Mastering pH & KH: The Science Of Stable Shrimp Tanks 

@andresgil1449 haha thank you for watching and for the kind words! I'm glad you found it interesting and hopefully useful :D Happy shrimpin'!

@andyantony6638 Awesome, I'm glad you found it helpful! Shrimp keeping is such a fun way to actually apply that knowledge of biology and chemistry we are taught in schools. Have fun and happy shrimpin'!

@DZ7IC22 Thanks for the comment! That's a really interesting idea that's worth experimenting with. I'd love to test out different filters/methods and see what keeps pH the most stable, like a standard sponge filter vs asian-style UGF vs canister filter or something. From my understanding, the main pH swing that happens throughout the day is from plant photosynthesis. I'm not sure how much is from nitrification but it would be interesting to try to figure out. I'd also kind of think that a sponge filter would provide plenty of aeration but it's possible an additional air stone could help a lot. Keep those thoughts coming so we can push the hobby forward!

@@shrimplyexplained For every mg/L of ammonia being nitrified it will consume 7.14 mg/L of kH. I don't know the exact effect on pH though.

@@DZ7IC22 Thank you for the information!

@zombi3907 Ah, another person with excellent taste! Yeah I picked up the shirt in Hilo earlier this year. I forget the artist's name but they had so many cool designs. Are you living on the big island?

@PeteGA Thanks for the words of encouragement! It's great to know there are others who enjoy thinking about our tanks from a detailed biological approach. There's so much we can learn from our tanks :D

@windyrotorblast Awesome, we're really glad you found the information useful! It's a lot to think about at first but it gets easier and gives you a great grasp on how to modify your tank/water without running into problems :) Happy shrimpin'!

@franciscoestrada2093 Aw, thanks a lot! I was worried the video would be way too technical so it's nice to know you appreciate the details. If you have any questions or just interesting topics you wanna discuss, feel free to reach out anytime via email! Good luck and happy shrimpin' :D

@kygoniba I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the kind words.

@anodyne.7024 Wow, thank you so much! I'm really glad you found the video helpful

@Error2pt0 Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a kind comment. It means a lot :) Happy shrimpin'!

@canadashrimps Thanks for the kind words! We've mostly dealt with neocaridina and caridina so don't have enough experience with dwarf blue crayfish to provide good information on them right now. This has been added to a list of video ideas for the future though, because we'd love to learn about them! Thanks for the suggestion and happy shrimpin' :D

@MickeyMikeMd Thanks for watching and for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed it :) Feel free to reach out if you ever have any questions. Otherwise, happy shrimpin'!

@@shrimplyexplained Will do, much appreciated! I guess my only question is about GH. Mine always shows up as basically 0 on the API liquid test (yellow the whole time). Other parameters seem fine. I have a small 4 gallon planted tank, but my shrimp seem to be very slowly dying off. One gave birth and another died while berried. Just seems like I cant get the colony to grow. Its my first tank, about 9 months old.

@BlakeDonowitz-mk7iu That all sounds good! Amanos are very hardy so I wouldn't worry about them too much unless the pH drops super low. Hope the scape turns out like you want it!

@@shrimplyexplainedFollowing up. I am getting a 6.6pH at CO2 off, and a 6.0pH at full CO2 after 6 hours or so. My guess is that the 6.0pH figure is actually around 5.5-5.7pH, because the API kit indicator doesn't go below 6, it seems. My guess is this is not a healthy environment for my Yellow Neos and Amanos. I am slowly adding KH. At the moment, I am at exactly where I said I was going to dose, 2-3KH and 5-6GH. I am now aiming for 5-6KH/GH. Do you think this will help me approach 7pH as a baseline? Will that trim up the swing and keep the high-dose CO2 pH above 6ish?

@@BlakeDonowitz-mk7iu Adding KH will certainly help you get closer to 7 pH and reduce swings but it may not be necessary. How long have you had the neos and amanos in this tank? Are the yellow neos breeding or are you noticing deaths?

Fresh dutch style tank that I cycled, 100% plant cover. Ran with CO2 and Controsoil. I was easily achieving 5.5pH without knowing it, as the API test only goes so yellow as to indicate a 6.0pH. First batch of Amanos leaked during transit and I was forced to put them in my tank immediately. They are more shy and were dealing with those low pHs. Raised my pH with KH, but I don't see them often. Second batch of shrimp included a few more amanos and yellow neos. These I had time to acclimate and they are much more confident and have a great appetite. Don't have current figures, but I believe my CO2 photoperiod levels off around 6.2pH now at the lowest. Pre CO2 period, I see 6.6ish. Quite a small dip for CO2, but I'll be able to get a more accurate before and after this weekend. So no breeding and berrying yet after a few days. The new amanos behave completely different than the ones I introduced a week ago. The amanos came from the same breeder in the same batch. Other than that, my otocinclus were transferred from my older tank. Their behavior in the low pH tank was complete panic. They had red gills and were gasping for air. Oxygen was fine. I think they were looking for an exit. I did water changes and added KH slowly this week and their behavior took a complete 180. They are eating and much more confident.

@@BlakeDonowitz-mk7iu Good to hear the otos seem to be acclimating okay after the inital issues. I've heard they can be really sensitive to change so I wonder if acclimation is always rough? I don't have experience with them to say. I was gonna say that if you've had the shrimp in your tank for a while with the pH where it is and aren't seeing deaths then I wouldn't worry about messing with the pH/KH just yet. But since the shrimp have only been in the tank for a short time and we may not really know whether they adapt well until there are multiple deaths (bad), molts (good), or berried shrimp (good). I hope it goes well. Please reach out if you have any questions!

@attiliodariva5417 Thanks for the feedback! It's really appreciated and something I'm happy to take out considering how much time it would save during editing :D

@ellaaqua Oxygen can certainly help prevent your pH from dropping by reacting with CO2 that your fish are breathing out, which would prevent KH from dropping as well. Would you be open to explaining your theory about why nitrates stayed lower? Maybe I'm forgetting something but I don't remember the video discussing a relationship between nitrates and pH/KH.

@shrimplyexplained I think they stayed lower because there was more flow in my tank after adding the airstone. Which allowed the filters to do their jobs more efficiently. I also change or rinse out the filter floss from my hang on back filter every 3 to 4 days. So my thoughts are that in my case, not only did increasing water circulation increase the efficiency of my filters. It also helped to stabilize my ph and kh. It could have been that there was too much waste accumulation in my tank that was causing the crashes in ph and kh. Or it could have been low oxygenation. I should add that I use a buffer to try and control my kh and ph but did not have much luck with until I added the airstone. I believe the oxygenation may have been what helped because I have a fairly deep tank at about roughly 24 inches.

@user-ef6cm7vu4m yep, no reason to worry! The KH should be right around half the GH, unless you have an active substrate bringing down the pH/KH. If your substrate is inert, then a KH of at least 3-4 is a good idea, though you could probably get away with 2.

Thanks. I use sand I was a bit worried at first because my tap water kh was slightly higher than the salty shrimp when mixed to 250 tds I drained about 10% and got the new water dripping in very slowly

@yql7597 That's an interesting question! To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. According to this article in Nature (see below), ammonification releases hydrogen ions so that process should lower pH instead of raise it. Assuming your tank is cycled and the bioload doesn't change drastically, there should be enough nitrifying bacteria to handle any waste. It probably won't hurt to add more but shouldn't be necessary. Does that help? www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/the-nitrogen-cycle-processes-players-and-human-15644632/#:~:text=%2C%20algal%20blooms).-,Ammonification,the%20process%20known%20as%20ammonification.

@Wintersdark Glad you liked it! Did you feel the explanations all made sense or were there any parts that could have been more clear?

@retroworldnews That's kind of what this video was intended to combat. Most of the arguments I've heard against active substrate in neo tanks is that they need KH to make their shells so the low KH environment isn't good for them. In reality, carbonate will form in their bodies regardless of the environmental pH so that is not a limiting factor. I don't know about active substrate being any better or worse for neos. I've kept quite a few neo tanks with active substrate (fluval stratum) and they seem very happy. There's not great data on how they survive at lower pH ranges so, if your substrate brings the pH below 6, then I'd suggest using some crushed coral or baking soda to bring it up. Crushed coral is nice because it dissolves slowly over time and continues to combat the active substrate, whereas you'll have to add baking soda more frequently. Both can work when added in controlled amounts though. Lmk if you have any questions! May I ask what active substrate you're using?

@@shrimplyexplained I used one is all in japanese words I remember the package it stated lower PH and show is a caridina shrimp.

@@retroworldnews Ah okay. Does akadama sound right?

@@shrimplyexplained nope, I only remember the package showing caridina shrimp and I do remember the package highlight PH which show lower down.

@alexchan4037 Sorry for the late reply! How the KH affects your animals depends on the type of substrate you have. Do you have active substrate like fluval stratum? If so, then the pH buffering ability of KH is replaced by the buffering ability of the substrate - at least until the substrate runs out. If you don't have a buffering substrate, then your tank is at risk of pH swings and possibly crashes that could be harmful to your inhabitants. Here's more information, along with various ways to change your KH: www.shrimplyexplained.com/the-shrimp-school/sb-103-basics-ph-kh-aquarium/

@brixen0623 Thanks for the question! We'll see what we can do to help. I've heard of shrimp like neocaridina thriving in 8-8.2 pH so that's not necessarily the problem here. It does sound like you've got some pretty hard water based on the thick white crust left behind though. Do you know what your GH and KH are? It's likely that GH may need to be brought down, in which case almond leaves and driftwood only have a small effect. They do bring down KH but don't have a significant effect on the overall mineral content of your water (GH). It's also possible that your GH is made of mostly magnesium or mostly calcium, whereas shrimp need the right balance of those to molt properly. What shrimp did you try to keep previously? Did you notice if any of them had the "white ring of death" (look up pics on google if unsure)?

@shrimplyexplained I live in a watershed comprised mostly of limestone bedrock. Our water is thick with it so i would assume mostly calcium if thats the case. I've only used the api test straps to measure it and the GH and the KH come back as around 180ppm for kh and gh both. I did order some Indian almond leaves but they haven't arrived yet. We've tried cherries, amano and ghost shrimp. All of the cherry's got the white ring. Ghosts probably did also but they were in my sons tank and I admittedly didn't pay enough attention. 2 amano shrimp that snuck in with them seemed to do alright though.

@@brixen0623 Gotcha - thanks for the info! The white ring is a good indicator. Overall, 180 ppm of GH is within the "recommended" range. The problem is that GH is a measure of both calcium and magnesium but it doesn't tell us what ratio they are in the water, so your tank could be in the right GH range but have an unhealthy ratio. Frustrating, I know. If the mineral ratio is the issue, then indian almond leaves and other botanicals won't be much help. I've linked a way to test the mineral ratio below but that's not necessary if you already know it's all calcium. In that case, you can use info from that link to help figure out dosing requirements to add some magnesium to your tank and improve the mineral ratio. The other option is to use RO/DI water with a remineralizer but that can be expensive. LMK if you have any questions! www.shrimplyexplained.com/tools/calcium-to-magnesium-ratio-calculator-shrimp-keepers/

@shrimplyexplained thank you very much. You've easily just became the most helpful RU-vidr I've found on the topic. I genuinely appreciate the help amd insight.

@@brixen0623 Thank you, hopefully the suggestions help! If you want to learn more about GH, this video may also be helpful: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--Igp6tTu8BM.html Something you may be interested in hearing about is that I'm currently doing is testing the tolerable GH ranges for neocaridina. I have one tank at 2-3 dGH and one tank at 30+ dGH, both of which are way out of the "recommended" range. I'm using Salty Shrimp remineralizer to get the tanks to that range so the mineral ratios are still healthy and, guess what? the shrimp are still alive and well and breeding for the past two months. It's not a perfect test, but it's additional evidence to support the idea that mineral ratios matter much more than GH.

@yql7597 You definitely can have water with the ranges you stated. A couple of questions: 1. What are you using to remineralize your RO water? 2. What substrate do you have? 3. What shrimp are in or expected to be in the tank?

​@@shrimplyexplained I am keeping caridina mariae in my tank, using active soil and some little rocks. I remineralized my ro water using MgSO4, Calcium acetate, NaHCo3 and KHCo3. I tried to keep the KH 0-0.5, but I found the PH goes up and down in 1 day. I want the PH stable, so I am trying to make KH up to 1, but I don't want PH go up to 7+

@@shrimpkeepermatt1989 How much of a pH swing are you seeing throughout the day at the current KH? Also, what active substrate are you using?

@@shrimplyexplained I noticed pH swing 0.5 in one day. Recently I put more NaHCo3 and KHCo3 in the water, make the KH up to 1 and it doesn't swing so much, now the pH is around 6.8-7.2. But I was been told by some research caridina mariea like pH below 7.0. I am using Netlea active soil in my tank, and some little rocks

@@shrimpkeepermatt1989 Caridina marinae (tiger shrimp) are generally pretty hardy so it's possible 1 pH swing may not be a serious problem for them. If you have had them for a while and haven't seen them breed or haven't seen the babies survive though, then that could be a good indicator the pH swing is a problem. An active substrate is intended to keep the pH lower, but it depends on the quality and the batch and the age of the substrate. After consistent water changes for 8+ months the substrate could be depleted and no longer have the ability to lower pH as effectively. Another factor is plant density. A higher number of plants causes a larger pH swing throughout the day. It's generally very slow so is not particularly stressful, but removing some plants may be another option to mitigate pH swings. Lastly, it sounds like you're covering most of your bases with your custom remineralizer recipe, although there are some other minerals that may not be accounted for. Are you adding anything into the water to dose micronutrients like manganese?

@paulm0573 Thanks for the feedback! That's really useful to know. At what point did the video lose you?

After the first few minutes when you went all scientific on us 😂

@@paulm0573 Haha gotcha! To be clear, did you feel lost because: A. The explanation wasn't clear enough. B. The information didn't seem useful enough to watch further C. You aren't interested in the hobby at such a microscopic level I'm curious to understand if there's something I might be able to do to either clarify things more or if I needed to do a better job to explain WHY this information is important/useful. Appreciate any additional feedback :D

@@shrimplyexplained I wouldn't take that comment to heart. I imagine most of your viewers are literate enough to be fully captivated by the video, like me. This video was incredibly necessary, as most folks who keep shrimps are either doing it right, or killing shrimp and come here. If they are unable to digest this info, they shouldn't be keeping shrimp. The title of the video is "The Science of Stable Shrimp Tanks".

@@BlakeDonowitz-mk7iu Hey, thanks for the kind words, Blake! I appreciate you coming to our defense. Our videos are lucky enough to receive mostly supportive comments like yours. Negative comments may not feel great but it's also important to hear from those who don't like the videos if the feedback is constructive. If we get multiple of these comments saying the explanation was too confusing then that's a good indicator we need to improve our explanations. This initial comment probably could have been phrased differently but we still appreciate the commenter for taking the time to provide feedback. You're totally right that a lot of shrimp keepers would benefit from understanding the science of their tank better. Some people don't want to get into the nitty gritty details though, and we're not sure that's a sign of irresponsibility. Many hobbyists can likely get away with just understanding that KH limits pH swings so having some KH is good, and if you don't have much KH then you need another buffering source. We have to be careful about intellectually gatekeeping a hobby. For example, there are probably much more successful shrimp breeders out there who have much less knowledge of the science than even what the video goes over. They may understand the key information about KH in a different way and that's great, as long as they are focused on the health of their animals. We all enjoy our hobby in a different way and it's great that you like the science behind it! Happy shrimpin' :D