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Bee Shrimp Challenge

Scouseboyblue

Scouseboyblue

Member
Joined
11 Jan 2021
Messages
71
Location
Liverpool
I’ve been running a few tanks for a few years now Scaped and re-scaped Co2 in a couple of them and all have , after usual initial start up problems , been relatively successful. I’ve overcome pretty much every Algae issue possible and did so with a grin and feeling of satisfaction and superiority that only comes from standing over a vanquished enemy. My wife thinks I’ve lost plot !
So the last few years of keeping aquariums/ aquascapes have been a challenge and journey I have really enjoyed and the weekly maintenance of my tanks has now become my “ME TIME” where I get to switch off from everything else .
But now I want to have a go at running a Caridina/ Bee shrimp only tank .
So this is going to be my next challenge.
The problem I have is I would have to purchase RO water .
So I’m hoping to get some help here .

Set up

Superfish Scaper 90ltr
60x40x40
Co2
Oase biomaster 350

Will go for a Nature style with carpet of MC
Spider wood
Dragon Stone
Fern
Crypts
Stems
MC
Basically ripping off [mention]Iain Sutherland [/mention] Taiwan Bee Not So Nano .
Which still blows my mind

Questions :
Can I run the tank from start up with tap water until cycled . Then drain down and refill with RO water ?
Can I just use tap water but leave for 24hrs + for top ups / 20% water change

Any and all advice will be much appreciated
Cheers
Scouse


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[mention]hypnogogia [/mention] water report googled
And attached
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I’m not an expert with caridina, but have kept raccoon tigers in my relatively hard tap - just a suggestion that you might want to think about what kind of caridina is suited to what your water options are if you don’t want to go RO.
 
It’s not that purchasing RO water is an issue . It’s more could I cycle tank in tap water then drain down and refill with RO and if tap water left for 24hrs could be used for top ups / water change .
Rain water might be the way to go


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Scouseboyblue said:
So this is going to be my next challenge.
The problem I have is I would have to purchase RO water .
So I’m hoping to get some help here .
Click to expand...

@Scouseboyblue , your tap water is not too far off:

Ca 32.6 ppm Mg 6.15 ppm = ~6 GH. This will be fine for your cardina/bee shrimps with a bit of RO/rain water mixed in... Even your conductivity of 286 us/cm (I assume the 286 reading is microsiemens) is not too shabby - a bit high but not alarmingly so. I would just mix in 20-25% rain or RO water with dechlorinated tap water to dial the numbers down a bit and give you some additional headroom for fertilizer.

I know you mentioned space constrains for an RO unit, but if you only need to make 18-22 L (20-25% of 90L) per week or so, it wont take more than a couple of hours with a small RO unit that can be attached to the kitchen or bathroom faucet when in use. If that idea is totally off the table, you can buy RO water cheaply at Spotless water or collect rain water. Of course, you need an outdoor area and appropriate space to make that work for a water barrel.

As far starting up (maturing) the tank goes, I would settle on the water parameters that you're going to do long term.

When you eventually get around to introducing the shrimps make sure you drip acclimate them. They are quite sensitive to sudden wide swings in TDS (also known as TDS shock), so ideally you want to measure the TDS of the water they came in - the bigger the difference between your tank TDS and breeders/LFS water the slower you want to go on the drip acclimation. If you're within 10% or so, you just want to make sure the temperature evens out before introducing them into the tank.

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Cheers,
Michael
 
Last edited:
Scouseboyblue said:
if tap water left for 24hrs could be used for top ups
Click to expand...
Just throwing in my 2c, I would recommend using RO or very low TDS rainwater for top ups because topping up with water that has mineral content will increase your TDS (and possibly KH/GH depending on the source).
 
Ok so thanks for advice etc
Tank set up
69x40x40
Oase biomaster 350
Co2 inline diffuser
Tropica powder substrate + old tropica soil
Spider wood
MC carpet
Anubias
Buce
Hydrocotyle Japan
Java fern narrow / Trident
Rotala Orange
Hygrophila polysperma
Hygrophila polysperma Rosen
Floating Limnophilia Sess

Water at start up + 1 WC
PH 6
TDS 140
RO & Tap water

I’ve an easy - ish supply of RO water for now but looking into a RO unit which is easy to attach and store as and when required. Again , help / suggestions!

So I’m up and running anyway thanks again for advice / tips / suggestions

Cheers
Scouse
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Also, If you have an outside tap, it's sometimes easier to attach to that supply annd then let the waste water go on the garden. Feels less wasteful then.
That's what I do and fill 25 ltr storage containers I have 4 of. The only caveat is cold / freezing weather, take the unit inside or fully insulate it to avoid a blown membrane.
 
So water tested today
Temp 21 c
TDS 140
PH : API test 6.6
PH pen calibrated 5.5
Kh 3
GH 5
Ammonia 0

Plants growing in well as I’ve no live stock I’ve ramped up Co2 to produce yellow / green drop check . Will dial that back at end of week .
Also added a second Superfish 90 led light as the stems at the back seemed to be growing up and over to centre of the tank .
Just need to get Kh Down a bit but so far so good .
Found an ideal RO unit which is on my list of things to buy , which I can attach to garden hose pipe and use as and when required.
Hoping to add Bee shrimp in the next couple of weeks once I’m happy the tank is stabilised.
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So tank looking ok now added a second light which resulted in a massive amount of Green Hair Algae. So used blackout for 4 days which did the trick . Followed this with reduced light hours and now all seems good . Shrimps added . CRS , Blue Bolts and Blue Shadows .
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So all seems good several shrimp berried now so must be doing something right . RO unit purchased and easily attached to garden tap - takes 3hrs to fill 25ltr drum -
10% WC once a week with occasional top ups for evaporation. Now tempted to use RO water in my Juwel Rio 240
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