Ph for CRS?

[ph33nyx]

I know a lot of people state they use treated tap water for their CRS, but I was wondering what Ph is acceptable? Mine seem a bit low (below 6.0). Is this too acidic?

[LooksLater]

Re: Ph for CRS?

Yes. We made this mistake once, using pH reducing substrate and little to no mineral content...wiped out our CBS colony. They do need a certain level of hardness to maintain their exosketleton.

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[ph33nyx]

So what would be a good thing to add? I just got a sample of "Jake's Red Shrimp" with a food order. Is there anything else?

Yes. We made this mistake once, using pH reducing substrate and little to no mineral content...wiped out our CBS colony. They do need a certain level of hardness to maintain their exosketleton.

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[LooksLater]

Re: Ph for CRS?

Do you know your GH and KH?
Are you using RO or pH reducing substrate or both?

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[mistahoo]

Re: Ph for CRS?

If you're afraid the gh is too low, there's salty shrimp's bee shrimp mineral gh+. It's a remineralizer that supposedly is all that and a bag of chips. Everybody on TPT seems to recommends it. You get the gh you want without increasing the tds too much.

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[ph33nyx]

I'm not sure what my GH or KH is. I've been using treated tap. It's a heavily planted tank with a small piece of driftwood, and Seachem Flourite substrate.

[LooksLater]

Hmm...you're getting a pH of less than 6 with tap and flourite? That doesn't sound right. Are you on a well?

How old/what kind of test kit are you using?

[ph33nyx]

Not a well....city water. Well, I'm guessing city water. This tank is in my office, so I couldn't say if there is extra processing that takes place in the building. It's an API test kit I bought about 3 months ago.

[ph33nyx]

Maybe I'll pick up a new test kit to make sure this one is reading correct.

[LooksLater]

Re: Ph for CRS?

Most of Houston tap is closer to 8.0, even if your building ran a RO or softener unit of some kind, I doubt it would be even that low...
Strip kits are known for being unreliable or contaminated easily, I'd definitely suggest a drop kit over the strips. Ever try just testing the tap water before you prime it and put it in the tank? Might not hurt.

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[ph33nyx]

Ok...I picked up a new test kit and the results were as follows:
Ph 7.4
NH3 0
NO2 0
NH3 0-5
Guess the other kit was a bit off.

[mnemenoi]

That appears to be a bit closer to the mark. Still a bit low for Ph, but could be filtration inside the building. Other then that the numbers look good, you should get good results with your CRS. See how they do for awhile and if they seem to have issues with breeding then we can reassess what could be your issue.

[troy tucker]

You can ask the building Eng. if the building has filter on the in coming water. I would bet they do.