# High PH, Soft Water and dying shrimp



## Coralbandit (Feb 25, 2013)

Crushed coral will work but is hard to control.If in tank use make sure it is in a bag so you can remove it.
Better to try to adjust the replacement water(safer also).
Have you tried using a "cuttle bone" for birds?They dissolve very slowly and help add minerals to the water to increase hardness.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

GH does not affect pH. What is the KH? 

If water changes seem to cause problems, what are the results of all the tests you have, done on tap water? 
Do you have any fish?


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## Red Cloud (Nov 11, 2014)

Don't use crushed coral unless you want your ph to go up because it contains calcium carbonate, which is what your kh is. I had the same problem with shrimp die offs from low gh and I added Seachem Equilibrium and it seems my shrimp are doing better and it did not affect ph

Obsession is a matter of opinion


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## dumpsta (Jan 28, 2015)

I feed hikari crab cuisine which has a picture of a shirmp on the package, for healthy shell growth. All i put in the water is dechlorinator. 

KH
2 drops for tap water
1 drops for tank water

It's hard to correspond the exact shade of green to the ph chart, but my tank ph is higher than my tap for some reason. 
I've used this tap water for several years for fish.


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## Red Cloud (Nov 11, 2014)

I re read what coralbandit said about keeping the crushed coral in a bag. That might not be a bad idea because your kh is so low. With a kh of 1, it is going to allow your ph to fluctuate dramatically, which shrimp don't tolerate well. 

Obsession is a matter of opinion


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## JoseGraciani (Jan 28, 2015)

It could be your substrate. I have a 7.6 ph in my aquarium but I use TipFin black gravel. After testing a control tank ands tank with gravel in it, I deduced that the gravel is a huge load on tgepH. I'm pretty sure when I switch to Fluval stratum the pH will drop which will allow me to control it. Tap water has a lot of buffers in it that basically make it uncontrollable so I use RO water and a mineralizing chemical that good for shrimp to create the perfect conditions for my ghost and red cherry shrimp. Also, check your water hardness, TDS, and carbonate hardness.


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## deedee71 (Jul 26, 2013)

Dumpsta can you use a remineraliser to increase gh to at least 4? They maybe unable to shed?

I find water changes can be stressful to shrimp.


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## dumpsta (Jan 28, 2015)

You know, its probably is my substrate. It's National Geographic petsmart black sand and i remember reading that it may affect the ph. I also have a big chunk of driftwood which i think brings down the ph. 

The reason for the water changes is my 1 amano shrimp. He poops non stop. Plus, i actually like vacuuming 

I will goto the pet store and see what they have as far as mineralizing.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Green? 

What brand of test are you using? 

There are 2 separate tests. 

GH is General Hardness. It measures Calcium and Magnesium. It has nothing to do with pH. The API test changes from yellow to green. 

KH is Carbonates. It measures carbonates and bicarbonates. These are buffers that stabilize the pH. High KH almost always means high pH, and difficult to change. Low KH usually (not always!) means low pH, and easy to change. The API test changes from blue to yellow. 

Both sorts of hardness can be reported by counting the drops in the API tests and calling it degrees (German degrees of hardness).


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## Red Cloud (Nov 11, 2014)

Yes you can remineralize the water with stuff like Seachem's equilibrium for gh and Alkaline buffer to increase kh. Or you could try their equilibrium. I also had the same problem with shrimp molting, and it was suggested that I use cuttlebone, which is for birds and adds minerals. I couldn't find it at my lfs so I tried the Equilibrium, and my shrimp seemed to react well to it. I've since had several baby shrimp molt with no problems. 

Obsession is a matter of opinion


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## Yukiharu (May 3, 2014)

I throw a little cuttlebone in my tank, and a little bit in gallon jugs full of aged and treated water, so that the parameters are closer.


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