New to CRS, any tips?

Howdy all, I picked up some CRS from binbin this weekend and I'm really excited to see how it goes. Figured it would be worth it to see what tips people might have for success in keeping and breeding them.

My biggest concern right now is that my tap pH is about 7 and my tank is about 7.5. I run CO2 but not on the weekends as the tank is at my work and not automated. I'll have to keep an eye on how it fluctuates during the week when the CO2 is running.

I have also been planing on adding purigen to my filter media in an attempt to keep the water clearer. I've heard of adding peat to the filter media also. Would those two negate each other? Or could I be lucky and have clean lower pH water?

I also have some oak leaves and alder cones.


Any other tips or tricks?

I've read that people breed crystal red shrimp in no less than 20 gallon tanks. That's all I really know about crystal red shrimp, lol...

Ask binbin9. He bred successfully. I bought some from him. He acclimated them to our water hardiness. They tend to super sensitive but he bred successfully. Will buy from him again. He knows alot about crs.

Good luck with the shrimp! I was supposed to go get some from him after you, but you bought me all haha. Love to see pics of the tank when they're all settled in.

What? No!

I think I got most of the crystals I slowly acclimated them last night and they seem to be doing fine. For now they're sharing my 10g with all my RCS but they seem to be getting along well. In the next couple months they will be moved over to my new 45g and ought to have plenty of room there.

You got them all! You greedy! Was planning to get more. Boo pat.

Haha that's what I said when binbin texted me and said he didn't have anymore

Here are a few that I could find this morning.  

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I would stay away from using things like peat moss, alder cones, leaves, etc. to attempt to affect the PH of the water.  It's too hard to control the effect these may have on the water - you'll most likely end up with a swinging PH unless you're really careful.  

Aquasoil amazonia tends to be a more consistent way to pull PH down over a long period of time, but it takes a while to settle down after first submersion and will vary over time thereafter.

Perhaps the most effective method of PH control is using reverse osmosis (or deionized) water in combination with products like seachem equilibrium and seachem alkaline buffer.  That way you control exactly what's in the water every time you do a water change.  That can be a bit of a pain though.

The best bet is to just leave them and see how they do; purigen may indeed help (and it doesn't hurt to try).  If they don't thrive in your water then maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

That's my plan for the moment. I don't want to alter things too much or too quickly, but if I can try to keep the pH around 7 I'd be happy. I'll have to look into RO water usage. I might be lucky enough to have a good friend who manages a dialysis clinic that has an industrial RO system.

I imagine carting water back and forth will get old real quick... but some folks do it. I have a 50g/d system under the sink in the kitchen, but that's a bad place for aquarium usage. The best setup for our use, I think, is in the garage with a garbage can or similar large container and a float cutoff valve. Then you can pump the water anywhere you need it.

Best of luck with your CRS! If you're successful, I may try my hand at them again. They're beautiful shrimp... your 3rd photo down is particularly good.

I have found the best way to keep ph down is to put in driftwood. Works for shrimp or discus.