Help with parameters for shrimp tank

[NathanWilliams415]

I have tried keeping cherry shrimp 3 separate times from three separate sources and all 3 times they have died.
My parameters are Temperature 76°F, PH 7.8 to 8ish, Ammonia 0, Nitrate .5, Nitrite 0, KH 1, GH 8.

It's a 20g planted tank with a few neon tetras and a nerite snail. The nerite snail has lived for almost two years so I don't think it is a hidden copper source or anything.

Is it my low KH that is causing the deaths? How do I raise it without raising my PH to 8+ levels?

 

[zain611]

Do the neons persistently chase the shrimps? They probably might not but it depends. Is your TDS okay and do you use any products with things which are toxic to the shrimp (I believe copper isn't good).
I have cardinal tetras and glass catfish in my tank with baby shrimps from velvet blue and cherry shrimps and its occasional that I see them eating away at a shrimp.

 

[NathanWilliams415]

They really only show interest when the shrimp are swimming high up in the water, so they don't bother any adults much. They rarely even swim up top anymore since I have only a few left and they are sluggish like they are about to die too.

I have a tds meter ordered from ebay since I am so tired of this happening to me, but It won't be here until Monday. I started putting Easy Green in this month but my shrimp problems have long preceded that.

I have had cuttlefish bone in the tank in hopes of somehow giving them an extra source of calcium or something. Other than my KH I doubt know what I can do to improve their health.

 

[seangee]

GH matters far more than KH. Mine are in dGH 6 and dKH 3 so I would be surprised if that is your problem. Cherry shrimp are regarded as hardy and tolerate a fairly wide range. If Easy Green is a "liquid CO2" product it is poisonous to shrimp (and fish) so should be avoided.

Can you describe what happens? How long it takes for them to die off, behaviour etc.

 

[NathanWilliams415]

They are extremely lethargic. Sometimes not moving spots at all for days at a time. Then they just show up dead by the glass in the morning. I haven't noticed any fungus or the white ring from molting during the most recent batch I own.

Easy Green is just a liquid fertilizer. It says it's invertebrate safe on it.

 

[seangee]

Not heard of anything like that. The pesticides used on plants imported to the EU will typically wipe out an entire tank in seconds. A local shrimp breeder has told me that these plants can never be made safe for shrimp, even after months in another tank and regular rinsing. Could it be traces? IDK but it may be worth throwing out the plants and replacing with tissue culture plants.