# Does lack of GH kill shrimp?



## krak256 (Sep 6, 2007)

Default Does lack of GH kill shrimp?
Currently, my shrimp take has a death every couple of days. I can't seem to figure what's killing them. These are my water parameters:

GH: no matter how many drops I put in (20+), I couldn't get the test dropper to change color. So I think the water is SUPER soft. I think I may have no GH at all.

KH: 50-100ppm
PH: 6 or maybe even lower. Test kit couldn't read past 6
Nitrite: .1
Nitrate: 20
Ammonia: 0 - .25

What should I do? I'm not dosing with calcium or anything. One thing I do notice tho, sometimes when there's a dead shrimp, there's also an exoskeleton left too. Maybe they died while molting?

I'm also trying to get my ammonia/nitrite down with water changes. I'm using Schultz Aquatic Plant Soil as a substrate. Does that have any affect? Right now, I'm not using a heater in the tank because my room can get very warm. I'm using a sticker thermometer, which I will switch for a real one... but it reads 75-82 degree swings throughout the day depending if I have the heat on.

Another thing, if I don't heat new water going into the tank, will that hurt the RCS?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

i'd recommend retesting your water..

But theoretically, low/no GH water like pure RO water will kill water inhabitants. It throws off the whole osmosis thing.

Try dosing calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate.


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## krak256 (Sep 6, 2007)

mistergreen said:


> i'd recommend retesting your water..
> 
> But theoretically, low/no GH water like pure RO water will kill water inhabitants. It throws off the whole osmosis thing.
> 
> Try dosing calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate.


I started dosing Excel Equilibrium. That has both. Should that help?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

I know shrimps and snails need GH to live... Check your GH after putting in equilibium.. If you have to do this on a regular basis, it'll be cheaper to buy epson salt and some sort of calcium (CaCl2 or CaCO3 etc)..

You have to check your other issues too.. Ammonia & nitrite is deadly.. Your tank hasn't completely cycled?


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## dhavoc (Mar 17, 2006)

in my GH test kit, you multiply the number of drops to change color by 20 to get the GH, so if your water never goes from pink to blue, your water is VERY hard. if it goes blue on the first drop, your water is very soft. try and test again. you still have traces of ammonia and nitrites, that is bad for shrimp. also, the higher the water temp, the lower the disolved oxygen content. those stick on thermometers are about as accurate as a wild ass guess, get a more accurate meter. lastly, are the shrimp new? if yes, they may be stressed already or have a pre-existing problem. do a 25% partial water change, it cant hurt.


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## krak256 (Sep 6, 2007)

mistergreen said:


> I know shrimps and snails need GH to live... Check your GH after putting in equilibium.. If you have to do this on a regular basis, it'll be cheaper to buy epson salt and some sort of calcium (CaCl2 or CaCO3 etc)..
> 
> You have to check your other issues too.. Ammonia & nitrite is deadly.. Your tank hasn't completely cycled?


Epson salt has magnesium in it? I had a guppy in my tank before, cycling it. Plus, I'm using water from my established tank. It should be cycled. I think the nitrites and ammonia is from the dying shrimp? I'm not too sure though.

dhavoc, I just got a new thermometer in the tank. It definitely has a more accurate reading. I'm going to get a heater to stabilize the temp. Maybe the fluctuations in temp was killing them? I'm using the API GH/KH test it. For that, the more drops you put in, the higher the level of GH/KH. I live in NYC and we are known for having soft water. I haven't dosed any other minerals before, so I doubt my GH is high.

Thanks for everyone's input! It's so fustrating to come back home and see another dead shrimp. Oddly enough, I care about them more than my fish lol...


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Do a water change... Your tank is not cycled yet even if you used aquarium water.

Epson = Magnesium sulfate..
don't forget calcium



you only need a small amount in the tank.


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## krak256 (Sep 6, 2007)

mistergreen said:


> Do a water change... Your tank is not cycled yet even if you used aquarium water.
> 
> Epson = Magnesium sulfate..
> don't forget calcium
> ...


I started dosing with Seachem Equilibrium. Would that solve my lack of minerals? I set up my tank 2 weeks ago, shouldnt it be cycled?


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## modster (Jun 16, 2007)

what kind of shrimps do you have in the tank? some sensitive shrimps cant survive the ammonia level you have.


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## krak256 (Sep 6, 2007)

I have red cherry shrimp. I've been trying to lower the ammonia, but its a slow process or nothing is happening.


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## modster (Jun 16, 2007)

well... RCS are good survivors. I am not sure if your ammonia and nitrite are the real killer, but if i were you, i would remove the shrimps and try to get the tank completely cycled first. You said you set up the tank 2 weeks ago. How did you set it up? Your pH seems a bit low with your kh. Do you have anything special like driftwood in there? Equilibrium should work, but i use electro-right myself.


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## krak256 (Sep 6, 2007)

Modster, I used Schultz Aqua Soil for substrate. I have two rocks in there, I forgot what type they are, but the LFS told me they were inert and safe for shrimp. I have a pic of the tank which I will attach later. The rock is smooth, round, black and poreous. I added hornwart from my established tank as well as some java moss. 

Other than that, the equiptment is a heater, thermometer, in the Eclipse System 3 tank. I added a new carbon filter, but the biological wheel is old. 

Temp averages 80-83. I'm not sure what is causing the low PH. Even my established tank has a PH that low. 

This morning, 2 more shrimp died. Sigh, this is fustrating. Should I just move the shrimp to my established tank and just let the nano sit for a while? If so, what do I have to do to make sure its cycled? Should I remove all the water and restart?


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## krak256 (Sep 6, 2007)

When I came home today, I fed my them. The last 2 seemed fine. Then I saw this shortly after....
View attachment 6145


The arrow is pointing to the half shed exoskeleton. I now believe more that they are having trouble molting and its killing them. I started dosing Equilibrium 2 days ago and the calcium still hasn't taken affect?


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## modster (Jun 16, 2007)

How long have you had those shrimps? Another possible problem that i can think of is copper poisoning.


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## bencozzy (Jun 2, 2006)

ammonia- microbe-lifts nite out II will do wonders to cycle a tank quickly.

copper-seachems cuprisorb will help remove copper

calcium or lack there of-calcium sulfate has worked best for me, aragonite or crushed coral will help as well.

my kh is at 17 ppm and my GH is 75ppm i have soft water and have never had problems with my shrimp sounds like they are being poisoned by something in the water be it ammonia or copper. which i highly doubt its copper since i have copper plumbing have been using the vitamin and mineral 7 day pyramids which have copper in them and feed foods that have copper.

really your cherries should adapt to what ever kind of water you put them in if your worried about it being to soft just add some crushed coral and that should do the trick no need for constant testing and chemicals.

your shrimp look a bit older as well which means they are less forgiving from shipping and such stresses as being put in new water types and new tanks.


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## Kenshin (Feb 26, 2007)

Your tank was never cycled before you place the RCS in there. Just because you use aquarium water from another established tank does not mean it will make a new tank cycled right away. The only way to decrease the cycle time is to use substrate from established tank or by running a power/sponge filter and water from established tank to your new tank (since you already picked out your substate already).


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## kayakbabe (Dec 29, 2005)

I have a question.. might be silly but you sure you are having shrimp deaths? Could they just be not finished molting? Mine kinda lay there for a while, it's kinda like they are passed out or something.

Also I keep my cherry shrimp at a kh of 8 and gH between 10-12. pH of 6.6. They do fine, breed, and grow. So your gH is not too low.


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