How can I raise my gH safely in a shrimp tank?

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fishcrazy2

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Mar 24, 2013
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Maryland
Hi,

I checked my gH in my shrimp tanks and it is only 2. I know that it needs to be 4-8 to for my neos. I suspect this is why my shrimp are having a hard time molting and living. When I first set-up the tank the gH was running 6 in those tanks. I checked the gH out of tap and it is also only two. I then checked the gH in my community fish tanks and all of them are 6.

Is there anyway I can safely raise the gH without harming the shrimp? I googled ways, but I don't know if they are shrimp safe.
 

Byron Amazonas

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Jul 22, 2013
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Byron
There are two methods to raise GH. First is with a calcareous substrate, and second is by using the commercial preparations. For your purpose, I would go with a calcareous substrate, such as a sand made from crushed coral and aragonite (not just the coral on its own). Marine aquarists use these for similar purposes, but make sure you do not get a marine substrate which may have salt. Your shrimp tank is presumably not large, so a single bag would be sufficient with some to spare.

To the GH in your other tanks. The GH of the tap water will not change much in an aquarium unless it is specifically targeted by something. In other words, a tap water GH of 2 dGH will remain thus in the aquarium; it might lower very slightly with plants, but I found this to be so little I could not even measure it. My tap water is less than 1 dGH, about 7 ppm.

If you are seeing the GH at 6 dGH, there must be something calcareous in those tanks. Substrates and rocks can do this, depending upon their composition.

Byron.
 

fishcrazy2

AC Members
Mar 24, 2013
85
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Maryland
Not sure, but I have slate and other things like that in my other tanks. I think the driftwood may have brought some of my parameters down in my shrimp tank. My shrimp tank is a 5.5 gallon. I brought some mineral balls to add to the tank not sure how much they will help.
 

Byron Amazonas

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Jul 22, 2013
986
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Pitt Meadows (within Greater Vancouver, BC) Canada
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Byron
Not sure, but I have slate and other things like that in my other tanks. I think the driftwood may have brought some of my parameters down in my shrimp tank. My shrimp tank is a 5.5 gallon. I brought some mineral balls to add to the tank not sure how much they will help.
Slate is not calcareous, so it will not affect water parameters. Marble, lava, dolomite, limestone, aragonite, coral, shells are all calcareous and will raise GH and usually pH. Wood can lower GH and pH but not usually by much. All this depends upon the initial GH and KH of your source water. KH acts to "buffer" pH.

I've no idea what mineral balls are. One has to be careful messing with water parameters as sudden changes can occur and these do harm livestock.
 

fishcrazy2

AC Members
Mar 24, 2013
85
1
8
Maryland
Not sure what I have in that tank to make the GH reading higher, maybe because I used to have shells in there. I am going to try a shrimp safe GH booster to raise the GH +2 weekly (weekly water changes) by dripping method. Until I can maintain a GH of 6. Starting GH out of my tap is 2, thus the tank GH is 2 as well. I have lost several shrimp to molting problems.
 

fishcrazy2

AC Members
Mar 24, 2013
85
1
8
Maryland
Quick update I used GreenLeaf GH Booster to raise the GH (+3) in the tank, it didn't change the KH, but did raise the PH some. I used the drip method to replace the water. Everything seems good so far.
 
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