My cherry shimp do very well in 7.0-7.2 pH water. The CRS (crystal red shrimp) do like softer water which is why I have a hard time keeping them. I have oyster shells with moss growing on them in my tanks but there is no change in any of my parameters, so it probably doesn't matter. You want to make sure the tannins leach out first before you put the driftwood in the tank. It also helps to keep the wood sunk into the water and not floating. Tannins will change the water parameters and I don't what it will do to the shrimp, but I wouldn't want to try it and find them all dead the next day.
starting out
I have about a dozen cherry shrimp in a 4 gal nano (well, tuppermaid counts doesn't it?)
Setup - A handful of gravel used to seed the "tank" & assorted rocks
pH-7.4, KH-6, GH-6, Temp-76F/room temp no heater
Fluval 1 interal filter w/sponges
7 watt PC light
java moss, java fern, java fern Lace or Windelov, cladophora (?) & duckweed
pond snails -periodically thinned when they come up for air
!
also a piece of oyster shell which for some reason isn't pushing the KH higher.
I thought it would help the shrimp keep their shells strong.
Is it possible that between the shrimp & the snails they are using up the increase of calcium at the same rate that it is being dispersed? & this is why I am NOT getting higher reading?
After more research it seems cherry shrimp like softer water. So now I'm confused. Should I take out the oyster shell ?
I have a 10 gal I'm planning to plant out and move them into so they'll have more room and I can see them better.(Will post pics when done!)
I was thinking of using driftwood in the new tank. I Don't mind the leaching tannins, but will it bother the shrimp?
Also have Hagen Black hermit crab sand "extra fine" for part of the tank.
Does anybody have any idea what this is?
It doesn't say if it's calcium sand, dyed, or what. I'll probably give it the "acid test" anyhow to see if it changes the water quality just to be safe.
Sorry so long .
Any comments would be appreciated by me and the shrimp!
Setup - A handful of gravel used to seed the "tank" & assorted rocks
pH-7.4, KH-6, GH-6, Temp-76F/room temp no heater
Fluval 1 interal filter w/sponges
7 watt PC light
java moss, java fern, java fern Lace or Windelov, cladophora (?) & duckweed
pond snails -periodically thinned when they come up for air
!also a piece of oyster shell which for some reason isn't pushing the KH higher.
I thought it would help the shrimp keep their shells strong.
Is it possible that between the shrimp & the snails they are using up the increase of calcium at the same rate that it is being dispersed? & this is why I am NOT getting higher reading?
After more research it seems cherry shrimp like softer water. So now I'm confused. Should I take out the oyster shell ?
I have a 10 gal I'm planning to plant out and move them into so they'll have more room and I can see them better.(Will post pics when done!)
I was thinking of using driftwood in the new tank. I Don't mind the leaching tannins, but will it bother the shrimp?
Also have Hagen Black hermit crab sand "extra fine" for part of the tank.
Does anybody have any idea what this is?
It doesn't say if it's calcium sand, dyed, or what. I'll probably give it the "acid test" anyhow to see if it changes the water quality just to be safe.
Sorry so long .
Any comments would be appreciated by me and the shrimp!
