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Is my tap water too soft for Amano shrimp?

MrClockOff

MrClockOff

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Joined
20 Aug 2020
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Location
Bridgend
Hey all

Finally I have moved my house and after a year long break in fish keeping I’m so excited to rebuild my tank with brand new scape.
Luckily now the tap water in my area is pure gold. I think (correct me if I’m wrong) my water has 1.7 dKH and 2.7 dGH. Which makes me wonder if it still OK for Amano shrimp? According to online various sources they prefer 4dGH and above?

My water report is attached.

In case if I need to raise GH what would you recommend?

Cheers
Dan
 

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Hi,

It's not too soft, as in Japan, Nigata district they have had 3:3 dGH:dKH in their tanks many years ago and have been keeping Caridina multidentata successfully.

If you would like to increase dGH only, you could use Qual Drop GH+ Plant. It contains Ca:Mg 4:1 only, or salt's.

Kind regards,

Kris

Wysłane z mojego 2203129G przy użyciu Tapatalka
 
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I have tap water approx 2 dKH and 3 dGH and keep Amanos absolutely no problem at all, even with 40/50% water changes every week and I don’t have to add any additives. However I have struggled with neocaridina shrimp and have to add a small amount of shrimp mineral product my freshwater on changes to avoid moulting problems with these.
 
Awesome, I love simplicity! Thanks everyone for confirming that I won’t need anything additional for my water changes
 
Hi @MrClockOff, You are truly blessed with some great water. While I do I agree with what is said above... keep in mind that 16 mg/L Calcium is certainly at the lower end of the range for shrimps - especially if combined with slightly acidic water. Moreover, there might be seasonal variations that could put the shrimp in the very low zone with respect to calcium contents. I would just make sure to feed them a good mineral source on a regular basis to make sure they won't run into any deficiencies. Also, the Mg level is certainly on the lower end as well - I would bump that a couple of ppm's for the sake of your plants as well.

Cheers,
Michael
 
MichaelJ said:
Hi @MrClockOff, You are truly blessed with some great water. While I do I agree with what is said above... keep in mind that 16 mg/L Calcium is certainly at the lower end of the range for shrimps - especially if combined with slightly acidic water. Moreover, there might be seasonal variations that could put the shrimp in the very low zone with respect to calcium contents. I would just make sure to feed them a good mineral source on a regular basis to make sure they won't run into any deficiencies. Also, the Mg level is certainly on the lower end as well - I would bump that a couple of ppm's for the sake of your plants as well.

Cheers,
Michael
Click to expand...
Thanks @MichaelJ. I’m going full EI for plants(using old APF recipe which includes Mg as part of macros). It worked for me very well before and I hope it will work this time too. Since my tap water is completely different to what I used to, the only thing I was worried it’s Amanos. I’m certain going to inject CO2 and that will drop pH from 7 to 6. Which is a little worrying in regards to shrimp health.
What supplements for shrimp could you recommend?

Many thanks
Dan
 
MrClockOff said:
Thanks @MichaelJ. I’m going full EI for plants(using old APF recipe which includes Mg as part of macros). It worked for me very well before and I hope it will work this time too. Since my tap water is completely different to what I used to, the only thing I was worried it’s Amanos. I’m certain going to inject CO2 and that will drop pH from 7 to 6. Which is a little worrying in regards to shrimp health.
Click to expand...
The pH drop shouldn't be a problem. Plenty of hobbyists around here keep shrimps in soft(er) CO2 injected tanks with no issues.

MrClockOff said:
What supplements for shrimp could you recommend?
Click to expand...
For mineral supplements I use these and scalded spinach which packs a lot of Calcium.

Again, no need to worry too much about the soft water, just keep it in mind and feed a bit of supplements... Regardless of shrimp species they all need a fair bit of calcium, some needs more some needs less depending on how well the stock is adapted...

Cheers,
Michael
 
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Hanuman said:
Why the hell do I bother remineralizing my RO water at 7dGH then? Maybe I should drop that to 5dGH just for the sake of lowering overall TDS. I don't add any dKH.
What you all shrimps whisperers say?
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I haven't tested water in a long time but mine is something like 1dkh and 1dgh at best. Currently have all 3 amanos I introduced in 2020 and cherry shrimp are breeding well.
 
mrhoyo said:
1dgh at best. Currently have all 3 amanos I introduced in 2020 and cherry shrimp are breeding well.
Click to expand...

Anecdotally, this is probably the lowest dGH that I've ever encountered anyone being able to keep shrimps at.

Any chance you could actually test your dGH and report your findings ? Also, what are you feeding your shrimps?

Nice tank! :)

Cheers,
Michael
 
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I don't even think I have any tests left but this is what was said when I shared my water report. I don't remineralise (briefly tried it 3 years ago and it was a PITA) and there's nothing in the filter other than Matrix and sponge.
chrome_screenshot_1687808503035.png
 
mrhoyo said:
I don't even think I have any tests left but this is what was said when I shared my water report.
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I took a quick peek at the Water report you posted here. Judging from the mean column it looks like your dGH is a smidge over 2 (11.13 ppm Ca, 2.12 ppm Mg. 11.13 / 7.14 + 2.12 / 4.34 = 2.05)... What the actual dGH in your tank is can of course only be determined by a measurement, but I guess it will be in that range unless you have anything in the tank leaching Calcium.

if anything in particular, what are you feeding your shrimps?

Cheers,
Michael
 
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Hanuman said:
Why the hell do I bother remineralizing my RO water at 7dGH then? Maybe I should drop that to 5dGH just for the sake of lowering overall TDS. I don't add any dKH.
What you all shrimps whisperers say?
Click to expand...
A couple of factors plays into this I think. Adaptability, food sources and pH. I think you can safely keep pretty much all shrimps at ~5 dGH. It's irrefutable that shrimps needs a good deal of calcium - their exoskeleton is made of calcium after all - (same can be said for snails). However the lower limits certainly depends on how well the stock is adapted, if the shrimps have access to sufficient amounts of calcium from food if not the water. Also, if you're running your tank on the acidic side, say high 5 to 6.5, I think it's a safer bet to be higher on Calcium content. The carbonate content (alkalinity) plays no or a very little role for the shrimps in my experience.
When reading about this from various sources, there appears to be a great deal of confusion about what is possible and what is closer to ideal. Yes, with some luck you can probably keep shrimps at 2 or lower dGH... just as you can possibly keep Rams or Cardinals at 25 or higher dGH as some have shown (I personally find that horrific)... but one have to ask the question if its a good care choice, especially when doling out advice.

Cheers,
Michael
 
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MichaelJ said:
if anything in particular, what are you feeding your shrimps?

Cheers,
Michael
Click to expand...
I don't feed the shrimps or snails, just the fish. They get a rotation of the below:
Hikari algae wafers
Bug Bites
Bug Bites flakes
Frozen artemia
Frozen bloodworm
Frozen daphnia
Frozen cyclops
Micro / banana worms
Very occasionally live daphnia

The stone in my tank is dragon stone which I believe is inert.
 
mrhoyo said:
I don't feed the shrimps or snails, just the fish. They get a rotation of the below:
Hikari algae wafers
Bug Bites
Bug Bites flakes
Frozen artemia
Frozen bloodworm
Frozen daphnia
Frozen cyclops
Micro / banana worms
Very occasionally live daphnia
Click to expand...
Thats a nice variety of food.

mrhoyo said:
The stone in my tank is dragon stone which I believe is inert.
Click to expand...

"Dragon stone" (Ohko Stone) seems to be fairly broadly defined these days...for instance Seiryu (which is not Dragon Stone per se, but often taken as such due to the English translation) will be leaching calcium carbonate to some extent. Of course, depending on your pH and the exact type of stone, it may or may not impact your calcium contents much - I think thats why some sources will say Ohko Stone may raise your hardness and some say it won't. I would like to hear from others about "Dragon Stone", whether it leaches or not from experience.

Cheers,
Michael
 
MichaelJ said:
"Dragon stone" (Ohko Stone) seems to be fairly broadly defined these days...for instance Seiryu (which is not Dragon Stone per se, but often taken as such due to the English translation) will be leaching calcium carbonate to some extent. Of course, depending on your pH and the exact type of stone, it may or may not impact your calcium contents much - I think thats why some sources will say Ohko Stone may raise your hardness and some say it won't. I would like to hear from others about "Dragon Stone", whether it leaches or not from experience.
Click to expand...
I have used dragon stone for many years and IME it is an inert stone but it does crumble and brake much easier than most stones. I don't think it leaches carbonate, I have done acid tests on several occasions, but it could be leaching other things, who knows.
 
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