# Ph for Crystal Red Shrimp



## SHMaRiM (Apr 21, 2010)

My tanks Ph is naturally around mid-high 7's however when I'm running Co2 my ph decreases to around high 6's to 7 . After my co2 shuts off at night my tank's ph continues to rise until morning. Running co2 24/7 is plausible however I dont want to gas any shrimp I may have. My question is, other than running co2 24/7 is there a way to buffer the ph to a neutral 7 or high 6 as suggested with crystal red shrimp? Or what have other's done to meet the shrimp's parameters.


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

You can put peat into your filter, and it will bring your ph down. However, it will also release tannins into your water. Which doesn't do anything, but makes your water appear darker.

Honestly, you will get differing opinions on this site regarding water parameters from person to person. Some will tell you ph levels of mid 7's won't be an issue, while others will disagree. Personally, I think anything towards the 8 mark can cause some serious issues, and I think quite a few will agree with me. Then there is the controversy over gh of water, whether it should be around 2-4 or 6+.


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## SHMaRiM (Apr 21, 2010)

Can ayone recommend Seachem Neutral Regulator? It is supposed to be a water buffer to buffer your water to a neutral ph of 7. Idk if it would be safe to CRS given their sensative characteristics.


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

Honestly, I wouldn't use anything ph buffer solution. It usually only works for a few hours, and then your ph will rise again.


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## Scipio (Feb 18, 2008)

msnikkistar said:


> You can put peat into your filter, and it will bring your ph down. However, it will also release tannins into your water. Which doesn't do anything, but makes your water appear darker.
> 
> Honestly, you will get differing opinions on this site regarding water parameters from person to person. Some will tell you ph levels of mid 7's won't be an issue, while others will disagree. Personally, I think anything towards the 8 mark can cause some serious issues, and I think quite a few will agree with me. Then there is the controversy over gh of water, whether it should be around 2-4 or 6+.


 
Is there realy a controversy of GH? Or just a matter of opinion?


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

Scipio said:


> Is there realy a controversy of GH? Or just a matter of opinion?


Matter of opinion which causes conflicting advice, which leads to controversy


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## Scipio (Feb 18, 2008)

msnikkistar said:


> Matter of opinion which causes conflicting advice, which leads to controversy


I see no controversy, what works for one may not necessary work for another. This is how we learn roud:


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## Moe (Jan 22, 2004)

I had crs in a ph in the upper 7's and gh over 6 and the shrimp do survive, and breed
The one thing I noticed was the survival rate of the babies was low compared to a tank with lower gh/ph. I say if your trying to breed CRS in large amounts manage the water to there liking. If your simply keeping them in a planted aquarium and dont care about breeding they will certainly be happy in your current tank IMO.


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## SHMaRiM (Apr 21, 2010)

msnikkistar said:


> Honestly, I wouldn't use anything ph buffer solution. It usually only works for a few hours, and then your ph will rise again.


 
Well there is a difference between a ph buffer and a chemical that alters the ph. Wont a buffer have longer term effects compared to something such as ph up and ph down?


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

Stay away from the chemicals.. A soup of chemicals will hurt your shrimp more than high pH water. If youre serious about shrimping, look into an RO system, buying your water from the store, collecting rainwater like I do, or using a pH lowering substrate such as Aquasoil.


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

20gnoob said:


> Well there is a difference between a ph buffer and a chemical that alters the ph. Wont a buffer have longer term effects compared to something such as ph up and ph down?


Still the same in my book. This is my motto, "what goes in the tank, stays in the tank." Any chemicals you put in there, will stay there. Chemicals are bad. Well most anyways, there are some chemicals that we use for the removal of pests that are okay in the recommended dosage for your tank. However, PH buffers and the lot, I would suggest to stay away from. 

Like Chase says, there are a multitude of ways to lower your ph outside of chemicals that are not reliable at all. Peat, Aquasoil, Indian Almond Leaves, using a distilled water/ro water/tap mix for your water changes, and other things that can help bring ph levels down naturally. Sticking a chemical that won't last beyond the most, a few days, isn't going to help the initial problem as it is. And to me, using chemicals for ph is just lazy


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## Scipio (Feb 18, 2008)

x2! I agree with both chase127 and msnikkistar. I would stay away from chems. All of the suggested methods by msnikkistar and chase127 will work, some better then others but at least they are all safe when dealing with shrimps.


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## janftica (Jan 11, 2010)

I have high PH right out of the tap 7.6, so I have never had any luck keeping crystal shrimps. I just bought some from a friend to try again, after I tested my 20 gallon long tank that houses my CPO's. To my amazement my water PH in there is 7 and yesterday after having peat in a bag in the filter it was down to 6.5! I have crystal in there when it was at 7 and they are all still alive! I have GH of 7 yet they seem to be just happy as clams crawling all over my plants etc.

I believe the reason my PH is lower in that tank than any other is because I have a base substrate of Shultz's aquasoil, and lots of driftwood and lava rocks. It's an established tank too, so that may also be a contributor to the mix. Ive tried the PH down and it doesn't do diddlysquat! As soon as you have to do a water change it goes back up again, and as people on this board said...adding chemicals is NOT a good idea!

Try the peat, and lots of driftwood so if that helps, it seems to be working for me.
Good luck.


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## SHMaRiM (Apr 21, 2010)

Thankyou for the information. I figured it would probably not be a good idea since the shrimp are so sensitive but figured I'd ask. As for peat, will the little peat moss starter discs that people use for starting cuttings work? You just add water, they quadruple in size, and they are already in a mesh bag.

Link Below
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41V69BZ42GL.jpg

What other chemicals should I stay away from? Should I stay away from chemicals like seachem prime and other water conditioners?


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

Why buy those, when all you gotta do is get regular peat from a garden supply store? All you have to do is stick a little of it in a mesh bag (I have one that I got free) and stick it in your filter? Waste of money on getting those things 

As for other chemicals, it really is based off of what your priorities are for your tank. Mine are my shrimp, so I limit what I put in, in regards to ferts.


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## SHMaRiM (Apr 21, 2010)

Well I already have a bunch of them and they are super cheap so I figure why not use them if they are usable.

I've been EI dosing, would this be a bad idea with shrimp? Should I just try to limit my dosing and reduce it?


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## msnikkistar (Mar 23, 2010)

www.planetinverts.com/Dosing Fertilizers with Shrimp.html


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## SHMaRiM (Apr 21, 2010)

Haha thankyou for all this help. I've been dosing with KH2PO4, KNO3, and Plantex CSM+B. I guess i'll have to stop using The CSM+B and switch to Kent-Pro Plant. I'll also reduce my KNO3 dosing to a minimal since I have a fairly high light setup and reduce my pressurized c02 just a tad.


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

You might even consider setting up a dedicated low tech shrimp tank. That way you can take care of all of those high tech plants and have a thriving shrimp population at the same time. Just a thought


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## crimsonbull57 (Jan 7, 2009)

Not to hi-jack but...
... Can you just take the peat that's in the mesh bag and stick that into your filter? or would the quick change of pH hurt your shrimp/fish? or does the peat work slowly? also how long does the affects of peat last? 
...again, sorry.


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## Kunsthure (Aug 2, 2010)

I know this thread is a bit old but I've been researching this topic after buying some CRS yesterday for my 13g. 

How low will peat drop the pH? My tap has a pH of 7.8, so can I predict how much it will drop? Does more peat equal a bigger drop? I've read that you can clear up the tea colored water by using charcoal, but would using the charcoal also negate the peat's effect on the pH?

Could I use a mini DIY CO2 setup to lower the pH? The tank is planted but it's anubias, crypts, lace java fern and moss so the plants don't need it. I'm imagining a small Gatorade bottle and 1/4tsp yeast on Jello so it wouldn't be much.

-Lisa


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## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

Kunsthure said:


> How low will peat drop the pH? My tap has a pH of 7.8, so can I predict how much it will drop? Does more peat equal a bigger drop? I've read that you can clear up the tea colored water by using charcoal, but would using the charcoal also negate the peat's effect on the pH?
> 
> -Lisa


You'll just have to experiment with adding peat to the filter to determine how much it will lower your ph. One word of advice is that you should make sure the peat filled bag is well rinsed before adding it to the filter. 

The thing to be aware of with crs keeping is that the stability of your water parameters is the most crucial aspect. Japanese breeders keep their tanks' ph below 6, while some people seem to have success with a ph as high a 7.5.
Regardless of where you fall within that range, you won't be successful (at least in terms of breeding) unless the ph is relatively stable, along with all the other parameters as well.


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