Any Experts About Ph And Gh?

[dingweding]

After a huge loss on my expensive shrimps recently, i have to lower the PH and GH,KH of my tank water.

my tank water and tap water are quite similar, both PH 7.8, GH about 15, KH about 12.

i need to reduce them to PH about 6.5, GH about 5, KH about 2.

because i do not have RO equipment and distilled water will cause buffer problem.

i decide to go for peat. However, how much peat should i put in the filter, and how often should i change the bag?

btw, my tank is only 30L

Many thanks

 

[PRW1988]

Well Im no expert on Gh or Ph but I know enough to get me by. Generally shrimp can adapt very well however when the molt they are most vonerable. In regrads to the peat moss, just put as much as can fit in the filter comfortably without cramming it in there. Leave it untill the desired Ph is reached.

Now, how long has the tank been set-up and running for, hard water means nothing really in regards to shrimp nor does Ph as I said. But if the tank is immature then that may be your problem, shrimp IMHO should be the last thing added to any tank, saltwater or freshwater as they can be quiet sensitive.

Also, I generally recommend using the drip method over about a 2hour time frame to let the shrimp slow acclimate itself, usually about 1-5drops per minute.

 

[dingweding]

Thanks for the answer, it is armatured tank, and i have other type shirmps live there happliy. But for these new little guys, although i did acclimate them well, they are damn sensitive.

They did not die the first 24 hours, they gradually die later, after asking many questions in shrimp forum,
i now know the reason is my water is too hard for them, they are from far east, cost me more than £300,
and died one by one


what is difference between peat and peat moss? is it same thing? i was told it will cause nitrate rise as well, so a little worried.

if i put them in filter, should i change them every month? and because these shrimps are so damn sensitive, i donot
know how i should add it, maybe just a little bit every week?

 

[Colin_T]

peat and peat moss are the same thing
peat will actually lower nitrates in the water for a while. If you replace the peat frequently then it will continue to help lower the nitrates.

What sort of shrimp are they? most shrimp actually need some minerals in the water so they can develop strong shells. If the PH is too low the acid water will actually weaken their shell and cause them to become soft. A low KH will encourage the PH to drop.

Shrimp normally die from poor water quality. If they lived in the tank for a week or more then it won't be the PH or hardness. It is more likely ammonia, nitrite or nitrate that caused the problem. Or a medication used in the tank.
Did you use any medication in the tank a few weeks before or while you had the shrimp?

If you have an alkaline PH (PH above 7.0) then any ammonia produced becomes very toxic and will kill fish and shrimp. How long was the tank set up for before the shrimp were introduced?
Were the filters established and had the tank been cycled before the shrimp were introduced?

 

[dingweding]

Yes, it set up for a few months, and 2 month ago i change the substrate special for these new shrimp, they are high grade Crystal Red. I have low grade and cherry in other tanks, they are doing fine and breed a lot. However high grade ones are far too difficult.

I did test all those NO3, NO2, NH3, all normal, zero. And they just died one by one, esp after water change, no matter how careful i am, and my tap water has same ph, kh etc with my tank water, can treated as well.

those guys in Japan told me the problem is water in london is too hard for them, because they live in very soft water ph about 6.2 gh about 4 or 5.

i never used peat b4. and worried.

 

[PRW1988]

Don't trust what people tell you, they may have just sent you a bad batch and they don't want to admit there mistake. Shrimp adapt very well so don't go blaming your towns water supply.

 

[Colin_T]

if they are dying after water changes it could be copper in your water pipes, or chlorine in the water. Do you dechlorinate the tap water before using it in the tank, or do you just add new water to the tank and then add dechlorinator to the tank?
How much water did you change during water changes?
Maybe there is something in the bucket you use for water changes. Has anyone been using the fish bucket for any other purposes?
How long after you got them did they die, a day, a week, a month. When did the first one die?

 

[PRW1988]

excellent question collin... now get some sleep!

 

[dingweding]

if they are dying after water changes it could be copper in your water pipes, or chlorine in the water. Do you dechlorinate the tap water before using it in the tank, or do you just add new water to the tank and then add dechlorinator to the tank?
How much water did you change during water changes?
Maybe there is something in the bucket you use for water changes. Has anyone been using the fish bucket for any other purposes?
How long after you got them did they die, a day, a week, a month. When did the first one die?

i appreciate your help, but i am not a newbie, i keep fish many many years, and shrimps as well, with very good result.
i did water change 20% once per week , water has been setteled about a week, and treat with conditioner, as i explained in last post.
and i do these for all my shrimp tanks, never had problem. For these new shrimps, if you keep them, u will know how sensitive
they are, why i ask ppl in Japan is, they are the breeder, and i bought from them, you can not find these shrimps in the UK,
and i am 100% sure the reason they die is because the PH and DH too high, i already know someone have similar experience.


i just want to ask how to use peat, not something else.

sorry if i offend u.

 

[PRW1988]

Not to sound rude, but then you should've named the thread "How do I correctly use peat to lower my Ph?"

 

[Colin_T]

that's fine, no offense taken

Get some peat from a hardware or nursery. Make sure it does not have any fertilisers added to it. Put the peat into a fine mesh bag and put the bag into a filter. The water will pass over and through the peat. The peat will release tannins (brown colour) into the water and slowly lower the PH. Replace the peat each month with some new stuff. Put the used peat on the garden

 

[dingweding]

that's fine, no offense taken

Get some peat from a hardware or nursery. Make sure it does not have any fertilisers added to it. Put the peat into a fine mesh bag and put the bag into a filter. The water will pass over and through the peat. The peat will release tannins (brown colour) into the water and slowly lower the PH. Replace the peat each month with some new stuff. Put the used peat on the garden

Many thanks, but how much should i put in the filter? the tank is only 30L, i have an external filter for 200L tank to make sure the water is good, and recently consider add another external filter for it.

if i want to bring the ph from 7.8 to 6.5 for 30L, should i put 50g or 100 or 200g peat?

or maybe i just use some distilled water to mix, it sounds easy to measure at least.

 

[PRW1988]

put it in the bag and place it into a spare compartment, if you don't have one then place it on top...

 

[Colin_T]

it's hard to say how much to use. Some peat drops the PH faster than other types. I would put in a small handful and monitor the pH over the next few days. If it doesn't start to drop then add some more. Just add a small amount every few days until the PH start to drop. Then keep an eye on the pH and make sure it doesn't go too low. If it does you will have to remove some of the peat.

 

[dingweding]

Thanks, but i was told peat only works if the GH is not very high. otherwise, it can not bring the ph down.

in my case, the gh is very high, so, can i use peat or not?

or maybe i just have to buy some distilled water instead to mix, at least my tank is small, donot cost a lot to buy water?