What type of water is better for CHR and CRS? I red somewhere that for CRS is better soft water but how is it by CHR? What about babaulties? they need hard water, true?
What about blackwater is it beter for shimp? I can use i.e: Tetra Torumin or some treeleaves.
Hard or soft water?
Moderator: Mustafa
- GunmetalBlue
- Shrimpoholic
- Posts: 263
- Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 11:10 am
- Location: CA
Hi Gr81, may I ask what a CHR is?
Unfortunately, I've no experience with the shrimps you've listed but very generally speaking, moderate with neutral pH is an acceptable starting point for most shrimp.
If you're talking about GH (measure of calcium and magnesium in the water) about 50 - 150 ppm sounds okay. Too low and I think it affects pH.
If you're talking about KH (buffering capacity), if you go too low, your pH may become hard to control or drop to dangerous levels. If too high, pH becomes even more difficult to lower. Anyone, please chime in and correct any errors I've made.
There are some shrimp like the Red Cherry that have been successfully kept in a wider range (I don't mean that a given tank fluctuates a lot; rather, I mean one person might have their shrimp in hard water with a higher pH; another person, in an opposite situation).
But it's always good to avoid extremes and it becomes more crucial with shrimp more sensitive than RCS.
I know what I said wasn't much help, but having your water at a particular degree of softness/hardness doesn't guarantee success, there are so many other factors to look at too. Probably some shrimp do "prefer" slightly softer or harder water, hopefully someone else can help answer that about the species you've listed.
-GB
Unfortunately, I've no experience with the shrimps you've listed but very generally speaking, moderate with neutral pH is an acceptable starting point for most shrimp.
If you're talking about GH (measure of calcium and magnesium in the water) about 50 - 150 ppm sounds okay. Too low and I think it affects pH.
If you're talking about KH (buffering capacity), if you go too low, your pH may become hard to control or drop to dangerous levels. If too high, pH becomes even more difficult to lower. Anyone, please chime in and correct any errors I've made.
There are some shrimp like the Red Cherry that have been successfully kept in a wider range (I don't mean that a given tank fluctuates a lot; rather, I mean one person might have their shrimp in hard water with a higher pH; another person, in an opposite situation).
But it's always good to avoid extremes and it becomes more crucial with shrimp more sensitive than RCS.
I know what I said wasn't much help, but having your water at a particular degree of softness/hardness doesn't guarantee success, there are so many other factors to look at too. Probably some shrimp do "prefer" slightly softer or harder water, hopefully someone else can help answer that about the species you've listed.
-GB
- GunmetalBlue
- Shrimpoholic
- Posts: 263
- Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 11:10 am
- Location: CA
gr81 wrote:CHR=RCH (red cherry).![]()
So I take that back, RCS I've had some experience with.imisky wrote:cherries are usually name RCS.. not RCH![]()


I've had the opposite situation as Imisky's (I have harder water, higher pH) and the RCS have done fine. That's one of the great things about RCS - a diversity of people in different situations are able to successfully keep them.
-GB