29g set up Journal

[Totenkampf]

did you read that article that mnemenoi posted? it made me think twice about RCS and SC in the same aquaria...

[eklikewhoa]

If it were up to me?

A tank for each!

For the CRS you can use substrate that lowers pH but allow for the substrate to break in and you know what the happy medium is between your substrate and your water source. With ADA Aquasoil and houston tapwater in the past I was able to keep low about 6. Then you could use RO/DI water on top of that.

My tank now is a bit lower than what's coming out of the tap but I have driftwood and lots of almond leaves in the tank, not sure how low it is exactly but it works.


I haven't kept sulewesi shrimp yet but I want to cause they are amazing looking. both seem to be on the opposite sides of the params when it comes to keeping the happy and breeding.

[R_sustaita]

So ek what would you do in my case select crs or cardinal. How can i safely reduce the ph

[eklikewhoa]

RCS are neocardina while cardinals are cardina which won't crossbreed but seeing the size difference I wouldn't. Keep them together.

[R_sustaita]

Well the tank is been set for a month or so, as i will place them wih the cherries. Jst need tim to confirm i can have then there as he is a successful breeder.

[mnemenoi]

Here is a great article on Sulawesi shrimp and their parameters, going over their original lake parameters as well. They recommend a tank be maintained 2-3 months before introducing any shrimp.

[R_sustaita]

I will hit tim and check that out. And yes i will assume they would be better in larger groups. As larger means more hands cleaning, less waste and so on. And dont get me wrong iwill go with crb too, but at he moment i want to have as many types in 1 tank.

[Totenkampf]

well by the above conditions it would seem cardinals would be the better choice but Tim did tell me that they are slightly more challenging to keep so I think that you need to research even further and combine that with the info that you will get in response to this post. There are many more successful CRS breeders around here so they may be easier to keep and breed despite the lower water paramaters. The Cardinals dont seem to be very active so not a good choice if you are looking for alot of activity. Tims just perch on top of a well established chunk of lava rock and pick at it. Now I for one think they are cool because their little white forelegs flashing around make them look like orchestra conductors.

It may come down to whether you want the extra work in conditioning water. If not then pick a shrimp that fits that environ

another jewel that i picked up from amazonas is that dwarf shrimp seem to do better in larger groups, possibly because the larger group ensures that there is less wasted food. water pollution was described as a major issue with longevity

[R_sustaita]

yeah, and Tim has them. but TXsun is giving me a good deal on the CRS lol. i will go for the cardinal. Thursday i will meet tim to snatch some of them. if my beloved one gives me permission lol

[Complexity]

whaht should i do. guys tell me go with cardinal or crs?

I'd say cardinals. Lots of people have CRS, but very few have cardinals. Cardinals love our water just as it is, no need to alter pH. I have seen cardinals in person and they are stunning. Plus, I like cardinals. LOL!

[R_sustaita]

wow, you are right i may had miss read everything. for some reason i had though they all needed ph 7.5

but here is what i gather right now

Cardinal ph 7.4-8.4 ideal is 8.0 temp at 72-85 perfect condition for my water and to combine with RCS

CRS ph 5.8-6.8 ideal 6.5 temp 71-75 my shrimp tank right now it to high of a ph for them.

RCS ph 6.5 - 8.5 ideal 7.2 temp 65-85 meaning i can place them with any shrimp i desire. but who cares to place them with others. you want the fancy ones instead lol.

whaht should i do. guys tell me go with cardinal or crs?

[mnemenoi]

Cardinal Shrimp are from Sulawesi and are generally harder water (8.2-8.4), while the Crystal Reds prefer softer water, especially to breed (6.5-6.8). I have kept crystal reds, but was never successful in breeding them in any water above a 7.

[Totenkampf]

CRS and Cardinals are both Caridina genus so you may want to ask about cross breeding...i wanna say Cardinals may like harder water too, i dont recall if thats what Tim told me with all the info he heaped on me that day. if you pour a cup of knowledge into a thimble of a brain, some stuff is gonna spill over

[R_sustaita]

Thank you for posting up your new tank set up. I know those lime deposits take a lot of elbow grease to get rid of.

Did you take any special precautions to remove soap film from your bath tub prior to the cleaning? As fish and soap don't mix well I use an extra large plastic storage tub for doing soaks on bigger pieces. I think the one I got was about $20.00 at Wal-Mart. It started off life as a wood box for my chiminea--until the neighbor's pit bull ate through the fence and decided its lid would make a great chew toy--then I re-purposed it--lol.

It is usually not recommended to cap used/live substrate with new substrate (you don’t want to mess up the beneficial bacteria already established on your old substrate any more than necessary) --if you are adding additional substrate it is better to add the new stuff first then cap with the used stuff. Now that the old substrate is in there, and it’s a relatively small tank and you probably aren't going over 4" in depth--I wouldn't bother to remove it at this point, but if I were you I would hand mix the 2 layers after you add the new stuff--without tearing up the aquascaping you have already done.

Are you using the old tank for a hospital/quarantine tank or a new set up?

thank you for the advice.

i didnt soak the items on the bath tub. i place the tank on the tub and everything inside the tank. and the bath tub was freshly cleaned. i only removed everythng as i clean them and to rinse. when i added new water i place everything back inside to do a better rinse then dispose of the dirty water, thats why the pic shows the tank on its side.

the substrate is about 1 in in deep i know the recomended is about 4 inches but i have never done it that way. i guess i will wait longer to add the new gravel and let the bacteria grow some more on the old rocks. can just slide half of the tanks and place new gravel on the other half.

the old tank will become a set up for my endlers and shrimp. i am about to get some crs, and i may go crazy with some cardinals from tim. but i need to check 1st if i can have all 3 of them together as their water parameters are almost the same.

[Bedlamer]

Congrats on your new tank.

Thank you for posting up your new tank set up. I know those lime deposits take a lot of elbow grease to get rid of.

Did you take any special precautions to remove soap film from your bath tub prior to the cleaning? As fish and soap don't mix well I use an extra large plastic storage tub for doing soaks on bigger pieces. I think the one I got was about $20.00 at Wal-Mart. It started off life as a wood box for my chiminea--until the neighbor's pit bull ate through the fence and decided its lid would make a great chew toy--then I re-purposed it--lol.

It is usually not recommended to cap used/live substrate with new substrate (you don’t want to mess up the beneficial bacteria already established on your old substrate any more than necessary) --if you are adding additional substrate it is better to add the new stuff first then cap with the used stuff. Now that the old substrate is in there, and it’s a relatively small tank and you probably aren't going over 4" in depth--I wouldn't bother to remove it at this point, but if I were you I would hand mix the 2 layers after you add the new stuff--without tearing up the aquascaping you have already done.

Are you using the old tank for a hospital/quarantine tank or a new set up?