Shrimp Rack Planning

[jayr232]

Hi! It's me again i've been getting hooked with shrimps lately to the point that i'm planning to buy a rack dedicated for shrimp racks. However, as a newbie there are lots of things that i'm not sure whether is right/okay or bad for shrimps. As of this point I only have RCS and they are doing really well! CRS/CBS also piques my interest and I have a lot of questions about them.
First, since CRS/CBS likes their water slightly acidic, is it a big no-no to keep them in regular tanks just like the one they're in shops? ( i mean about tanks with pH of mid 7.0) If not, I'm planning to use fluval shrimp stratum as a substrate. And this is were the problem comes in place. I heard that in time the fluval stratum loses its effect of lowering pH however I'm not sure how long it takes before its effect runs out. Will the bee shrimps suddenly die even if the pH rises gradually back to pH of mid 7.0? I also am in a predicament about how they say that ADA Amazonia is better but we don't really have them here in Sweden as far as I am concern. Plus, I am only 15 years old and I can't really afford pricey Amazonia. And i also heard that they turn into soil over time? And are lava stones in bee shrimp tanks bad? And also can i keep a steady colony of Bee shrimp and rcs colony together without the other colony outsize the other one? As i heard that bee shrimp will be eradicated overtime in this setup. Is this a fact or a myth?

In general, my question are:

*Can I keep CRS/CBS in pH of mid 7.0?
*Will CRS/CBS thrive even if the pH rises from acidic to neutral?
*Are lava stones bad for CRS/CBS?
* Will Bee shrimps and RCS thrive together?


BTW my rack setup will have 4 shelfs
the bottom rack will have 50 cm high difference with the next one and the 2nd rack will have 50cm high till the 3rd rack and the 3rd rack will have 50cm difference till the 4th rack. So i can put my whole hand in there with ease while cleaning.
the bottom shelf will have a 54l tank with the measurements of 60x30x30 (inhabitants: RCS and CBS)
2nd shelf will have 2* 10l (20x20x25) and 1* 19l (25x25x30)
Inhabitans will be: snowball shrimp in the first 10l, green shrimp to the other 10l and blue pearl shrimp in the 19l
3rd shelf will be occupied by another 54l measurements: 60x30x30
and the inhabitants will be CRS and hopefully if i can afford them, blue bolts


Is there anything that i shouldnt be doing with this set-up?
Please reply to what you think and I am looking forward to be keeping shrimps with you all !

[jayr232]

Change of plans. Instead of using Fluval Shrimp Stratum, i'll be using Ebi Gold ShrimpSoil. My question is, during waterchange, can i use treated water instead of r/o water? or is r/o water a must?

[KenCotigirl]

Hello Jay. A few words of wisdom that you may feel free to ignore. Paraphrasing comments from another forum: find one shrimp you like. Grow them well, enjoy them, breed them, give them away, trade them with other members or lfs.

As a new shrimper having achievable goals is great but i believe you are rushing into this. You haven't been successful with one specie or tank and you wish to expand. Do you have the time, money and long term interest. Having one or two tanks is a minor cost should you realize shrimp are not for you. A rack system? Thousands of dollars invested with only pennies on the dollar resale value should you leave the hobby not good.

Sorry to sound like a pessimist but i am a realist. As a 15 year backyard beekeeper i tend to dampen the enthusiasm of newbees. I have seen it happen so many times. People over expand, fun becomes work and then they leave the hobby dejected.

[jayr232]

Hello Jay. A few words of wisdom that you may feel free to ignore. Paraphrasing comments from another forum: find one shrimp you like. Grow them well, enjoy them, breed them, give them away, trade them with other members or lfs.

As a new shrimper having achievable goals is great but i believe you are rushing into this. You haven't been successful with one specie or tank and you wish to expand. Do you have the time, money and long term interest. Having one or two tanks is a minor cost should you realize shrimp are not for you. A rack system? Thousands of dollars invested with only pennies on the dollar resale value should you leave the hobby not good.

Sorry to sound like a pessimist but i am a realist. As a 15 year backyard beekeeper i tend to dampen the enthusiasm of newbees. I have seen it happen so many times. People over expand, fun becomes work and then they leave the hobby dejected.

Hi COTIGIRL !
I feel your love and concern towards shrimps and indeed I also feel a bit that i'm rushing things but don't worry as I never and will never deject animals ^_^
It might be that the caridina shrimps might be too advance for me that is why i won't get any of them until i get a steady grasp of common neocaridinas. Money and time are not a problem since my mom also supports and trusts me with my decision. And I also don't think that i will be able to have a high-tech rack systems with plumbing and stuff instead i'll be having multiple aquarium sets in a rack just to conserve space. I already have 4 tanks as of now and just simply converting them from fish tank to shrimp tank. I already have 5 years of tank keeping and I just felt like moving to the next level. Also with the planning, it just shows how serious I am towards these creatures and carefully budgets how much I would spend (keep the cost as low as possible). I will not buy all shrimps at once instead buying one type at a time until i get a steady colony so i can move on to the next tank. I am deeply sorry for sounding arrogant with the planning and all insights helps

[KenCotigirl]

Do not apologize. i am just acting like a concerned parent. Also I need to keep my hobbies under control. So reminding others of over doing it helps me. I am stretching my ability to maintain what I have. 9 beehives, koi pond, cacti and succulent collection, orchids, hostas, veggie garden, flower beds and cutting the darn grass.

Forgot about the shrimp. 5 tanks. However now I only have supershrimp. They are a pleasure in their simple needs and just as desirable as the other hobby shrimp types.

[jayr232]

Looks like your having it rough too.
Don't worry, i'm not really an interesting person and I don't have any other hobby except tank keeping so I can have my full attention to the tanks only

[KenCotigirl]

Good luck with that. You have a lifetime ahead of you to be compulsive. Oops how did i forget. Three dogs and a parrot.

[jayr232]

Today I saw a berried female RCS no fatalities as of now that I am aware of. The eggs of the RCS are yellow and only one female has a green saddle the rest of my RCS has yellow sadle