New to forum, planning on first shrimp setup (2 questions)

[abby_prosciutto]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and definitely new to opae ula. Today I bought a 2.5 rimless and some instant ocean salt.

Before mixing any water, I'm going to do a leak test first. I'm hoping to document most of the setup here but I'll probably be pretty slow. In fact, this whole setup process will probably take some time because I decided to start this project right around my first finals season.

So, in regards to the water, distilled water that has been remineralized cannot be used, correct?
And when it comes to calcium sources (usually people seem to use aragonite sand or crushed coral) is this truly necessary for a shrimp-only set up? I see conflicting information and currently, I have powdered limestone and eggshells, so I don't want to buy more things if not necessary.

Currently, my plan is to use some inert fw sand as substrate and lava rocks from home depot.

[Hammi3203]

I bought the same tank as you from Petco. I used regular distilled water (not remineralized) I purchased from the grocery store and mixed it with Instant Ocean to make the brackish water. I only have lava rocks and seashells (for decoration) in the tank, no aragonite sand. The shrimp have been in the tank for a few months and seem to be doing well.

BTW . . . . The tank comes with two clips. You have to buy the “lid” separately. I purchased the glass piece on amazon but there are gaps around the glass which I don’t like.