# RCS and low KH



## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

I witnessed a molt problem last night and did some research. I was under the impression that the GH was the more important factor in molting for the shrimps. Currently my GH sits around 4. My KH is low at 1 since my tap water is soft in the bay area.

Do RCS need higher KH? Should I start adding baking soda? 

Thanks!


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## Julianzh (Jul 28, 2011)

try gh of 5 or 6. but increase it slowly. kh shouldnt be the problem.


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

Need higher gh for molting. 6+ will do it.


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Thanks! So to confirm, my KH could be zero and it would be okay for the shrimps? On shrimpkeeping it says a KH of 0-10 is okay. I generally don't care about KH so just checking.


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## scx (Sep 8, 2013)

Kh only matters for buffering the ph. Ph is important for molting. Check your pH

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## James He (Sep 17, 2009)

if you water pH is lower than 7, KH would be low.
GH is more important, and RCS likes harder water.


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

The tank is CO2 injected. PH at its lowest goes down to 6.4/maybe 6.2. This is with KH of 1 or less than 2. I plan on bumping up the GH to 5/6, but wondering if I need to bump up the KH. Thanks!


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## Solcielo lawrencia (Dec 30, 2013)

My GH ~1, kH=2. Shrimp have no problems molting.


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

Solcielo lawrencia said:


> My GH ~1, kH=2. Shrimp have no problems molting.


Then your shrimp are a very rare exception...


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## Puddles (Jan 5, 2013)

I have orange rilis in gh5, kh0, and they breed so fast I can't keep up.


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## scx (Sep 8, 2013)

Seems like you just need to raise your gH then. Get some cacl2

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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Thanks guys. Just checked again today. KH is actually around 2-3 and GH was at 4. I bumped up the GH to 5 and then 6 tomorrow with GH booster. Hopefully it'll make a difference.


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## Whitesage (Mar 15, 2014)

ok this is why I go crazy everyone knows something different (many paths to the destination and all) and there are seldom any specifics so i'm having to remake the wheel for myself this is what I have so far unfortunately you will have to research some yourself

From The Shrimp Farm QUOTE 
Scientific Name: Neocaridina heteropoda
Other Scientific Names: Neocaridina denticulata sinensis
Common Name: Red Cherry Shrimp
Other Common Names: Cherry Shrimp, Cherry Red Shrimp, RCS
Origin: Taiwan
Found in the wild: No
PH Range: 6.2 - 8.0
Temperature Range: 65 - 85
Hardness Range:3 - 15 dkh
Life Span: 1 - 2 years
Gestation Period: 30 days
(This is what most information says but it's just too vague to be of ANY use fortunately the shrimp farm also says this) QUOTE
"IDEAL" pH: 7.2
Ideal Temperature: 75
Ideal Hardness: 8 dkh"
Size: Approx. 1/2"
Diet: Omnivore
This (and that tds should be around 200) is the most precise info I've found although for the record I do not know how accurate this is. I'm not a marine biologist.
For months I've fretted, panicked and cried with my RCS. I looked at tons of info on the internet and many forums. I begged Alphaprobreeders for help and he sent me saltyshrimp gh/kh which i used in my new 30 liter tank. My 30 liter tank is now ph 6.8, 4dkh and 4dgh and tds nearly 300. My RCS are not doing well at all with it, but it's perfect for crystal shrimp (which I don't have). With the saltyshrimp I mix 1 spoonful (comes with the box) of it with 2 1/2 gallons(~10 liters) distilled I get ph 7.8, gh 4dgh and kh 4dkh tds a little less than 200. I add 1/2 tsp seachem neutral and get a ph of 7.2 same gh/kh and tds of 250ish. The ph drops to 6.8 in the tank. This is what I get and I have no idea why the ph would be so high with distilled before seachem neutral but i've done multiple mixes and tested with a HM digital ph meter HM TDS meter and tetra easy strips for gh/kh. I'm working on a good combo for the red cherries in my tank. I'm thinking seachem neutral and their plant mineral mix or maybe crushed coral. I'm also stopping the root tabs for my plants for now, the tds in tank is too high and that could be part of my problem. For the record I tried adding 1 tsp baking soda to my 2 1/2 gal distilled mix and it raised ph, gh and kh through the roof, it also raised tds to the 460 range I won't try it again.
It's ALWAYS best to get a spare 5g bucket and experiment with the mix BEFORE putting it in the tank.
ONCE AGAIN do your own test FIRST before making the change to your tank if I had done this I wouldn't still be crying. 
The good news is once you have found your perfect formula you are good to go. It just may take awhile to get there.


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

whitesage, leave out the seachem neutral and leave the ph at 7.8. I think they'll adapt better to that methinks. But do a slow drip to get them used to it.


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