# Best Substrate for Shrimp



## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

probably not the "best" but the shrimp love my simple petco sand substrate lol. they find all sorts of goodies


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

I believe for the sulawesi shrimps you don't really want to use the more popular "active" substrates for CRS/bees as they will buffer the pH much too low. Hopefully guppies or some other of the sulawesi keepers can chime in, but from what I remember they just used sand (or any inactive substrate) and buffered the pH with crushed coral and lava rock.


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

i like pool filter sand. its made to be wet so it does not compact like alot of sands do and its already clean you dont need to rinse it. plus its cheep most of the time $10 fir 50 lbs


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

wicca27 said:


> i like pool filter sand. its made to be wet so it does not compact like alot of sands do and its already clean you dont need to rinse it. plus its cheep most of the time $10 fir 50 lbs


ha! i would never trust not rinsing sand. EVER.


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## sbarbee54 (Jan 12, 2012)

Best sunbstrate is like asking what is the best car out there... Allot of people like different stuff. Depends on the shrimp you want to keep. Fire reds can be kept in anything as long as you keep your ph stable, and in the range of 6.5-7.8. All it comes down to is clean water and stabillity. As long as you have the right PH for what you want to keep. Pool filter sand is great, ADA substrate is great for buffering, so is FLuval Shrimp Stratum, UP-Aqua, Akadama, Azoo, and many others.


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

Thanks, I already have some Azoo Plant Grower Bed but wasn't sure if this would be compatible with Sulawesi shrimp. Maybe it doesn't matter if I'm adding the Sulawesi Mineral 7.5 to the water.


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## wicca27 (May 3, 2009)

i have never rinsed pool filter sand it is made to be clean to go in a filter if it was not i wouldnt do its job and i have 6 tanks with it and i use miracle grow organic potting soil under it for the plants but that is just me

i would set up the tank and get it going and after you add the cherry shrimp test it im not sure what it would do. i am betting it will lower the ph and even with minerals you will prob have to use crushed coral but might just end up with something neutral cause the soil will fight the coral. deff run some test and im sure you will figure it out in plenty of time to while gettin used to the shrimp before you get cardinals


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## Alpha Pro Breeders (Jan 26, 2010)

davrx said:


> Thanks, I already have some Azoo Plant Grower Bed but wasn't sure if this would be compatible with Sulawesi shrimp. Maybe it doesn't matter if I'm adding the Sulawesi Mineral 7.5 to the water.


I've always used aquarium sand or crushed coral for Sulawesi shrimp.


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## somewhatshocked (Aug 8, 2011)

+1 on crushed coral. It's usually about $5-$10 for a 20 pound bag at your LFS. It can even be ordered and shipped for $20 or so. Comes in a variety of types and sizes and can look really great in your tank. It's also easy to mix it with sand without looking too messy or unsightly.


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

I've got Cichlid sand that should do the same as crushed coral but will the fire reds be able to tolerate the hard water? Also, what plants am I going to be able to grow in Cichlid sand?


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

davrx said:


> I've got Cichlid sand that should do the same as crushed coral but will the fire reds be able to tolerate the hard water? Also, what plants am I going to be able to grow in Cichlid sand?


Fire reds should be able to tolerate the hard water as long as you drip acclimate them slowly in. Any plants would be fine if you're planning on dosing ferts. You may need to use plant weights to keep plants rooted in the sand though.


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

I wonder if MTS capped with Cichlid sand would work for plants and cardinals? Anyone ever try this combination?


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

Sounds like you would benefit greatly with a substrate to help buffer a higher ph water environment. I would skip the pfr's entirely since your ultimately going with Sulawesi. The pfr's need much lower ph and temps.


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

acitydweller said:


> Sounds like you would benefit greatly with a substrate to help buffer a higher ph water environment. I would skip the pfr's entirely since your ultimately going with Sulawesi. The pfr's need much lower ph and temps.


I need something to keep in the tank until it ages/cycles enough for the Cardinals. They're way too expensive to risk.


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## shrimpnmoss (Apr 8, 2011)

Do I hear someone is doing an antique Sulawesi tank?.....Subscribed!....even though the journal is not up yet!


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

davrx said:


> I need something to keep in the tank until it ages/cycles enough for the Cardinals. They're way too expensive to risk.


snails!


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

GeToChKn said:


> snails!


Good idea, Tylos maybe.


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## antiquefloorman (Oct 8, 2011)

I have MTS topped with Eco-complete and I cannot get my Ph above 6.4. Don't think you want that with your sulawesi shrimp.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

I am not a chemist but I can't think of any reason that the crushed coral or cichlid sand wouldn't over power the relatively minor pH lowering of the MTS. Even with Miracle Gro (which has more organic content and tannins IIRC than MTS) doesn't lower pH a ton. I would imagine that the aragonite should be able to overpower the tannins.


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

I'm wondering if instead of the substrate providing what the Cardinals need, if lace rock might provide enough and it wouldn't matter what kind of substrate I used.


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## AlisaR (Dec 7, 2011)

I use gravel + a bit of shell in my planted tank with pockets of Azoo plant grower.
There's an aragonite baggie in the filter.


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## kuni (May 7, 2010)

Use lots of tufa rock. It'll keep your pH up, shouldn't affect your hardness, and it'll grow biofilm for your Cardinals. Then add a thin layer of sand for looks.


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

GeToChKn said:


> snails!


+1... snails create massive amounts of bioload more so than PFRs and much cheaper.


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## madness (Jul 31, 2011)

Tylos aren't cheaper than PFR.

Cool snails though.


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## davrx (Feb 19, 2010)

I think I'm going to just go with some Caribsea Instant Aquarium Sunset Gold sand since it's inert and let some Seiryu stones and Sulawesi Mineral 7.5 take care of the water parameters. Instead of a planted tank I think I'll do an Iwagumi with some moss and a piece of driftwood.


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