TimmG

Regarding baking soda. This was my first time using it. My water is naturally soft with a low PH without off gassing. So would baking soda be a good way to adjust PH? I think crushed coral would raise the PH too high. But I have never used it before.

Unfortunately not. I also assume it was the water change that did them in. And after some research I also learned that for each single digit change on the PH scale (ex. 6.0 to 7.0) it is 10 times more acidic or alkaline depending on which way you go on the scale. And it compounds. So a 6.0 to an 8.0 is 100 times more alkaline. So the 10 times more alkaline shift probably shocked the shrimp.

I have heard the same. I was hoping they weren't dying from the baking soda. But if it's just the water I understand, it was a large water change.

Posted yesterday about Indian almond leaf lowering PH too much in tank. Got down to lowest readable PH of 6.0 bright yellow in the tube. Took leaf out, 50% water change, then let it sit for a few hours. 1 shrimp died after water change. Tested water after, and PH was 6.4ish. GH was 6, KH was 3 and the 3 necessary 0's were 0's. Let it sit overnight. In the morning PH was back down to 6.0. And 2 more shrimp dead. Along with all 8 mollys huddling in a corner barely moving. Looked online on how to raise PH. Settled on baking soda. Added 3/4tsp and made it to PH of 7. Fish are "happily" swimming about and eating now. Another shrimp died though. And now the water is cloudy. I think I only have 3-4 shrimp left. And I have 30 more coming next week. What the heck can/should I do? I know the hobby is a steep learning curve, but at $5 a shrimp it is a VERY expensive steep learning curve.

Will do thanks for the advice.

My KH is 3. My GH is 5, PH is 6.0-6.2, Ammonia is 0ppm, Nitrite is 0ppm, Nitrate is 0ppm. I add Shrimp Minerals GH/KH+ my tap water has a KH of <1 and a GH of 1.

Hello all. Was at a local mom and pop shop the other day and grabbed 2 Indian almond leaves. Came home and added one to the water. I even posted on here about it (the shrimp got the zoomies). Well now I've had 2-3 shrimp die the rest seem fine, and the mollies took a lot longer to get active than normal when fed. I tested my water and the PH went down from 7.2-7.0 to 6.2-6.0. My well waters PH sits right around 6.8-7. Anyways I did a partial water change and got my PH up to 6.4. How do shrimp keepers add IAL without issue? I know I could just remove it and do more water changes to get the PH back up around 7, but I hear IAL are very beneficial. And if most shrimp keepers use IAL and that special substrate that lowers their PH even more I don't know why 1 leaf in a gravel tank would cause an issue.

Hello all. Ever since I put my Neos in my tank they have been hiding under the sponge filter, and inside some hidey holes I have. Today I put in the first Indian Almond leaf they have experienced in my tank. it hasn't sunk yet, I had to wedge it under the shrimp hide to keep it under the water, then I went out with the family. When I came back the shrimp all had the zoomies. Not in a bad way I think. They just seemed like they were all playing tag in the tank. Going from not seeing any shrimp ever to them swimming all over the place. Is that normal? The tannins? Maybe some other chemical that I don't know about. They weren't all over the leaf just one or two of them out of the 7-8 shrimp I have.

Thank you for your input. I think ill do just that.

Thank you. I was planning on getting 3 ill try to up it to 5-6 don't want to over do the bio load.

I have a 10 gallon tank with a white gravel substrate. I am wanting to get some snails to help with the clean up around the tank. What would you suggest? I like the color differences in the Ramshorn, but I like the shape of the Malaysian Trumpets too. I know MTS dig, and RH dont. What has been your experience with them? I have 6-7 Neocaridinas, and 7 Mollies in the tank.

Hello all. For anyone who has owned or currently has either of these fish what can you tell me about them that isn't explained online when you google their names? Like what are their personalities like? Do they mainly stay hidden? What has been your experience with them?

To preface this post I use tap well water for my fish. Hello. New to the forum, slightly new to the hobby. I have had the aquarium for a couple of months, and mostly all of the parameters are within normal range. After research I found out that shrimp need more KH than what my normal water had. So I bought Shrimp Mineral GH/KH+. I keep a log of the water parameters on a weekly basis. I know mollies can handle a wider range than my shrimp, so I focus on the shrimps parameters instead of mollies. For anyone that knows how to fix the problem I'm going to state, but doesn't know much about neocaridina shrimps water needs here are the requirements. (GH4-8, KH~6, PH6.5-8, Ammonia0, Nitrite0, Nitrate0) Here are my latest numbers. GH18, KH5, PH6.8-7, Ammonia0, Nitrite0, Nitrate0. As you can see my GH is through the roof. I am equating this to the GH/KH+. I have tested my regular tap water and the GH is <1. So I have very soft water. The KH of my tap water is 2. I have to add 2.5 scoops of the shrimp mineral just to get to 5 KH. So my questions is this. How can I lower my GH to be within 4-8, without lowering my KH which is barely meeting minimum as it is? I do have other chemicals I add less frequently like API stress coat+, ammo lock, quick start, and Aqueon Shrimp Essentials) Thank you for your time and attention.

Thanks. My son picked out the shark. If it was up to me it would solely be a planted tank, but the kids like their decorations.

Hello. I'm Timm. Nice to meet you all. Got into the hobby a few months ago, and have been hooked since. I have a 10 gallon aquarium with live plants, mollies, and neocaridina shrimp. It started as something to do with the kids, but they lost interest pretty quickly. Luckily its not a chore for me. I quite enjoy taking care of them.