UPDATE & ?? I'm new and need some advise

wendyjo · Post by **wendyjo** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:12 pm

I'm going to be getting a few cherry shrimp this week. I have a 2.5g tank set up, cycled, with a betta in it right now to keep it cycled until they get here, then he moves to another tank. My problem is my water. I live in an old house with old pipes and I suspect that my tap water may have some copper or other contaiminates in it. I normally use Deer Park Spring Water in my other tanks, and recently decided to switch over to tap. As soon as I did my ghost shrimp died.

The problem with the Spring Water is that it has a low Ph and pretty much no hardness. I am fairly new to fishkeeping in general, right now all I have is a betta and a few otos, so bear with me if I'm a bit unsure of things. But testing the spring water it looks like the Ph is about 6.2-6.4, my GH looked like it was about 2, and KH didn't even register on the test as far as I could tell. It was a Red Sea drop test and the "start" color was supposed to be blue, mine stayed clear. The "end" color was peach - the closet I got was yellow and that was after adding 4-5 drops. But it wasn't even close to that peach color so I don't think I can say my KH was 4-5. I think it was nill.

My tap water had much beter readings, but I'm scared to use it.

So what can I do to have a thriving cherry shrimp tank? I was reading about crushed coral but it seems that can cause Ph swings with water changes. What about liquid calcium or some other type of additive? Or am I worried over nothing and the cherries should be fine in the conditions I have? Any help will be greatly appreciated. I am excited about this new little tank and want the shrimp to do well.

WetPets · Post by **WetPets** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:15 pm

Go to Walmart, buy a few gallons of baby water.

YuccaPatrol · Post by **YuccaPatrol** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:20 pm

Although most of us have copper pipes, the copper inside is oxidized and likely has some lime deposits.

The main thing is to avoid using any hot water which has run through the hot water heater. Also, run the cold water for a while before using it so that you are using water that has not been sitting in the pipes for a long time.

One thing you can do is get your local water company's annual water quality report. They have to make this public, and in most areas, it is available online.

Newjohn · Post by **Newjohn** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:26 pm

wendyjo

Welcome to this Forum.

If you have a old enough Home.
You have a chance of having Galvanized Metal Pipes.

If the baby water does not work, your local grocery store or gas station may have filtered drinking water.

John

WetPets · Post by **WetPets** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:37 pm

Baby water, walmart lol again

its only like $1 a gallon.

wendyjo · Post by **wendyjo** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:05 pm

OK, well how is baby water different from spring water? Are you simply refering to distilled water? I thought that distilled water had all the minerals taken out of it?

I don't have a Walmart handy, so if you could perhaps explain what else it might be called or described as I would be happy to buy it instead of the Spring Water (which I am very disappointed in, btw). I do have grocery stores and a Target nearby, as well as 7-11's and a few petstores (Petco & Petsmart - Petco is alot closer). I am guessing then that there is no additive that can be safely used to correct the water problems.

Perhaps my tap water is safe - but I don't trust it. I won't drink it and I never used it in my uncycled tanks. Once I cycled them I decided to switch over to tap, and BAM, there went the ghost shrimp. So I just don't trust to use it. My house pipes are mongrels of orignal plumbing and whatever the various owners (it was a rental for about 20 years so it was not treated with much TLC) threw together.

By the way - you guys answered me uber fast - thanks! I am trying to get this little tank ready by Wednesday when the shrimp should arrive.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:10 pm

Many grocery stores live Hanafords, have R/O units at the front of the store. They sell R/O water for around 30 cents a gallon. Before I got my R/O unit, that is what I used. You can get some R/O right or Electro-Right to add back in the minerals and hardness needed for a good 7.4 pH tank.

You can also get tap water filter cartriges that are easy to install at home depot. A 3 stsge filter does a nice job and removes chlorine to boot.

WetPets · Post by **WetPets** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:20 pm

Target has the Baby Water, baby water has the heavy metals taken out... ph is about 7.5 and cheap... I used it several times in my shrimp and crayfish tanks, allong with my cichlid tanks with 50% used water from other tanks...just a quick fix, also, try putting a cutle bone in the baby water, works great.

wendyjo · Post by **wendyjo** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 6:33 pm

A cuttle bone for fish? Put it in the tank you mean? It won't cloud the water?

I will look for the Baby water at Target. I've never seen R/O water at the grocery store.

I was actually thinking of getting a faucet filter anyhow - you mean like a Britta or PUR, right? I thought of doing that when I first started keeping bettas and I asked on another forum if using one was safe, but no one could say for sure. So if I got a Britta or PUR faucet filter it would remove the crud from my pipes and make the water safe for both my fish and my shrimp? Does it remove ammonia and chlorine (chloramines) as well? I use Prime for that purpose. Would I then need to add anything for the shrimp? The tests on my tap water were as follows:

Ph - 7.2
KH - 3-4 I think - I didn't have good luck with this test no matter what water I tried it with.
GH - 5

I also have a rainbow rock decoration from Petco I plan to put in the tank - it's soaking right now to get the dust off it. Will that affect the water at all It's like this:

[Please no commercial links! Please read the rules. Commercial link removed and replaced by actual picture by ADMIN]

The Fisherman · Post by **The Fisherman** » Sun Sep 10, 2006 8:33 pm

I would suggest something like RO right as well.

I have used it before, just be as consistant as you can with the replacement water readings. I would test both tank water, and replacement water each water change.

When I did this, I got to comfortable and stopped testing as frequently. I suffered a slow PH drop. Went from 7.8 to 6.2. It wasn't harmful to the fish, plus it happend pretty slowly I think. Heh, never start slacking when it comes to measureing RO-right correctly.

So basically i'm saying its a good idea, but be very careful and cautious.

-John (AKA: The Puffer Ninja)

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:53 am

badflash wrote:Many grocery stores live Hanafords, have R/O units at the front of the store. They sell R/O water for around 30 cents a gallon. Before I got my R/O unit, that is what I used. You can get some R/O right or Electro-Right to add back in the minerals and hardness needed for a good 7.4 pH tank.

You can also get tap water filter cartriges that are easy to install at home depot. A 3 stsge filter does a nice job and removes chlorine to boot.

I am still using the vending machine R/O water and it is working well for my shrimp. I will probably buy a R/O unit for my home when I get that shrimp room going.

Gregor Samsa Mendel · Post by **Gregor Samsa Mendel** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 4:49 am

wendyjo wrote:A cuttle bone for fish? Put it in the tank you mean? It won't cloud the water?

I have one in my tank that has an undergravel filter, and I've never had that problem. If do you use cuttlebone, make sure you get the plain ones, not the flavored ones, remove the metal clip, and rinse it off before you put it in the tank.

Dry cuttlebone is full of tiny air bubbles, and wants to float when you put it in the water. You'll have to keep it buried under the gravel. My other tank has a sponge filter, and very little gravel--the substrate is mostly oak leaves. For this tank, I use sea shells as a calcium source instead of cuttlebone.

wendyjo · Post by **wendyjo** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 5:29 am

Sorry about the link I posted - won't happen again.

Do I need the additives if I get the Baby Water?

I'm not lazy - just nervous - about testing and having to use additives with each water change. So I'm just looking for the easiest way to keep the shrimp healthy.

So, if I do have to test, etc. all the time, exactly what readings do I want?

WetPets · Post by **WetPets** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 7:06 am

Nope, just get the baby water and a cuttle bone, won't cloud the water, you'll be good to go

wendyjo · Post by **wendyjo** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 10:30 am

OK. Will my Ph and all be off tho every time I do a water change if I use the cuttlebone? This was my understanding of what would happen if I used, for example, crushed coral. That the new water I put into the tank with each water change would have different parameters than what I put into the tank since the tank water has the cuttlebone in it. And that these fluctuations would harm the shrimp.

Also, what about if I just get a faucet filter - would I need the cuttlebone or any other additives if I just went with that?