I will soon be repurposing my cycled 10 gallon tank to start a red cherry shrimp colony. My pH is approximately 7.6 but my kH is only around 4. Do I need to boost kH or can I the shrimp get enough calcium from supplements and/or calcium rich food? Also, I have heard that black gravel is less stressful for the shrimp, so is it a good idea to replace my whitish tan gravel for better results? Thoughts are much appreciated as I am looking very forward to starting my new shrimp colony.
Starting tips for Red Cherry Shrimp
- Thread starter bigtom63
- Start date
That KH shouldn't be an issue, but keep in mind GH (general hardness) is a measure of Ca++ and other divalent ions...KH is carbonate hardness. In any case, RCS are super adaptable and you can always supplement calcium through feeding or by target dosing if needed.
As far as substrate...my guess is the RCS couldn't care less what color it is...black/darker substrates may help color pop but I've kept some on PFS which is a more "natural" sand color and they were just fine.
As far as substrate...my guess is the RCS couldn't care less what color it is...black/darker substrates may help color pop but I've kept some on PFS which is a more "natural" sand color and they were just fine.
I think you would probably enjoy the darker substrate more. The red cherry shrimp will darken their red color more on that substrate than if they were on the lighter colored stuff.
This. Cherry shrimp will try to blend in to darker substrate, so their color will be more vivid.
