Can't get the hang of it

[Shrimpkiller]

Two years ago a friend gave me a ecospere for Christmass. About a year later one shrimp (only had 4) died so I moved them out. They have been in a 1 gallon bowl. About four months ago one more died and then in the last couple weeks anouther died. So now I only have one left.
I would like to order more but not till I know I can keep them alive. Cause they are so expensive.
I don't have access to RO water and can't seem to find any distilled water either. Can I boil my water or use drinking water? Or my britta filter? I also have prime. Been using my tap and from I have read that is the only think I have been doing wrong.
I am also thinking of gradually switching form brackish water to fresh. I have 3 fresh water tanks and rarely lose any fish so maybe I could keep them alive better if I did fresh.
Thanks for your help.

[Harry]

Most supermarkets sell gallon bottles of distilled water for use in irons and other appliances. I'm assuming you have access to supermarkets. You can also search online and find out how to make distilled water, using a large pot, a smaller glass dish and some ice in the inverted lid. And you can buy distilled water online, but it is super-expensive.

[BostonJill]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you can take tap water and add water conditioner such as NovAqua Plus by Kordon to get rid of chlorine and it also removes toxic metals. They sell it at Petco or you can order it online. I have not done it myself but if someone knows that this can be harmful to shrimp let me know because I am planning to try it on another tank. Also for the Super Shrimp you can use Spring Water. Mix into a gallon jug half the marine salt required for a full marine setup into your Spring Water or your tap water that has been conditioned. Remember to replace the evaporated water with the spring water or conditioned water. I place a dot in the back of my tank and keep the water level there at all times. I don't have any tools to measure anything and my sixty or so Super Shrimp are doing fine. I have had them for around three months. As to switching them to fresh water I don't think they would do well. I'm pretty sure they need to live in brackish water.

[Shrimpkiller]

I have prime it removes chlorine, chloramine and ammonia. It also detoxifies nitrates, and nitrites. I have been using it for years on my fresh water tanks.
Oh and I removed the little bit of gravel from the tank and turns out I still have two. So not as bad as I thought. I guess just having two is why they are not very active. So well be ordering some soon.

[BostonJill]

Oh sorry I didn't know what Prime was. Yes, the more the merrier. Even when you do have many a lot of times there not doing much as long they are doing their filtering thing picking at the sand or gravel I would think that would be a sign of a healthy tank.

[Mustafa]

Do NOT use tap water. Read here (especially No. 3):

http://www.petshrimp.com/opaesetup.php

Most tap water has way too many unknowns, such as *excess* chloramines (which a single dose of something like Prime does not take care of) and Ammonia. Ammonia gets bound by water conditioners only for about 24-48 hours...after which is becomes free ammonia again...and highly toxic at the high pH levels that occur in Supershrimp tanks. That's why I recommend RO or distilled water. It's just not worth the risk. Yes, some people's tap water may be good enough (e.g. they only have chlorine instead of chloramines, or they have well water), but those people are in the minority. As others have said, it should be pretty easy to find distilled water at Supermarkets, and even RO water. Those huge box-like things in front of Supermarkets and convenience stores that sell "drinking water" for something like 25 cents/gallon are just huge RO units. Unless you live on top of a mountain far away from even a small village with a Supermarket, you should find either distilled or RO water. And chances are that, if you do live on top of such a mountain, you have a well or some nice, clean creek flowing in your backyard.

Oh yeah..don't change the salinity. These guys don't take freshwater too well for long periods of time.

[Shrimpkiller]

i can get spring water and drinking water for about 80 cents. I'll do that.
Just an update the two I have left are doing great since I made a few changes. (Removed gravel and added heater. I do that in the winter as the temp fluctuates way to much.) So hopefully these well do just fine.
They are swimming around now and getting their color back.