# Water Parameters For Cherry Shrimps



## Splash (Feb 18, 2004)

Wow! I'm really sorry to hear your sad news!

My Cherry Shrimp are hail and hardy and even survived a shipment from Arizona in which all of the Amano Shrimp died. My KH is 4.5, GH 8, pH 6.7-6.8, NO3 0.75 mg/L, PO4 unmeasurable at the moment (I'm trying to starve some bba), water temp 78 deg F. On the recommendation of several shrimp breeders, I have started adding to the tank 1 drop of Kent iodine per gallon per week. Many others have raised Cherry Shrimp without the iodine, so I can't really say if they need it or not.

How long have you had your Cherry Shrimp? Are they dying because of age? Have you used any medicines containing copper in the tank? Do you have any blue-green algae in the tank? Are you certain that the shrimp are dying and not just molting?




aCe^bOwleRz said:


> Hi...
> 
> can anyone help me by giving me the ideal water parameters for my cherry shrimps?
> Gh,Kh,Ph and many more....
> ...


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## aCe^bOwleRz (Jan 5, 2004)

hi splash...

forgot to mention that i'm from Singapore... :wink: 

nope...they actually died coz the lay sideways and does not move...
the legs also din move at all...

anyway 2morrow gettin another new batch of cherry...
also buying cooper remover and also iodine...
i did not use any medication...

my water temp is 25-26...
quite cool i guess...

:lol:


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## ^iMp^ (Oct 12, 2003)

My red cherries (and amanos) have been doing very well for 5 months in the follownig conditions:

gH/kH ~5, water temp ~65 F, pH ~8.0, currently only fertilizing the substrate.

The shrimp have molted at least one time each and I haven't lost any (except one that died a few days after I bought it).

^iMp^


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## Splash (Feb 18, 2004)

Brrr...absolutely frigid!!! Seems like most of the rest of the world has that 25 deg cold water.  

Do you live in an older home or building? I'm wondering if you might be getting heavy metals leaching from your pipes. This can be a problem, particularly if your tap water tends to be slightly acidic. I'm guessing blindly here, but invertebrates _are _very sensitive to metals.




aCe^bOwleRz said:


> hi splash...
> my water temp is 25-26...
> quite cool i guess...
> 
> :lol:


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## aCe^bOwleRz (Jan 5, 2004)

haha...

actually over here quite difficult to get 25 like that...but i really dun know how i manage to get that low jus by using 2 fans...

anyway how do i get rid of the metals?
today i'm goin to by cooper remover...
or maybe when i see in the LFS they sell any remover...i should just go ahead and buy...

can suggest what remover should i buy?

thanks...


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## Splash (Feb 18, 2004)

I have used SeaChem Cuprisorb previously to remove copper from a snail-killer solution. It will also remove other heavy metals. Most of the other resins for removing copper will also remove other metals.

You might also consider putting a high-quality carbon in your filter for awhile. That will help remove any organic poisons, such as herbicide or pesticide residues.

Good luck!!!

P.S. -- I was in Singapore back in 1982 and enjoyed the sights, both old and new. I particularly liked walking along the fishing piers and seeing the colorful boats with eyes painted on the bows.




aCe^bOwleRz said:


> haha...
> 
> actually over here quite difficult to get 25 like that...but i really dun know how i manage to get that low jus by using 2 fans...
> 
> ...


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## Splash (Feb 18, 2004)

aCe^bOwleRz said:


> actually over here quite difficult to get 25 like that...but i really dun know how i manage to get that low jus by using 2 fans...


Say...I just noticed this. You are using fans to increase evaporation and keep your tank cool. (I also do this in the hot summer, but to a lesser extent than you.) Do you replace the water lost to evaporation with distilled or deionized water? If not, you will be concentrating all sorts of minerals and other "impurities" in your tank. What is your KH and GH?


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## IUnknown (Feb 5, 2003)

I think he means celcius.


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## Splash (Feb 18, 2004)

IUnknown said:


> I think he means celcius.


 Really?


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## aCe^bOwleRz (Jan 5, 2004)

IUnknown said:


> I think he means celcius.


yeah...it's celcius....
i will top up water daily...
store overnight water and pour in the water the following morning...
the rate of evaporation is great that for my 2ft tank...i top up 3 litres everyday...

:wink:


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## aCe^bOwleRz (Jan 5, 2004)

Splash said:


> I have used SeaChem Cuprisorb previously to remove copper from a snail-killer solution. It will also remove other heavy metals. Most of the other resins for removing copper will also remove other metals.
> 
> You might also consider putting a high-quality carbon in your filter for awhile. That will help remove any organic poisons, such as herbicide or pesticide residues.
> 
> ...


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## Splash (Feb 18, 2004)

Hmmm...the only other metal-absorbing resin I can think of is Kent Marine's Toxic Metal Sponge (which can be used in fresh or salt water). I suspect that there are other resins of which I am not aware.

Your comment on topping off the evaporated water with "overnight water" has me confused. When I wrote of topping off with distilled or deionized water, I was talking about water that has been specially treated to remove all mineral content. In the US, you can buy deionized water in the store or make it yourself by passing tapwater through a special resin column (which is the method that I use.) However, given the large evaporation volume that you have (3 liters/day), you might want to consider investing in a Reverse Osmosis system, which uses a semi-permeable membrane to separate "almost-pure" water from most of the dissolved minerals.

You should also see if your LFS has a test kit for measuring carbonate hardness (KH) and general hardness (GH) in your aquarium. That would be a relatively cheap way to find out just how much problem the evaporation is causing in your aquarium...how much the mineral content is rising due to evaporation.
-------------------------------

BTW, I knew you meant Celcius...somtimes it is hard to joke well over the internet because the other person cannot see your face. Or perhaps it was just a weak joke...  




aCe^bOwleRz said:


> ok...will as my LFS if they got the SeaChem Cuprisorb
> ...wat are those other resins? can give me some example...


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## aCe^bOwleRz (Jan 5, 2004)

Splash said:


> Hmmm...the only other metal-absorbing resin I can think of is Kent Marine's Toxic Metal Sponge (which can be used in fresh or salt water). I suspect that there are other resins of which I am not aware.
> 
> Your comment on topping off the evaporated water with "overnight water" has me confused. When I wrote of topping off with distilled or deionized water, I was talking about water that has been specially treated to remove all mineral content. In the US, you can buy deionized water in the store or make it yourself by passing tapwater through a special resin column (which is the method that I use.) However, given the large evaporation volume that you have (3 liters/day), you might want to consider investing in a Reverse Osmosis system, which uses a semi-permeable membrane to separate "almost-pure" water from most of the dissolved minerals.
> 
> You should also see if your LFS has a test kit for measuring carbonate hardness (KH) and general hardness (GH) in your aquarium. That would be a relatively cheap way to find out just how much problem the evaporation is causing in your aquarium...how much the mineral content is rising due to evaporation.


they do have the test kits...got so many test kits which i also don't know which 1 is essential...i normally don't measure any water parameters...
maybe now i should...

i mean that i store water from the tap overnight...
so that the water minerals & chlorine and other metals all will be stable...
so it's just like storing water overnight...

:wink:


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## Splash (Feb 18, 2004)

OK, but storing water overnight will not solve your problem. When 3 liters of water evaporates from your aquarium, all of the minerals that would normally be dissolved in that water remain behind in your aquarium. Every day water is evaporating and leaving behind more and more minerals. Putting in overnight water doesn't help, because that water also contains dissolved minerals. Eventually, the mineral load remaining in the tank from many days of evaporation can become toxic to sensitive plants and animals.

The are two ways to solve this problem:

1) Replace the evaporated water with distilled, deionized, or reverse-osmosis water, all of which have "no" or "very low" dissolved minerals.

2) Change out _*all*_ of the water in your aquarium periodically to reset the mineral content back to an acceptable level. But this is best done in an aquarium that does not have gravel or soil, because you need to rinse the entire tank to flush out the dissolved minerals that have collected due to evaporation. You can still keep plants in this sort of tank by growing them in pots, which you can hide behind decorative rock or wood.



aCe^bOwleRz said:


> i mean that i store water from the tap overnight...so that the water minerals & chlorine and other metals all will be stable...so it's just like storing water overnight...
> 
> :wink:


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## aCe^bOwleRz (Jan 5, 2004)

Splash said:


> OK, but storing water overnight will not solve your problem. When 3 liters of water evaporates from your aquarium, all of the minerals that would normally be dissolved in that water remain behind in your aquarium. Every day water is evaporating and leaving behind more and more minerals. Putting in overnight water doesn't help, because that water also contains dissolved minerals. Eventually, the mineral load remaining in the tank from many days of evaporation can become toxic to sensitive plants and animals.
> 
> The are two ways to solve this problem:
> 
> ...


for no. 1...
how to get reverse-osmosis water? a special filtration system?
dun think that it is cheap to get distilled water or even deionized water here...
as process that i can carry out to get these type of water?

:wink:


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## Splash (Feb 18, 2004)

Before you spend any money on water, you really need to get that KH/DH kit and test the hardness of the water in your aquarium. If you don't test, we can only speculate that evaporation is a problem. We might be wrong! For example, if you have very "soft" tapwater to start with, the minerals won't build up as quickly.




aCe^bOwleRz said:


> Splash said:
> 
> 
> > OK, but storing water overnight will not solve your problem. When 3 liters of water evaporates from your aquarium, all of the minerals that would normally be dissolved in that water remain behind in your aquarium. Every day water is evaporating and leaving behind more and more minerals. Putting in overnight water doesn't help, because that water also contains dissolved minerals. Eventually, the mineral load remaining in the tank from many days of evaporation can become toxic to sensitive plants and animals.
> ...


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## aCe^bOwleRz (Jan 5, 2004)

Splash said:


> Before you spend any money on water, you really need to get that KH/DH kit and test the hardness of the water in your aquarium. If you don't test, we can only speculate that evaporation is a problem. We might be wrong! For example, if you have very "soft" tapwater to start with, the minerals won't build up as quickly.


i'm sorry but not trying to be rude...
what is DH? coz in Singapore dun think we have this but then we do have GH...
GH is General Hardness...
as for KH we do have it here...

:wink:


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## Splash (Feb 18, 2004)

"DH" is just my clumsy fingers on the keyboard. KH (carbonate hardness) and GH (general hardness) are correct.





aCe^bOwleRz said:


> Splash said:
> 
> 
> > Before you spend any money on water, you really need to get that KH/DH kit and test the hardness of the water in your aquarium. If you don't test, we can only speculate that evaporation is a problem. We might be wrong! For example, if you have very "soft" tapwater to start with, the minerals won't build up as quickly.
> ...


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## digger (Feb 18, 2003)

Using rain water is another good way to get soft water to top-up your tank without adding extra minerals.


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## Splash (Feb 18, 2004)

I would think that could be a problem in an urban area, with the rain washing the pollution from the sky. Acid rain has certainly done a number on large parts of the US northeast and in Europe.




digger said:


> Using rain water is another good way to get soft water to top-up your tank without adding extra minerals.


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## dapi (Feb 25, 2004)

Singapore is actually famous for it's poor water quality as concerns keeping fish. Several of my friends are from there and working for the HBC. The problem is undoubtably if you are living in an older house or apartment the pipes are copper and they react with the chemicals used to sterilize the water. My friends seem to use a lot of chlorine/chloramine removers and Melafix–Mei swears by the stuff when it comes to her Lor Hans' health (hideous fish).

Your best option is to use a good chloramine remover, allow 24 hrs for the water to gas out and rather than just topping up do a small water change.

I'd also be interested in your pH. The Singaporean fish farms usually add some salt and lime to the water in which they raise shrimp for sale to the aquarium hobby. They have to do this or their losses would be unacceptable as the water in Singapore is very poor in minerals and high in humic acids–after all the city was carved out of a tropical rainforest.


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## Splash (Feb 18, 2004)

Good advice on all accounts! You really need to do some more testing of your water, both at the tap and in the aquarium, so you can better decide what to do next. I know that might be a "pain in the behind," but it really is the best approach.




dapi said:


> Singapore is actually famous for it's poor water quality as concerns keeping fish. Several of my friends are from there and working for the HBC. The problem is undoubtably if you are living in an older house or apartment the pipes are copper and they react with the chemicals used to sterilize the water. My friends seem to use a lot of chlorine/chloramine removers and Melafix–Mei swears by the stuff when it comes to her Lor Hans' health (hideous fish).
> 
> Your best option is to use a good chloramine remover, allow 24 hrs for the water to gas out and rather than just topping up do a small water change.
> 
> I'd also be interested in your pH. The Singaporean fish farms usually add some salt and lime to the water in which they raise shrimp for sale to the aquarium hobby. They have to do this or their losses would be unacceptable as the water in Singapore is very poor in minerals and high in humic acids–after all the city was carved out of a tropical rainforest.


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## aCe^bOwleRz (Jan 5, 2004)

thanks all for your reply...
i will take into considerations...

will get the test kits...


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