Does anyone know if its ok to keep CRS in higher ph say around 7.4? All the literature I have read on them seems to suggest they need a ph reading of about 6.0 to 6.8 however It seems to be a big hassle to always get the ph just right. I just got my shrimp today and they seem to be doing fine in ph of 7.4 just wanted to know anyone's experience on the matter. Thanks!
CRS in higher Ph
- Thread starter Snikerz
- Start date
One day doesn't mean much... Keep watching and see... There must be reasons to keep the shrimps in low PH water rather than high ph for success. You can take the risk to try out and find the result by yourself. 
In the wild, these shrimps live in low PH water.
In the wild, these shrimps live in low PH water.
I don't know the hardness at all. I only have the API test kit. The readings are weird because it says 7.6 on the normal ph test and 7.4 on the high range ph test. I'm assuming it's in the middle? Anyways I just wanted to know if I could gradually get CRS to accept higher ph ranges because angelfish seem fine in ph that's not suitable for them. Thanks for the responses guys keep them coming!
Would it be alright if I just add the fluval peat granules directly into my substrate? would that help lower the ph?
One day doesn't mean much... Keep watching and see... There must be reasons to keep the shrimps in low PH water rather than high ph for success. You can take the risk to try out and find the result by yourself.
In the wild, these shrimps live in low PH water.
I don't know if you know but crystal red shrimps don't live in the wild. They were bred in captivity to display their stunning colors. My CRS have been doing fine in ph of 7.6 and are approaching adult size. I just thought that CRS might eventually grow to accept more conditions like the angelfish has( they came from regions with acidic water but now they have been bred in almost any ph level) As for the peat granules they don't really lower the ph at all when placed in the substrate. Maybe I do water changes too much?
The adults will often live and even become berried. IME, the juveniles which survive are very few. I also often lose females after they hatch their berry. Lower grades seem to do better than higher grades but its not an environment which they thrive in. You can add peat to your substrate, but it can be very messy. An easier method would be to pre-treat your water before doing a water change. You could use a holding container and then mix the pretreated water to get the desired ph/hardness range for your tank and for consistency.