[vanostav61]

Hi everyone, I have a 75 Gal tank which I used to have a huge colony of cherry shrimp in. That was until I moved to a different location. After moving my shrimp colony shrunk until no one was left. At my old location the tap water had a TDS of 180, but my new location the tap water TDS reads 40. So I pretty much get distilled water out of the tap. I believe this is the reason my shrimp disappeared. I want to start growing shrimp again in my tank and I understand that I need to remineralize my water for shrimp to thrive. But the Gh/Kh booster can get quite pricey considering the size of my tank, I will need a lot of it. So I'm thinking that buying the salts separately and mixing my own booster would be cheaper but I don't know exactly how to do it. Any help or suggestion is appreciated.

 

[crushalot]

Get a one pound bag of Niloc or GLA GH booster for GH and baking soda for KH (if you want to spend a little more you could use Seachem Alkaline Buffer for KH, but not necessary). Should be able to get both for around $10 total and should last quite a while.

 

[somewhatshocked]

What are your current water parameters, including kH and gH?

I'm not a fan of using generic gH booster from fertilizer companies for shrimping for a ton of reasons, as they leave a lot to be desired. Shrimp tend to need more than just the basics of planted tanking. And fortunately, mixing your own salts is tons easier and tons cheaper.

So I'm thinking that buying the salts separately and mixing my own booster would be cheaper but I don't know exactly how to do it. Any help or suggestion is appreciated.

You might find this post in one of my tank journals useful. Doesn't have to be exact and you can use any kind of iron you like.

 

[vanostav61]

What are your current water parameters, including kH and gH?

I'm not a fan of using generic gH booster from fertilizer companies for shrimping for a ton of reasons, as they leave a lot to be desired. Shrimp tend to need more than just the basics of planted tanking. And fortunately, mixing your own salts is tons easier and tons cheaper.



You might find this post in one of my tank journals useful. Doesn't have to be exact and you can use any kind of iron you like.

My current water parameters are about 1KH/2GH.
I forgot to mention that the tank is planted and I am dosing Macro and Micro fertilizers PPS Pro medium light.

I am probably dosing enough K2SO4, MnSO4, FeSO4 with my Macro and Micro dosing. Is it CaSO4 and MgSO4 all I need to add?

 

[somewhatshocked]

Is it CaSO4 and MgSO4 all I need to add?

Looks like it to me. And that will be incredibly cheap compared to buying a purpose-made remineralizer.

 

[vanostav61]

Looks like it to me. And that will be incredibly cheap compared to buying a purpose-made remineralizer.

I know Epsom Salt can be found cheap at Walmart. But where would you recommend buying CaSO4 for a decent price?

And lastly, how would recommend me dosing it?

Let's say my tap water is about 50 TDS, how much Ca and Mg should I add during a 50% water change? Considering I am looking to grow cherry shrimp in it.

 

[somewhatshocked]

But where would you recommend buying CaSO4 for a decent price?

You'll need to find your own preferred source. I'm a moderator/admin and can't make recommendations. I use Green Leaf Aquariums to buy what I need, as they're a longtime supporter of the hobby and don't make specious claims about their products.

And lastly, how would recommend me dosing it?

The same way you would use any remineralization product. I mix my salts up in external containers that I then use to replace water removed during changes.

Let's say my tap water is about 50 TDS, how much Ca and Mg should I add during a 50% water change?

There's no way for us to know at the moment. That depends upon your current tank's parameters, your goals and the makeup of those Total Dissolved Solids. TDS is, loosely, a measure of everything in your water and you unfortunately can't base decisions about mineral needs of shrimp (or our tanks in general) on TDS. You'd need to understand what specifically your TDS consists of and then use a fert calc to figure out the concentration you'd most likely use. Then test it out in the real world in a bucket until you hit your goal parameters.

You can pretty much just ignore TDS unless you know what it consists of. Maybe just use it as a general measure to help guide you on water changes. Or once you know precisely the goal kH and gH of your water change water, then you could measure TDS to help you gauge where you are when mixing things up. But you'd still need to test kH and gH before using it to be sure you're where you want to be.

Considering I am looking to grow cherry shrimp in it.

If it were me and I'm only keeping Neocaridina shrimp in a particular tank, I'd aim for kH of 3-4 and gH of somewhere between 8-12. That would be in a tank with inert substrate. I don't keep Neos in tanks where I need a lower kH for plant growth or where I need warmer temps or major ferts.

 

[vanostav61]

Gotcha, thank you.