# High Gh/Kh



## sohankpatel (Jul 10, 2015)

Too high for neos, I keep mine in gh 10, and kh 7. You dont need a super expensive RO unit, as shrimp tanks usually have small WCs and not as often as a fish tank. I would mix ro and tap until you get a gh near what the shrimp you are purchasing were raised in.


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## Vinster8108 (Sep 1, 2016)

Just for reference, my cherry shrimp do well with GH 10, KH 4, pH 6.4-7.2.


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## Zoidburg (Mar 8, 2016)

Not recommended, but it is possible.


I mix hard water with soft water. Hard water is 19 GH and 10 KH. At minimum, it's mixed with water that has 3 GH and KH, or if I'm in the mood, mix it with RO water. It somehow still manages to be about the same... (I've got soft tap water... too soft for shrimp)


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## joshuachad (Apr 4, 2017)

So doing a 50/50 mix of RO with TAP i get about GH 8/ KH 8 and my PH is 6.4. Out of TAP is usually around 7.4. Is that too low of a PH for RCS or is PH not as important with RCS? Caveat I am injecting C02 into the tank. I have been debating whether to not do this but I still have a lot of surface agitation as I was under the impression that shrimp like high 02 levels. Sorry for being such a noob but ive just recently got the shrimp bug and trying to learn as much as I can.

Another caveat, which is pretty embarrassing, but Ive killed off about 10 RCS the first go round so trying to keep these guys going.


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## Zoidburg (Mar 8, 2016)

Neos do generally prefer higher pH levels, but it is possible for them to thrive in lower pH as well. Just need to be careful with CO2.


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## roadmaster (Nov 5, 2009)

I keep gobs of cherry shrimp in 12dgh and pH 7.6 from the tap and temps around 76 degrees F
No CO2.


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## JustJen (Jun 20, 2011)

My GH isn't that high (8-9), but my KH is 19 and my PH is 8.3. I keep neo shrimp without any problems.


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## harley (Jul 24, 2015)

joshuachad said:


> So doing a 50/50 mix of RO with TAP i get about GH 8/ KH 8 and my PH is 6.4. Out of TAP is usually around 7.4. Is that too low of a PH for RCS or is PH not as important with RCS? Caveat I am injecting C02 into the tank. I have been debating whether to not do this but I still have a lot of surface agitation as I was under the impression that shrimp like high 02 levels. Sorry for being such a noob but ive just recently got the shrimp bug and trying to learn as much as I can.
> 
> Another caveat, which is pretty embarrassing, but Ive killed off about 10 RCS the first go round so trying to keep these guys going.


In my experience, the most important thing is to get shrimp from someone who keeps them in similar parameters to what yours are (or what you end up with mixing RO/tap). I failed miserably ordering them from a place on Amazon, but have had great success with the shrimp I bought from L.R. Bretz. If the water info isn't listed by the seller contact them & ask.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


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## joshuachad (Apr 4, 2017)

Yeah thats what I am thinking to. Ive been checking his site but it always says out of stock for everything


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## Zoidburg (Mar 8, 2016)

The shrimp from Amazon were probably Taiwan imports raised in Caridina parameters. With the stress of being adult shrimp shipped multiple times, then eventually made their way into an aquarium that is probably geared towards the higher end of Neo parameters, or at least not Caridina parameters, it's no surprise that many of them fail to survive.


Lucas Bretz does have some great looking shrimp! I think he's been kind of busy lately, but may have some fire reds available soon. He said he'd announce when on his Youtube channel.


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