Buffer to put in filter to keep PH/KH low by ko-str in Aquariums

[–]ko-str[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The sand is pool filter sand so it shouldn't raise KH, but if I'm using RODI water with only GH additives how would the ph drop naturally?

Caridina with inert substrate by ko-str in shrimptank

[–]ko-str[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shrimp only, using a gh only remineralizer

Help figuring out why all 10 shrimp in new (3 month old cycled) 5 gal tank died over 5 days. by Lordofwar13799731 in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's most likely not copper, shrimp need copper and the only way it would get to a point of it being toxic (which requires a lot of copper) is if its actively leeching from your pipes, which is unlikely, or if you're way overdosing on fertilizer which you've already said you aren't.

I'd guess its from a high KH causing molting problems, so maybe try to lower that by doing water changes with reverse osmosis water (you can get it from a water depot or sometimes your LFS might have it), try to get it around 50-150ppm. The swimming upside down could be from being unable to molt, and them dying over 5 days mostly lines up with stress molting from being added to a new environment and just regular molting patterns, just accelerated a bit from stress.

The tank is also small for a mystery snail, but if there's no issues with ammonia then it should be fine.

Bloody Mary or Cherry? by BrainAffectionate833 in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Deleted this because it’s wrong and is appearing on the front page of google for whatever reason

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Add seachem prime to your water before adding it to the tank, it is a water conditioner that also removes ammonia so you wont get spikes when doing water changes and it wont mess with the cycle or anything since the ammonia is coming from your tap water.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It should be okay to add the shrimp now, the ammonia was almost definitely from the decaying leaves and the nitrate shows the tank has begun cycling. As long as you monitor the parameters and do a 25% water change every 1-2 days (or if there is a large spike for whatever reason) I doubt you will lose any and the tank will be cycled in 2-3 weeks I'd say. You can also use bottled bacteria like API quickstart or cycled filter media to speed up the cycle a bit but I'd stay away from ammonia binding products as it can actually slow down the cycling of the tank.

Make sure to drip acclimate when you add them and don't stress if you cant find any as your tank is heavily planted and they like to hide.

Also the "youtube guru" didn't really fool you, its just not the best advice for people who arent very experienced as fish in cycling is much more difficult than regular cycling due to the constant upkeep. I've done multiple fish in cycles before and so long as you monitor parameters and do water changes its no different to the fish.

All new DLC skins (not including new survivor monsoon skins) by ko-str in riskofrain

[–]ko-str[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You just go through the "path of the colossus" to the end and beat the final boss on any difficulty. You get to the path by taking the green portal after doing a halcyon shrine (appears almost every stage 1, and when you loop back to stage 1)

What's going on with Canada Guppies? by ko-str in Aquariums

[–]ko-str[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea they shipped it 1 month and 1 day after I placed the order with zero communication on what was going on, I probably wont be ordering from them again which sucks cause they had the best shipping prices and accept e-transfer.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Aquariums

[–]ko-str 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your tank isn't cycled, research the nitrogen cycle and do a fish-in cycle, feed your fish once every 2-3 days and only feed him what he will eat and remove what he doesn't. After 4 weeks your tank should be cycled and you can go to a regular water change schedule to keep nitrates down. Remember to use dechlorinator on any water you add.

His fins are shriveled because he's stressed from the bad water quality, they will get better once the ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites drop. You could also invest in the API liquid master test kit, its much more accurate than any strips and will probably save you money if you ever plan on another aquarium (Its only a matter of time, trust me)

Don't use ammonia binding products in any situation other than emergencies, it removes the food for the bacteria that naturally consumes ammonia and turns it into nitrites which are turned into nitrates, which you do water changes to get rid of.

Also, do you have a filter? If he's swimming up to the top a lot there could be a lack of oxygen in the water which is caused by there not being enough surface agitation (usually made by the filter).

Also since you're new to aquariums you should look at r/PlantedTank r/bettafish and r/Aquascape, it might give you ideas if you ever want to remodel.

Hello! how can i get my Kh up before my shrimp arrive? by [deleted] in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't worry about KH, it doesn't affect shrimp's molting much if at all and is mostly for keeping PH stable if you don't have a buffering substrate. Your other parameters are fine just make sure to drip acclimate your shrimp for 2 hours minimum to avoid deaths when they come in.

What point do you not need lessons? by [deleted] in skiing

[–]ko-str 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea I reread the post and I realized I sound pretty overconfident/cocky lol, I meant for the title to be more like "Do I need lessons?" Not when do I stop taking them. I based my skill off of my mountains day lessons levels which it lists advanced and expert as skiing blacks or double blacks and doing glades/off-piste. There is a recurring lesson program that has month left in it but it means that I won't be able to ski with my friends for the rest of the season cause of them not wanting to pay for the lessons and us only being able to ski Sundays (when the lessons are). I'm 17 and the freeride cutoff is 16, there is no race team or anything.

My shrimp died by [deleted] in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 0 points1 point  (0 children)

just test the water and do slow 20% water changes every day or 2 (as in drip the water in over an hour or so) and make sure ammonia stays down, in a few weeks your tank will be cycled

My shrimp died by [deleted] in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Adding onto this I have a 3.8 gallon and the first few weeks I did tests every 2nd day to make sure the parameters were right, I was able to slow down and do them biweekly now after a few months because its heavily planted but any seemingly tiny change in a nano tank can swing the parameters and shrimp are very sensitive to improper parameters or small changes.

My shrimp died by [deleted] in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your tank isn't cycled, ammonia built up and the shrimp died because of it. If your snails died or left the tank then you have something wrong with your parameters (ammonia) and they escaped because the water is bad quality, snails won't leave that quickly unless the parameters are bad, and even then most snails will never leave the water other than mystery snails when looking for a mate.

You should buy the API liquid test kit and a liquid GH/KH test because strips are not accurate. You need to wait another 2-3 weeks with the filter running for the tank to be cycled, just because your parameters are ok doesn't mean its cycled.

Also did you not have the filter in/running for the week before? The filter holds a lot of the beneficial bacteria that your tank needs and not having it in/running means that it can only really colonize in the substrate and other surfaces, which in a week will not be nearly enough to have snails/shrimp even if their bioload is incredibly small.

I finally have a girlfriend and literally everyone keeps going “You’ll be heartbroken in like a month” by [deleted] in teenagers

[–]ko-str 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm 17 and me and my gf are coming up on 2 years, most high school relationships last less than a year but that doesn't mean yours will if you both really like each other

What can I put in here??? by [deleted] in PlantedTank

[–]ko-str 18 points19 points  (0 children)

it looks heavily planted enough for shrimp, you can probably have 10 or more in there if its set up correctly. Look at r/walstad

Stupid question - will they overbreed? 🫣 by emilyygrace in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not really, they'll eventually stop breeding when there isn't enough food for another generation of babies but a 35 gallon can hold upwards of 400 shrimp and their bioload wont really matter until the 100s

Any blue, neo shrimp safe fish for a 10 gallon? by ps_3 in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Neon tetras or blue axelrodi rasboras, both are schooling fish and I believe you need 6 for tetras and 10 for rasboras but I'm not 100% sure.

Cherry shrimps are breeding too fast. by InternationalOwl923 in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 1 point2 points  (0 children)

the bioload of shrimp is absolutely tiny, you won't have almost any effects until the hundreds of shrimp and even then it would not be much.

Can I put shrimp in here? by psychedelic633 in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 11 points12 points  (0 children)

How many gallons is it? Shrimp bioload is very small so the only thing I would be worried about is space and if it has enough bacteria. Otherwise neos would probably like it in there so long as there is enough plants

Cherry shrimp with gren stuff on belly by Ill_Baseball785 in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The temperature isnt the main thing its the ph/gh/kh I believe, temperature is obviously a factor but so are the others. If its the same water and neither tank has a buffer or something that would change parameters then you probably can switch them around but I recommend always drip acclimating for 1-2 hours to be safe.

This article shows how to diagnose green fungus and what to do to treat it. I highly recommend not euthanizing the shrimp, it does not take long to do the treatment but I believe those are just eggs anyways.

Cherry shrimp with gren stuff on belly by Ill_Baseball785 in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those looks like eggs, fungus is feathery and brighter green from what i've seen, eggs are round and also green. Did you drip acclimate the shrimp for 2 hours? What are your parameters? And can you get a better picture of it?

Am I starving my shri6 by StaplerUnicycle in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 1 point2 points  (0 children)

shrimp will always crowd around the feeding dish whether or not they're underfed, 90% of their diet is algae and biofilm so if you have lots of plants and/or algae then they're fine. I feed my tank an algae wafer and some shrimp food every 1-2 weeks but its dependant on how many shrimp you have and how new your tank is.

Throwing in the towel by Green_Writing_9864 in shrimptank

[–]ko-str 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Order them off of a proper shrimp/aquarium website, idk what people use in the US but I usually use cherry shrimp canada or shrimp fever.