[vnghost]

can it be done or completely avoided? i want to gear my tank more towards crs and rehome all the rcs into my other tank. since up aqua shrimp sand is easy to find and im assuming doesnt have to be cycled, it would be the easiest bet for me. i would go ada aqua soil but its sold out all over online, plus i dont want to risk the shrimp in an ammonia cycling. so back to the original question, is it ok to mix up aqua shrimp sand with the fluval shrimp stratum that i already have in my tank? or should i take as much FSS out and add in the shrimp sand? can someone confirm that i dont have to cycle shrimp sand? gonna be buying all this soon. thanks in advance

 

[wicca27]

i use fluval shrimp stratum for my crs and they do just fine. been breeding like rabbits. my normal ph is about 7.5 and fss takes it to 6.5-6

 

[GeToChKn]

I wouldn't mix them. Different substrates buffer in different ways, some by absorbing things like kH, some by releasing things like humic acid, they have different lengths of buffering ability, and they are going to compete with each other.

 

[somewhatshocked]

Neither Fluval Shrimp Stratum nor UP Aqua Shrimp Sand will cause ammonia spikes, so you don't have to cycle them.

As GeToChKn mentioned... you probably shouldn't mix them. It'll also look less than attractive.

When it comes to shrimp, though, be careful when disturbing your substrate and remember that tossing shrimp into a new tank isn't necessarily the best way to go if you can help it. Allowing time for a nice amount of biofilm to grow on everything - including the substrate - is your best bet.

 

[vnghost]

Thanks for the replies. My crs are fine in fss but with all the good and bad I hear about it makes me want to avoid failure by replacing it with something that is known to be more reliable. If I do replace it, how should I go about that? It's a 5 gallon spec v btw

 

[wicca27]

i have used it since feb and not a prob yet. still drops the ph and ive even seen a ph of 5 on one of my 5 gal tanks with it. i think the good and bad may be due to batches some get a good batch others dont i guess i was lucky. if its working i wouldnt mess with changing it. ones it starts to not buffer as well i would thing about it then but like i said mine has been in tanks for almost a yr and all well.

 

[vnghost]

Yea Ill leave it in there. If it starts giving me problems ill switch it out