[bostoneric]

Here are the numbers I shoot for, these would be ideal conditions. but lots of people have slightly different opinions.

Crystal Red Shrimp/Red Bee
PH: 6.2 – 6.6
KH: 0 – 2
GH: 4 – 6
TDS: 100 – 180
Water temp: 21 – 23

 

[Whiskey]

I shoot for the same,.. current tank at 150 and they are quite happy.

Whiskey

 

[Doc4PC2]

Okay, so then I would think that 190 to 210 would be too high of a TDS? I have read that on several Shrimp sites that the TDS should be 190 to 210 for CRS, but the forums says
100 to 120.

 

[bostoneric]

more important than TDS is your PH / GH / KH / temp, everything works together.

as long as you have stable water that you monitor and water change as needed they will have no problem with TDS in the range you are saying.

 

[Whiskey]

Stability is key. I've seen more than one post of someone killing shrimp trying to make things better.

But! If starting fresh I would definitely start from a point that is best for them. I've learned the hard way that those KH, and GH numbers are important. So is the TDS,.. 180 or 210 is probably not a HUGE deal, but when the number starts to double you might end up with fatalitys. If you can get it under 180 it is probably better than 210.

Whiskey

P.S.
It is probably more important that the TDS numbers not come from waste then their total value. Such as - if you have 180 TDS because your GH is 6, then that is better than water that starts at 120 with a lower GH then total lack of water changes has made it creep up to 180 due to waste.

Keeping this in mind it's easy to see how different places may have different opinions based on where they keep their GH. I personally keep mine at around 4 so I end up with a lower TDS (150).

Whiskey

 

[raesunrae]

This may be a ridiculous question and I don't mean to hike this thread (if that's how you say it! Lol) but how did all of you get so educated on all of this? I keep reading and reading just trying to get myself more educated but as Doc4PC2 states, everybody says something different about everything that I have researched.

Would it be best to find someone who's been successful in the hobby and just follow that one person's suggestions? Or is there some other resource that you would recommend for "Algae Growers" like us (and that I won't deny!) to gain more knowledge in keeping CRS or the other more demanding types of dwarf shrimp?

 

[Soothing Shrimp]

LOL Everybody has different opinions because there is more than one successful way to keep shrimp and we do what we found works for us through experience.

 

[chan1011]

There are values for "ideal" living conditions, but all the pro's seem like stability is key. Especially if the shrimp have been bred locally they probably can take your water in your area anyhow, I wouldn't try to adjust too much, you just end up having too much extra work for very little results.

 

[SBPyro]

P.S.
It is probably more important that the TDS numbers not come from waste then their total value. Such as - if you have 180 TDS because your GH is 6, then that is better than water that starts at 120 with a lower GH then total lack of water changes has made it creep up to 180 due to waste.

Whiskey

The TDS test will let you know if your RO/DI water needs to be maintenanced. But my personal opinion is this was an easy method for ppl to determine if they needed a WC. Start with a known starting point for TDS and then the additional TDS is from waste (or other additives).

 

[raesunrae]

I think I'm finally getting it.. I've been using Borneo Wild GH Up for my ro/di at water changes. I had to adjust my tds to approx 160 or so with the Borneo to get a GH of 5. I ordered some Salty Bee GH + due to all of the high recommendations on this site and mixed some water for a change out. I found that I only needed to get my tds to 120 to get a gh of 5 and kh 0. I now understand why alot of people say it's much cleaner than some other remineralization products!

So now I can see why it's not as important to mix to a specific tds as much as it is to mix to the proper gh and kh target range. Now I should stick with Salty Bee and once I do enough water changes over time, and my tds in my tank gets stays close to the tds I get when I do my mix with ro/di, then I know anything above that is tds is creep from food and waste correct? Keeping everything stable by doing the water change at the time the TDs starts creeping up will maintain a stable environment since that is the most important thing of all from what you guys say... Is all this correct ?

 

[gateman42]

I just got my first CRS's 3 weeks ago and they were put in a tank that had a Betta in it for 6 months. It's
well planted w/java ferns and moss and moss balls. I have gh @ 5, kh @ 4, temp at 77f, ph 7.4 to 7.6. I do a 20% water change once a week with seachem prime and cichlid trace. I have 3 berried females and I think everyone has molted. I ordered 12 and they are all still alive. I think my problem is the white play sand that in there screwing with the ph. Other than that, they're doing great. Any tips will help. Oh, the rocks are gone.