# Too high? GH and KH for CRS



## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

GH: 10-11
KH: 6
PH: 6.5
Ammonia:0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:0

Is it safe yet for CRS?

I have an API Water Softener Pillow to lower the GH readings, but if it isn't necessary then I wont do it.

What do you think? :help:


----------



## jkhimnmyz (May 8, 2010)

I have a CRS SS tank and I try to get my KH to 0 and my GH 5 and higher, and for PH i try to keep it below 7
I use RO water for water changes, and if the GH is too high I usually do half a water change with Condition Tap water with Amquel and Nova.


----------



## takadi (Dec 13, 2010)

Wow your Co2 levels must be really high with those KH and PH levels


----------



## jkhimnmyz (May 8, 2010)

Another note: I dont use CO2 for my tank cuz Im afraid of the PH dropping below 6.5. I had pressurized co2 previously but i took it out, even when I had it pumped it was at half a bps.


----------



## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

Takadi, yes pretty high since there aren't any fish or shrimp in the tank. But I stopped over dosing the tank recently so I can start adding fish and shrimp. 

Jk, a GH of 5 or higher is better for the CRS?

What about the water softener pillow? Should I use it? I don't want to keep adding things to the filter.


----------



## jkhimnmyz (May 8, 2010)

In my opinion, the water should be soft if you use RO or filtered water. However if your using tap water, you can condition and let it sit in a bottle or something for it to age. I would not use the softener, cuz CRS are very sensitive to substances even certain foods. So sensitive that I would not use anything other than co2 tablets or excel for fertilization.


----------



## jkhimnmyz (May 8, 2010)

And yes GH is better for CRS cuz a low GH can affect the molting process and you want your shrimps to molt as much as possible. If its too low, add some Calcium +


----------



## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

Can it be too high for them? The tank 120 gallons. That's way too many buckets to keep out for 24 hours. I don't have access to an ro filter. Don't know what to do at this point.


----------



## Captivate05 (Feb 23, 2010)

jkhimnmyz said:


> And yes GH is better for CRS cuz a low GH can affect the molting process and you want your shrimps to molt as much as possible. If its too low, add some Calcium +


The more they molt, the faster they die.


----------



## jkhimnmyz (May 8, 2010)

Captivate05 said:


> The more they molt, the faster they die.


It does? I just know that it increases reproductions cuz when they molt, the female shells release pheromones that attract males


----------



## Shrimps''R''Us (Dec 9, 2010)

jkhimnmyz said:


> It does? I just know that it increases reproductions cuz when they molt, the female shells release pheromones that attract males


True, but premature molting is not good and might cause death. It's take a lot out of these little guys to molt.


----------



## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

Definitely too high. There's almost no chance that they'll breed in water with a kH of 6. How did it get so high?

kH should be 0.

gH should be 3-6.

The gH is easy to correct with water softener resin, but I don't know what you're going to do about the kH if that's how it comes out of the tap and you don't have an ro system.


----------



## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

FDNY911 said:


> GH: 10-11
> KH: 6
> PH: 6.5
> Ammonia:0
> ...


If you live in NYC, I don't know how you have such hard water.

The softener pillow will work, but you really need to lower that kH.


----------



## Captivate05 (Feb 23, 2010)

snausage said:


> Definitely too high. There's almost no chance that they'll breed in water with a kH of 6. How did it get so high?
> 
> kH should be 0.
> 
> ...


LOL, you think 6 is high? At my old place it was between 16 and 18 out of the tap. Thank goodness for RO water. 

I can't get mine to breed in 2-3kH water. If you can't get the parameters down to how low you need it for them, then it would probably be best to look into a different shrimp. Sucks, I know, when you have your heart set on something, but it's more rewarding (and easier) to have success with something that fits the parameters you have than try to struggle against it.


----------



## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

FDNY911 said:


> GH: 10-11
> KH: 6
> PH: 6.5
> Ammonia:0
> ...


Are you using aquasoil? If so, the kH should be approx 0-1.


----------



## darkoon (Nov 11, 2010)

snausage said:


> If you live in NYC, I don't know how you have such hard water.



Correct, NYC tap water has GH of 1, and KH of <1. did you add anything to your water?


----------



## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

Would Manzanita change the KH?? AS2 with Power Sand. nothing else.


----------



## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

I haven't added anything to the water other then excel, flourish and iron.


----------



## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

Ok as far as the RO water is controlled. It's 120 gallons, I have no RO unit nor the money for it, where can I buy RO water? Not sure why the water is that way. Maybe the kit is showing me such high levels because it isn't calibrated? Now i'm getting algae in the tank. Long green hairy strands on the wood and green blankets of algae on the HC, which by the way is melting but I think thats because it was grown emersed.

I am really lost as to what to do. I don't want to add peat to the tank, mostly because I have crazy tannins in the water as it is (very yellow water). I was told adding the pillow will help but it wouldn't be good for the CRS.


----------



## snausage (Mar 8, 2010)

I really feel like you must have added something that shot your gH/kH sky high. Either that or your test kits don't work properly.

AS is supposed to hold the kH below 1............. You can contact the adg shop for their input.


----------



## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

I can't think of anything off the top of my head that could have caused that. Filter has Carbon for the tannins, Purigen and normal media. I used a Diatom Filter a week ago. I use Excel, Flourish and Iron. Co2. AS2 PS. Manzanita. Other than those things nothing else. No accidental spills, no child-sabatoge lol.

So about the RO question?


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Your most stable way to go will definitely be to use RO water. You might be able to find it for sale at an LFS that caters to saltwater hobbyists if not at a grocery store.

Buying an RO unit would be much cheaper in the long run than buying water, though. We've got one that mounts under our sink that we use for drinking water anyways.


----------



## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

So its not that I have to remove all the water in the tank, more like slowly replacing it during water changes with the RO a little bit at a time? Any negatives to using RO?


----------



## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

Oh Congrats on the Mod Status! Your very helpful, so it was a good choice.


----------



## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Thanks!

Yes, you'll want to make the replacement somewhat slowly since you want to give the shrimp time to acclimate.

But you'll end up needing to use a MUCH higher percentage of RO water to tap water. You can do the math to figure out the best concentration. I'd probably do something along the lines of several 30% water changes, then several 50% water changes, till you finally get the gH and kH down where you want them to be.


----------



## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

Thanks laura, I'm going to look into getting an RO.

I did a test on the water straight from tap and I got 1 KH and 2-3 GH.
My tank was 5 KH and Gh 6. I added the pillow today and removed all the carbon. 
We'll see how it goes tomorrow.


----------



## darkoon (Nov 11, 2010)

FDNY911 said:


> Thanks laura, I'm going to look into getting an RO.
> 
> I did a test on the water straight from tap and I got 1 KH and 2-3 GH.
> My tank was 5 KH and Gh 6. I added the pillow today and removed all the carbon.
> We'll see how it goes tomorrow.


that's a bit odd, my tap water here in brooklyn has KH of <1, and GH of ~1. same as the NYC water report.


----------



## FDNY911 (Dec 6, 2009)

Yea the KH changed as soon as it was mixed with the first drop. The GH was on the 2nd drop but it was very light so I added the third just in case. From what you guys see, there isn't anything in my tank that should be raising these parameters correct? I'm going to take a sample of my tap and my tank water to the LFS to have them test it. Maybe my test is exaggerated due to it not being calibrated.


----------



## meg.r.mccormick (Sep 14, 2012)

*you may want to try Mosura Soft Water the sell it at elite invertibates since to have no shrimp in the tank and it's made to shrimp tank it perfectly safe to use. just make sure to take it out once the water per. you want are meet.*


----------



## crypticmonk (Sep 6, 2012)

meg.r.mccormick said:


> *you may want to try Mosura Soft Water the sell it at elite invertibates since to have no shrimp in the tank and it's made to shrimp tank it perfectly safe to use. just make sure to take it out once the water per. you want are meet.*


Yeah, but Mosura Softwater reduces GH too, doesn't it?


----------

