What Beginner Shrimp To Get?

Hi,
I'm looking to stock my shrimp tank, but I'm not really sure what species to get.
It's a 9G fluval flex, with some plants, and fluval shrimp stratum. pH sits at around or below 6.0, and there's quite a bit of hair algae in it. I don't know gh/kh, but I live in a softwater area.

I've never kept shrimp before, but am confident with freshwater fish. I think my parameters are better suited for caridina species, but they seem to be harder to keep. I can get RCS for 2 dollars, or cull CBS for 4 dollars. Should I get a couple RCS, and then get CBS, or should I just go for CBS first? Depending on my success, I would like to eventually keep CRS, so would getting CBS to "test out the waters" make more sense than RCS, or are CBS too fragile for a beginner, even though they are better suited for parameters?

Thanks

 

If your looking at crystal reds or black bee you really need to go the RO water route as you be able to control your water parameters better, ph of 6 and under is also to low for cherries but there is a way around that but first we need to know your GH/KH so its important to get the test kit, I'd recommend the API liquid test as they are more accurate, once your water parameters are done it'll be easier to advise,

 

If your looking at crystal reds or black bee you really need to go the RO water route as you be able to control your water parameters better, ph of 6 and under is also to low for cherries but there is a way around that but first we need to know your GH/KH so its important to get the test kit, I'd recommend the API liquid test as they are more accurate, once your water parameters are done it'll be easier to advise,

I got a gh/kh test kit, the gh is 3 or 4, and the kh is 2. Is the kh solution in bottle supposed to be orange and the gh solution green-blue? The instructions would suggest otherwise, as the kh is supposed to go from blue to yellow, and gh is orange to yellow? I may be able to get some tap-water raised caridina from around my area if that makes it better?

 

The GH goes from Orange to Green and not Orange to Yellow. Your KH goes from Blue to Yellow which you got right

 

If you can get amano shrimp go for them

 

Well I'm essentially done cycling, and I've tested my tap water. 6.6 pH, 2 GH, 1-2 KH. Correct me if I'm wrong, but could I keep cardina in these parameters, with the potential use of SaltyShrimp GH+?

 

Most definitely! need to raise gh to4or5 for crystal reds/black bee, kh fine at 2/3, your on the ball with salty shrimp, but you need to add it to bring your gh up to 4 or 5

 

Most definitely! need to raise gh to4or5 for crystal reds/black bee, kh fine at 2/3, your on the ball with salty shrimp, but you need to add it to bring your gh up to 4 or 5

And do you think I could pull off using tap water, if I buy some locally-bred tap water specimens?

 

I don't see why not you've got water coming out there that's almost perfect. Using RO water I am reminerslising to just above that, what I'd also do is check with the person who's already doing it with tap what his readings are, if you do go down that road be sure to acclimatise for at least 3hrs longer if possible

 

I don't see why not you've got water coming out there that's almost perfect. Using RO water I am reminerslising to just above that, what I'd also do is check with the person who's already doing it with tap what his readings are, if you do go down that road be sure to acclimatise for at least 3hrs longer if possible

I've gotten in contact with a local seller, they've got:
Ph: 6.6
GH: 5
KH: 0
TDS: 180
They use RO with SaltyShrimp GH+. It looks like this should be doable with tap water. Is "Salty Shrimp Bee Shrimp Mineral GH+" what I'm looking for? And is there any difference between the trial pack and the bottle? The bottle is 4 dollars more expensive for the same weight.

 

Salty bee gh/kh will be the one to bring your Kh up to 3 a kh of 0 and a ph of6.6 could cause a ph swing something you don't want the salty be kh/gh will allow that increase

 

Salty bee gh/kh will be the one to bring your Kh up to 3 a kh of 0 and a ph of6.6 could cause a ph swing something you don't want the salty be kh/gh will allow that increase

So I want the salty bee shrimp mineral gh+, not the shrimp mineral gh/kh+ right?
And would a low KH potentially cause pH swings?

 

I think the gh only will be fine as you say your kh is 2 or 3
Dose the kh drop at all or is it pretty stable

 

I think the gh only will be fine as you say your kh is 2 or 3
Dose the kh drop at all or is it pretty stable

I don't know right now, but I'm asking as reference. From what I've read, many people keep their shrimp with 0 KH, so I'm wondering how they keep or don't keep pH stable.

 

I never keep shrimp below 2kh its normally 3kh I can't answer for them and really don't know how they get away with 0kh all my tanks are 3or4, it's up to you. If that's what they do you can follow suit and try, ask them about ph swing with 0kh and see what they say

 

I never keep shrimp below 2kh its normally 3kh I can't answer for them and really don't know how they get away with 0kh all my tanks are 3or4, it's up to you. If that's what they do you can follow suit and try, ask them about ph swing with 0kh and see what they say

I did some reading online, and apparently a buffered substrate like amazonia will maintain pH levels regardless of KH. In the grand scheme of things, does pH even matter as long as GH and KH are in line?

 

Reading back through the post you say you had a kh of 3/4 if that's still the case just use salty bee gh+ to raise your gh above 5. You can aI'm for 7 or even a little higher it doesn't matter. If your kh is bouncing about then I'd use salty bee gh/kh and that will sort both out. I wouldn't mess with anything else,

 

Reading back through the post you say you had a kh of 3/4 if that's still the case just use salty bee gh+ to raise your gh above 5. You can aI'm for 7 or even a little higher it doesn't matter. If your kh is bouncing about then I'd use salty bee gh/kh and that will sort both out. I wouldn't mess with anything else,

I had crushed coral in the tank to help raise the ph for the cycling process, but now that I’ve pulled it, my tap water is around 2kh but my fluval shrimp stratum buffers the kh and ph down. I think I will go with gh+ only.

 

Ok good luck let us know how it goes