Can I water down my water?

[steven p]

first, i have a few orange bee shrimp and i want them to be happy.
second, i read that caridinia shrimp like softer water than my tap.

chemical analysis from the tap in parts per million

hydrogen ion concentration 7.58
calcium 94.9
TDS 386
magnesium 19.7
iron .01f
nitrate .2
manganese .34
chloride 5.0
fluoride 1.0
sulfate 14.0
total alkalinity 250
sodium 16.3
total hardness 318

can i start mixing r/o or distilled with tap to get to a happy medium or should i make the field trip to buy some buffer and reconstitute all the water from scratch?

any and all links/comments are appreciated...

[daz4321]

I have hard water from the tap and mix with RO to get what levels I require.

[steven p]

Originally Posted by daz4321

I have hard water from the tap and mix with RO to get what levels I require.

HOPE!

now to find out how much tap:r/o

[steven p]

so, my GH is about 20 and KH is like 5 or 6? i want a GH of 4-6 and a kh of 1 or 2?

one part tap and four parts r/o?

this window is still acceptable for the cherries i have as well?

[speedie408]

If you're keeping Neos, you should be fine with tap since they're generally a much hardier specie that will withstand harder water chemistry as well as parameter changes.

Now if you plan on keeping Caridinas, I'd stick with reconstituted RO to be safe. This way your water parameters are constant. I say this because most water companies change their chemical mixture dependent on water systems maintenance/seasons. This leads to changes in water chemistry to your shrimp which can ultimately kill them since they can't handle large water parameter swings.

[steven p]

Originally Posted by speedie408

If you're keeping Neos, you should be fine with tap since they're generally a much hardier specie that will withstand harder water chemistry as well as parameter changes.

Now if you plan on keeping Caridinas, I'd stick with reconstituted RO to be safe. This way your water parameters are constant. I say this because most water companies change their chemical mixture dependent on water systems maintenance/seasons. This leads to changes in water chemistry to your shrimp which can ultimately kill them since they can't handle large water parameter swings.

but our tap comes from the Ogallalla Aquifer, so it stays pretty constant.. theres a slight hard shift in the winter and then softer again in the spring.

could i DIY a buffer with epsom and baking soda or something?

i dunno, i am really leaning towards watering down the tap at this point still. granted i measure proper amounts of water to mix, and i just kinda plopped them in the tank when i got them.. the dove straight into the plants scavenging and have been eating non stop, theyre really liking some butternut squash right about now.

they just seems so much more happy than the cherries in the tank. the cherries are reclusive, while these bees just scurry and eat non-stop. lights on or off..

[rodcuda]

+1 on reconstituting RO water with Mosura or Shirakara, but don't make any quick changes, just start using the new water for water changes and slowly work towards the better water conditions. Such a big change fast would likely turn out bad.

[steven p]

Originally Posted by rodcuda

+1 on reconstituting RO water with Mosura or Shirakara, but don't make any quick changes, just start using the new water for water changes and slowly work towards the better water conditions. Such a big change fast would likely turn out bad.

indeed, i'm going to start small with my watered down water changes, and when i get up to Omaha, ill pick up a nice buffer for the shrimpies.

you guys think the winter conditions of ground water has anything to do with the slow breeding of shrimps recorded during the winter months?