Increasing pH for a Opa Ulae Tank

[panoramaview]

Hi Guys,

I have a 5 Gallon Shrimp Tank set up and cycled two weeks ago with ADA Amazonia Aquasoil (Normal Type) intended to transfer some Opa Ulae aka Hawaiian Red Shrimps from an Ecosphere.

However, I realised that the optimal pH for them is between 7.4-8.4 and after checking the pH in the tank (using a pH test kit), it is on the low side of 5.5. I understand that when the tank is fully cycled the pH will be around the range of 6-6.4? but that would still be sub-optimal for the shrimps.

At this point do I try to raise the pH using crushed corals etc. which is generally not recommended by other members or do i try to remove the ADA soil and try using an inert pH substrate and re-cycled the tank again?

Any suggestions are welcomed.

[Urban Aquaria]

You would definitely have to remove the ADA aquasoil as its is creating a totally opposite environment that these types of shrimps need. Replace it with inert substrate like sand.

Not sure if you have read up on opae ula shrimp water parameters, but they don't just require higher pH, they live in brackish water conditions (mix of fresh and saltwater, higher salinity than freshwater but less than saltwater)... so for long term keeping, you'd actually need to add marine salt into their water (preferably distilled water) to maintain a specific gravity of around 1.008-1.016.

[panoramaview]

Thank you Urban Aquaria for the advice. I will change it to some inert gravel or quartz sand then. Yup I bought some marine salt but haven't got the meter to test the salinity yet. Thanks for the heads up!

[Laika]

Thank you Urban Aquaria for the advice. I will change it to some inert gravel or quartz sand then. Yup I bought some marine salt but haven't got the meter to test the salinity yet. Thanks for the heads up!

You can achieve the correct PH in a few ways which depends on the combination you want/need.

1. Using an inert substrate like sand or gravel and then adding ocean rock (dried out dead rock and not live rock!) this will buffer your waters PH
2. A substrate that buffers you water eg. Crushed coral and adding lava rock or other inert rocks
3. Inert rock and substrate, but adding a lump of calcium carbonate (coral, limestone) etc


This will buffer your PH to around 8 +/-. Your water should raise in PH naturally and should be quite high anyway from the marine salt and water mixture. You need to remove the ada substrate as this will likely leak ammonia. With the salt, just mix half of the weight of salt which is stated on the box to make half strength brackish water

[panoramaview]

Hi Laika,

Thank you for the advice as well. I might have to do any of those options as the pH is still hovering around 5 even after i changed the ada soil and replaced it with inert sand.

I have also make sure that the tank and filter was washed thoroughly and I am using Distilled water with a pH of 7.2 hence I am guessing that it could be the residual leftover of the ada soil.

Right now, the conversion of ammonia to nitrite is taking a long time mostly likely due to the low pH and I did a major water change before that and tested the pH which was around 6.8 and ammonia was converted from 4ppm to 0ppm within 24 hours but the pH is dropping once again.