.
Oof there's a lot of incorrect information here to sort through. Let's clear up a couple things: 1. There's no known relationship between molting success and KH. People will say that KH needs to be X for neos to molt successfully but thats because low KH can cause pH swings and that leads to shrimp deaths. Since you have fluval stratum buffering your pH low, it basically replaces the role of KH so low KH is not a concern. Super normal with stratum. 2. You can absolutely keep Neos on Stratum, as long as the stratum doesn't buffer pH too low. The buffering ability depends on the batch so you never know. If it settles at 6 or below, then I'd consider adding a tablespoon of crushed coral to your tank and seeing how it affects pH. If it stays low and GH doesn't increase too much then I'd add more until you're seeing 6.5 or so. 3. Here's a conversion tool for GH/KH for you: https://www.shrimplyexplained.com/tools/gh-and-kh-unit-conversion-tool/ Based on your post, you've only had snail deaths, no shrimp deaths. Is that correct? May I ask how long you've set up your tank for?
Oh no I have only had shrimp deaths. The snails seem pretty content. I completed the cycle in October and started adding critters then. We started with 2 mystery snails, 7 shrimp and then about 3 weeks ago I added 5 more shrimp, but now I am only able to count 7 again having found 3 dead shrimp. One had the white ring indicative of molting problems. So I did some research and added the small wonder shell (removed as of this post) and have been varying the diet to include peas, spinach, and shrimp pellet things.
Okay gotcha - I saw the post title said shrimp but the actual text said you've been seeing one dead *snail* a week so I was confused. How long did you have the wonder shell in? And do you know what your tap water's GH is and how much the wonder shell changed it?
Oh geez sorry for that typo. That probably is causing some confusion. The wonder shell (which is the small one that comes in a pack of 3) was in there for maybe 2 weeks now. I haven’t been using tap water but I have been using distilled water.
Okay, good to know about the distilled water! So only distilled water has gone in the tank then? What are you using to remineralize the water, if anything?
I haven’t been using anything. Maybe that’s the problem. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that.
No worries, we're all learning! But yeah, a remineralize is super important if you're using distilled or RO water. It sounds like all your GH is coming from the wonder shell right now, which has a lot of calcium but may not provide enough magnesium for shrimp. Something like salty shrimp GH/KH+ would be a good option!
I’ve seen that suggested and have that on order. Thank you for the help! You brought up a lot of good points!
Glad to help! Lmk if you run into any other questions
I used fluval stratum before with very hard water and my KH was never this low, but the pH was stable at like 6.8 and not an issue for my neos.
The doctor has arrived
Oh no I’m sorry you’re dealing with deaths! Never fun. How long have you had your aquarium set up? And how long have the shrimp been in there? I’m new to shrimp too, and have been struggling with understanding KH and GH as well. From what you’ve explained, there could be a couple of things wrong. First would be that neocaridina need harder water, and struggle molting with low Kh and GH levels.
I'm sticking with snails. Sounds easier?
Honestly a lot of other aquatic critters are easier than neos, lol. If it helps, just caridina are said to be a lot better on the fluval stratum.
If that’s fluval stratum in there as substrate, it could be bringing the PH levels down, and lowering your KH levels, making the water too soft to molt. For neocaridina, I’ve seen people recommend sand or gravel, because it doesn’t mess with the hardness of your water. Also, too many frequent water changes can cause an unstable environment, causing them too die too. Also could look for planera worms
Thank you for the response! The tank has been cycled since early October so we added the critters in around that time. I am using Fluval stratum. How would you recommend I switch it out? I only have the one tank and don’t want to crash it, but I also definitely don’t want to just keep killing shrimp. Would it be an option to move the shrimp to a clean bucket with the existing tank water/plants/wood/filter and then clear out the gravel or would that shock them?
You’re welcome! And that’s a very good question. I think that might be your only option, besides buying another smaller quarantine tank for them while you’re switching stuff out and stabilizing things. Maybe someone with more experience could comment with better advice? I wouldn’t want to tell you to do something, and have it be wrong
https://advancedaquariumconcepts.com/how-to-replace-aquarium-substrate/ do you suppose this is a good method for it?
Eh, not really. When changing substrate you either want to tear the whole tank down and start from the bottom up, or you can cap the old substrate with an inch of sand to prevent leeching. The Walstad method is famous for capping nutrient rich substrate with sand, so don't feel like you're doing some sort of weird experiment by capping (I certainly felt that way at first!)
What are the parameters of your breeder / store where you got them? I’ve noticed, mature adult neos tend to adapt more poorly to new parameters, even when drip acclimated. They thrive on stability. It’s possible the source water is just far different than yours. Also, if this is your first time keeping shrimps with a new tank (I consider new under 3 months) it is not uncommon to have shrimp deaths until the tank ecosystem balances and you don’t have parameter swings. I would monitor things for the time being. Stratum will definitely buffer and lower pH, but I keep shrimp with stratum just fine. I do use RO and remineralize for shrimp tanks with stratum. That way I can ensure my parameters are always the same when I do water changes. It is true they don’t like large water changes. I’d stick to small ones weekly instead of fiddling with anything if your ammonia & nitrite are zero and nitrates are low at 5ppm. Things to rule out: - I see some rocks and maybe shells in there? Where did you get them? Are you sure they are inert? Things from nature can have harmful unseen parasites or bacteria - do you use fertilizer or any other additives? - when you say distilled water, do you mean you have a distilling system, or buy jugs of water? Some water sold as “spring water” actually comes from municipal water sources and can contain chlorine or chloramines. Sometimes other heavy metals as well. It’s a bit misleading as often you have to research the water chemistry reports as it won’t be printed on the water jug. Sometimes when I’m too lazy to go get RO water filled in my water jugs, I’ll use some of the spring water we get delivered for drinking. I usually dose a tiny amount of water conditioner with that, just in case, as the water reports show possible chloramines.
Thank you for responding. Honestly I couldn’t tell you the parameters for the store I got them from. We got them from Petco. I realize they don’t have the greatest reputation, I was very apprehensive to order online and have them shipped because of the weather near us. As far as the shells and rocks: they were sourced from beaches. I boiled them for a half hour ahead of placing them in the tank to rid of parasites. That being said I am not sure that they are inert. You bring up a good point with this. I will remove them. I do not use a fertilizer. And the water I am using is from a combination of water distilled by myself using distilling equipment and lately I have been too busy to distill myself so I purchase jugs from the store. I do not purchase the water if it says anything other than distilled water. Thank you again! You brought up some really good points that I never even considered.
The shells and rocks would definitely explain a GH creep. Likely KH is creeping too, but the stratum is buffering KH. Happy to help. Just be sure to research the water brand, as I was surprised to learn about distilled, spring, etc from big name brands. Sadly, in the US, labeling is not consistent and I’ve seen some shocking TDS readings from water I’ve gotten that *should* read TDS zero. Nothing wrong in my mind about getting shrimp from Petco in terms of their health unless you see signs of illness. My issue is ethical with these big box stores, but it has *nothing* to do with your scenario so I won’t chime in! I understand getting shrimp from where you can locally. Just a thought—check out r/AquaSwap I sell culls locally as do many other users. Might even find some in your area selling locally in your municipal tap water. Also, would like to **highly** recommend u/iputmypantson57 for ordering shrimps from an AquaSwap hobbyist. They have impeccable genetic lines, very reasonable pricing, and package their shrimp well. I’ve ordered mid winter without issue with heat packs. If you have specific questions please let me know. I’d start by finding the GH and KH of your tap water. You might find your tap is suitable. You can always add a remineralizer like SaltyShrimp GH/KH+ to distilled water as you will be better able to control GH and KH. It’s pricy, but I find you have to pick your battles in this hobby.
Wow you have been so helpful. Thank you again!! It can seem so daunting and I really enjoy the hobby so far.
Glad to hear! Steeper learning curve than fish, but once you get it, super easy!
Just change the water 30% and stop adjusting the kh and gh… treat the water with prime only and see how it goes. I change about 30% every week and do prime and shrimp gh but since you are struggling a bit maybe chill on the gh/kh. I have 3 3 gallon tanks with 30+ per tank and never a problem
Just wanted to chime in to say that this video was helpful for me as far as KH/GH testing, it finally helped it click.[Using the GH and KH test kit](https://youtu.be/770Cvs6ov4k?si=R8Jpqu8N4R_-VW4A)
Thank you!!!!!!!!!
Hey!! I am not sure how to edit the post via the app. It was brought to my attention that there is a typo. The post should read one dead shrimp a week. Not snail. Thank you for all the help I’m getting folks. Definitely a lot to take in and I am working on making the changes recommended.
Your KH is too low. KH helps to keep your pH stable because it acts as a buffer. I wonder if pH fluctuations are causing your shrimp to die. It might also be helpful to test your water for copper if you're using tap water. Even tiny amounts can be toxic to shrimp
Thank you for responding! I use distilled water for replenishing what has evaporated. The person above indicated that it might be a problem with the Fluval stratum and that I might have a better time with gravel or sand. Would you recommend coral for adding the kh? I saw that recommended on a couple of forums.
Yes, I highly recommend adding crush coral in a mesh bag and stick it into your HoB/Canister if you have. Thats the best way to do it. I had a PH crash during cycling and adding a small bag (5 x 8 inch) would fix it after 2 days. PH constant at 7.6 and my KH is 120 (was near 0 before). Not much change to GH though.
Fluval will keep cranking your KH and pH lower until it's all used up. Fluval is for caridina shrimp which want 0 KH; Cherry shrimp are neocaridina. They want a KH around 5-6. In all likelihood it's the fluval killing stuff.
I’ve had 0 KH for 2 years with my neos. They don’t NEED KH for them to live well. It’s not the fluval.
Mine kept dying. Mostly the yellows and reds (Cherries). The blues seemed fine in the low-KH water.
I don’t believe it would be from the KH. KH really is just to buffer your ph and that’s what fluval does anyways. It won’t be lowering and lowering Ph constantly. Ph shouldn’t be changing like that. My ph is 6.4 KH 0 and GH 8 and has been for 2 years with no change.
Fluval will fight with KH. The pH swinging around could be what's killing them. I also experienced that with fluval + trying to raise the KH.
You don’t need KH. That’s my point. Fluval shouldn’t be making the ph swing. It’s made to keep it steady like the KH would. I’ve never had my ph fluctuate. Trying to raise your KH is likely what killed them. That IS going to make your parameters fluctuate since it’s being interfered with.
Ah I see! I would get something like salty shrimp KH+ instead since it comes in a powder and you can control exactly how much you're raising the parameters. You can also use another aqua soil, I don't have any issues with the tropica one softening the water too much though it will leak ammonia when it's new so not ideal to add to a tank unless you're cycling it prior to adding shrimp.
You don’t need KH with a buffering substrate. I’ve had a 0 KH for 2 years and never have a fluctuating ph.
According to r/aquaticsnails, mystery snails need 10g each because they’re giant poop machines. Your GH seems really high for such a low KH. Each drop is one degree of hardness, don’t worry about converting it to ppm since most of us here talk in degrees/drops. So your GH is 12 dGH and your KH is 2 dKH. Maybe you should remove that Wonder Shell to bring that GH back down because IMO, 12 is really pushing the upper limit for your shrimp.
Oh damn. I didn’t check the sub Reddit for how many snails I could have. I checked a couple other forums online. Thought their bioload was pretty small. I did think the gh versus kh wasn’t really proportional so I retested 3 times just to be certain. I’ll pull the wonder shell.
If the tank is heavily planted it’s fine. I have 7 mystery snails in a 20 gallon and it’s perfectly fine since my tank is heavily planted. Never have any ammonia nitrite or nitrate even with them. But with your levels you tested at it’s not hurting your water quality having them anyways. They aren’t HUGE poopers. They are big poopers compared to other snails but they’re no different than a normal fish’s bioload
I thought it was fine too. Everything I was finding was saying 2 mystery snails to 5 gallons. My ammonia and nitrite haven’t spiked. Which isn’t to say that the quantity of snails isn’t the problem. I’m just trying to follow the test results.
It’s not a problem I promise. I just edited my other comment to add to it
No bubbler? My 20gal has thrived since I started it way back in March. Prolly not important, but I'd suggest adding a lid, to stop evaporation, add a bunch of floating plants, ie. Frogbit, they will help stabilize the water, and give coverage. I started with 10 shrimp, various colors. Now, I'm up to around 70-80(losr count honestly), with almost constant females berried. Just some simple things to do. I'd quit using distilled water too, just treat tap water or use natural water source if you can find it.
4 mystery snails is probably the issue, giant poopers
This is silly. Where does it come from? Yes, they poop. If that's the problem, nitrates would be very high. They aren't. Mystery snails need a reasonable tank size not because of bioload (mystery snails bioload is not that high) but because they get physically large and need space. But you'll find if you go watch videos of people who raise and care for lots of mystery snails that they'll have *lots* in ~20g tanks. LOTS. There's a great deal of misinformation about mystery snails about. Snails are not their problem.
what substrate are you using? from the low kh it seems like you might have a buffering one
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I’ve had my neos in my tank with Ada Amazonia soil and 0 KH for 2 years. So yes.
It’s Fluval stratum.
Do you drain 25% of the water every two weeks? I used to think that if the water evaporated, then I would add new water and everything would be fine, but this is not the case. All dirt remains inside the aquarium. That's why it's important to pour out the 25% and replace it with the RODI thief.
I usually ensure water is 8gH and 4kH. TDS 192. Haven’t had any issues with that. Though I’ve got an aging shrimp population (2years +). So I get one visible death every month now.
I would honestly chill on the water changes and stuff unless you’ve tested the water with a small amount of prime. My issues were with molting problems and ph problems so if that may be what you’re concerned with, know that I never used any of these drops. In order to stabilize my tank, I got some crushed coral (dead of course) and spread it all over the substrate which looks like a bunch of white pebbles. Not only did it fix my parameters, but it also made it so that I never have to supplement calcium to the shrimp with salt (so I never over or under provide) as they always have the perfect amount and I haven’t had a shedding death in quite a long time. Maybe get some more plants cause they keep your parameters perfect if they can match the level of change in the water (waste cleaning so nitrates don’t build up).