# Planted Tanks > Beginners' Corner >  What is the Best GH and KH for Shrimp Tank

## icewolfsti

Hi Bro, need to seek all your experts help. May i know what is the best GH and KH for a CRS Tank? And what does GH and KH mean? and how do i make it higher or Lower in order to meet the requirement?

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## eviltrain

Best water parameter for CRS will be 24 degree C, gH 3-5, kH 2, TDS 150-200, the rest of ammonia, nitrate nitrite will be zero.

GH is general hardness and kH means carbonate hardness.

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## icewolfsti

I used the API 5 in 1 test Strip and my Gh is like 180mg. so is this too high? What shall i do in order to bring down the GH and KH. Sorry for asking as i am newbie . just cycle my tank for a week only. And i foresee that i will be badly poison by CRS beauty

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## icewolfsti

Hi Bro, can you recommend me which test kits is good in testing and not so ex. as must save my pocket for CRS

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## jjchew

> Best water parameter for CRS will be 24 degree C, gH 3-5, kH 2, TDS 150-200, the rest of ammonia, nitrate nitrite will be zero.
> 
> GH is general hardness and kH means carbonate hardness.


Hi bro
How do you keep your KH at 2 ?
tks

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## hellomyfriend

> Hi Bro, can you recommend me which test kits is good in testing and not so ex. as must save my pocket for CRS


Hi, people usually go for API or SERA test kit.

correct me if i am wrong  :Wink:

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## icewolfsti

Thanks people will go and buy the Test kits again later as my API measuring the GH using the index MG/l and the expert here mention GH like 3 to 5. Which really confuse me. so its better for me to follow those expert. Thanks alot everyone

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## eviltrain

> I used the API 5 in 1 test Strip and my Gh is like 180mg. so is this too high? What shall i do in order to bring down the GH and KH. Sorry for asking as i am newbie . just cycle my tank for a week only. And i foresee that i will be badly poison by CRS beauty






> Hi Bro, can you recommend me which test kits is good in testing and not so ex. as must save my pocket for CRS


test strips are not very accurate. its better to invest on drip test kits. im using sera as the colour can easily be seen. Save up and get all the test kit (pH,gH,kH,Ammonia,NO2,NO3) at 1 go and can last you for quite sometimes

180mg? its around 18 for gH???? 

its better not to save money for CRS, they are too sensitive to be cheap. 




> Hi bro
> How do you keep your KH at 2 ?
> tks


i add 2 bottles of tap water and 2 bottles of distilled water every water change. all inert media inside.  :Very Happy: 




> Thanks people will go and buy the Test kits again later as my API measuring the GH using the index MG/l and the expert here mention GH like 3 to 5. Which really confuse me. so its better for me to follow those expert. Thanks alot everyone


get Sera, its SI Unit is in degree.

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## icewolfsti

Hi bro, is there any products that i can buy from LFS in order to bring down the GH and KH? roughly how much for the sera Test Kits?

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## eviltrain

to bring down the gH and kH, water change with *distilled* water. i say again *distilled* water.

not those stated that they are mineral water. if i were you and there is no fauna inside the tank, i will just do a 70- 80 water change with aged or treated (as in treated with anti chlorine / chloride) water.

this way is to minimize the death of the BB you have build up since start of cycling stage. you can add more bacteria like using Mosura's BT-9 to make up the loss of the BB during water change.

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## jeffteo

> to bring down the gH and kH, water change with *distilled* water. i say again *distilled* water.
> 
> not those stated that they are mineral water. if i were you and there is no fauna inside the tank, i will just do a 70- 80 water change with aged or treated (as in treated with anti chlorine / chloride) water.
> 
> this way is to minimize the death of the BB you have build up since start of cycling stage. you can add more bacteria like using Mosura's BT-9 to make up the loss of the BB during water change.


Uncle Alan so lor soh...

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## stormhawk

He is lor soh for a good reason.  :Laughing: 

Better to be fussy than to see your expensive pet die on you.  :Smile:  eviltrain, in that case an RO unit is necessary? I was thinking of acquiring an RO set for other purposes but if it costs too much I will skip that.

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## eviltrain

> He is lor soh for a good reason. 
> 
> Better to be fussy than to see your expensive pet die on you.  eviltrain, in that case an RO unit is necessary? I was thinking of acquiring an RO set for other purposes but if it costs too much I will skip that.


woot~ i got a feeling you going to set up a shrimp tank soon~

its the same as comparing DIY CO2 and pressurized CO2, cheaper in long term and less trouble. as for the weekly change of water for shrimp tank, 10-20% will be good enough lo. 

BUT, you still have to keep the TDS of the water at 150-200 ppm for survival of shrimplets as the molt almost everyday since they hatch from their eggs.

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## eviltrain

> Uncle Alan so lor soh...


you wants me poison you more ???

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## stormhawk

Looks like I have to read up more. Thanks for the info Alan. My experience is only for Cherry Shrimp but at room temperatures they just don't seem to survive. Some days my home tanks can hit 32 deg C. I might have to invest in a mini chiller for a 1 feet tank.  :Grin:

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## eviltrain

please feel free to read up the sticky in the inverts :X (joking la~)

even for my non fan, non chiller dump tank in the cool area of my room also has temperature up to 29 degree C.

no point la, getting a 2 feet tank and bigger chiller works better. mini chiller can't cope with Singapore weather.

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## stormhawk

No space at home at the moment, need to find spot to set up new tank..  :Laughing:

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## jeffteo

> please feel free to read up the sticky in the inverts :X (joking la~)
> 
> even for my non fan, non chiller dump tank in the cool area of my room also has temperature up to 29 degree C.
> 
> no point la, getting a 2 feet tank and bigger chiller works better. mini chiller can't cope with Singapore weather.


Agreed, 1 feet and below for CRS very difficult to maintain and a normal chiller will be better.
If can insulate the tank even better. I read somewhere that 8mm and above glass better at maintaining the tank temperature if not waste a lot of electricity unless use Styrofoam(Look ugly, and hiao people won't like :P).

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## jeffteo

> No space at home at the moment, need to find spot to set up new tank..


Sounds like you already have a lot of tanks at home... I got a lot of space at my home to help you clear your space...  :Grin:

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## stormhawk

I had 17-20 tanks at one point all in one of my rooms, then I scaled back by a lot. I might restart a new shrimp tank but no place to put a chiller, or another 2 footer without some problems with my family members..  :Very Happy:

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## RonWill

> I had 17-20 tanks at one point all in one of my rooms...


 JianYang... only 20 tanks??  :Grin:  The thought of a all-shrimp tank is devilishly delicious!

Alan, is there no other way to reduce gH by way of natural/organic additive? I can get distilled water by the drum but that's a bit of a hassle. Wouldn't regular tap water do?

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## eviltrain

> JianYang... only 20 tanks??  The thought of a all-shrimp tank is devilishly delicious!
> 
> Alan, is there no other way to reduce gH by way of natural/organic additive? I can get distilled water by the drum but that's a bit of a hassle. Wouldn't regular tap water do?


that will depends on the soil the person using le lor. Some soil are able to soften the water. Pea tmoss can soften the water too but it will give off tanin. 

As for tap water, what i worry is about the metal present in our water supply. I actually have a tank for aging tap water and distilled water mix. A bag of active carbon inside and the aging water is circulated by air pump. 

Hmm. You shouldnt be asking me lei. You are one of the expert around lei.

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## RonWill

Alan, points note and true. Was hoping that there are new products or methods, developed during my hiatus from the hobby. And please orh... while I may have years of experience in fish-keeping under my belt, I never considered myself an expert. Still curious as ever, learning and trying to age graciously...  :Grin:

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## eviltrain

Heehee. Its very easy for you to pick up de la. As long you know the basic knowledge. All these new stuff shouldnt be a problem for you at all.  :Very Happy: 

me myself also keep on surfing around in the net for more infomations. Im a beginner too.

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## icewolfsti

water parameter for tank is 24 degree C, PH 7 ,GH 16, kH 2, the rest of ammonia, nitrate nitrite 0.What is TDS? i put Sera Peat in my filter. wonder any good products to lower my GH.

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## eviltrain

is there any shrimps in your tank now? 

what shrimps are they ?

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## icewolfsti

fire red. and few CRS

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## eviltrain

you can try this method. 

take out 50% of the water. add 1 bottle of 1.5L *distilled water* every 2 days till its full.
use drip method while adding. should be able to 1/2 your gH.

you don't have to add anymore mineral plus.

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## icewolfsti

Thanks Bro, my Gh down to 9 now. =)

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## eviltrain

Wa! So fast?

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## icewolfsti

hopefully by next few days it will drop to 5. i put the Borneowild Humic and Benibachi Fulvic Grain.

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## hellomyfriend

Distilled water got brand one not ah?

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## Fariez

Hi bro. What about R.O water? I hv it at home. I usually replace about 10-20 percent with RO water once every 1-2 weeks. Is this the correct way?. My current GH 8, KH 5, PH 7. Now it seems like every 2-3 days sure got 1 shrimp die. Die ah like that. Somemore i oredy reserved $400 worth of crs n benibachi. If i put in and they die, i also die.

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## jeffteo

RO water is almost as pure at distilled water. If shrimps die, should be due to something else. Did you let the RO match the room temperature before adding it to the tank?

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## Fariez

Errr no i dont. I usually pour straight into the tank from the RO tank and i also use the RO water from my refrigerator. But if that the case, wouldnt the shrimp die immediately and not after 4 or 5 days?

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## alvinchan80

> Errr no i dont. I usually pour straight into the tank from the RO tank and i also use the RO water from my refrigerator. But if that the case, wouldnt the shrimp die immediately and not after 4 or 5 days?


Sorry for my curiosity, mind sharing the set up of your RO unit? I think normally RO unit is direct from tap and passing thru 5-6 chambers of filtration before coming out RO water.. Unless your RO unit has a tube that link to your RO water tank or direct to your fridge...

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## jeffteo

> Sorry for my curiosity, mind sharing the set up of your RO unit? I think normally RO unit is direct from tap and passing thru 5-6 chambers of filtration before coming out RO water.. Unless your RO unit has a tube that link to your RO water tank or direct to your fridge...


Hmm, maybe is the "Diamond" water?

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## Fariez

My RO water features is like this, frm tap to, external filter, into 4 internal filter chamber, into hold tank inside the system. The refrigerator is the one i fill up into bottle and put inside the refrigerator.

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## Reevenz

Can i ask, when doing water change, how do u ensure ur new water has the same water parameter compared with the water in your tank?

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## jeffteo

> Can i ask, when doing water change, how do u ensure ur new water has the same water parameter compared with the water in your tank?


It will never be the same parameter, what we can try is age the water next to the tank to match the water temperature. If really need to do large water change, do it slowly few times to in small volume to avoid sudden change in the parameters. I.e. Remove 10% and and put back 10% fresh water then immediately do another 10%, this will give you a 15% water change. For sensitive shrimps, slowly add back the fresh water in instead of the whole bucket at 1 go. If got time, can use air line tube to slowly fill the water back into the tank.

Main aim is to not stun or stress the shrimps with sudden changes.

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