New tank setup for CRS

[brightsp@rky]

I just re-did my tank with ADA soil. I am using back the old filter as well as the java fern/moss which served the tank for about 6 months.
There wasn't anything wrong with the original tank setup, as CRS were OK, it was just that the pH level was 7.4, and my shrimplets output wasn't very high. So I am hoping to have a lower pH tank to have a good shrimplet yield.
Meanwhile my CRS are sitting in another tank mixed with my lower grades CRS, they are doing OK with pH 6.2
Q1: May I know how long I need to cycle the new setup before I can introduce back the CRS (but using the lower grade to test it out ).

[Quixotic]

With ADA soil, ammonia is leeched into the water column during the initial periods. Introduce the shrimps only when ammonia and nitrite readings are 0. If they can't be tested, cycle for the longest time possible, from 3 weeks onwards would be safest.

You can hasten the process by doing frequent water (de-chlorinated) changes while cycling, add commercial products containing beneficial bacteria that hasten the process (if you trust their effectiveness), using filter medium from established tanks, adding mulm to the soil during setup or to the filter medium, etc.

Patience is a virtue.

[brightsp@rky]

Okie. much thanks Quixotic. Ha...patience is one virtue that most of us lack when setting up new tanks..because the tank looks so ready and inviting ...for our CRS. hehe

I have added anti-chlorine/chlormine, anti-ammonia, and bacteria starter. 2-3 weeks I supposed.

If I drop in Cherry Red and they survive for 3 days, does it indicate that the tank is ready for CRS.

[kensk]

Cherry is not a good comparison for CRS. Maybe use tiger shrimps or cheaper CRS grades to try out.
Anyway from my experience, it is quite difficult to use ADA soil esp Amazonia
(Black) for CRS keeping as the ammonia level can be quite unstable. Even if the ammonia reading was 0, I would still get dead shrimps.
However I find ADA Africana (brown) is a more suitable soil as it leech less ammonia and tank parameters stabilized faster.

[brightsp@rky]

oh dear. I am using Amazon ADA. In any case how is this compared to using normal gravel ... in terms of the ammonia that you mentioned.

[beetroot]

oh dear... i am also starting a shrimp tank using ada amozonia .

[kensk]

oh dear. I am using Amazon ADA. In any case how is this compared to using normal gravel ... in terms of the ammonia that you mentioned.

These ADA soil are meant for planted tanks. Hence I guess they are supposed to produce more ammonia than normal gravel so that the bacteria can convert them to nitrates such that plants can benefit.
We use it to keep CRS only due to its pH lowering property.
There are already other more suitable brands gravel on the market. Even ADA Amazonia has came out with a 2nd version which I heard produce less ammonia and thus may be easier for CRS keeping.

[brightsp@rky]

So how does one with Amazonian ADA soil negate (counter) the nitrate produced from the soil. Kindly advise. Thanks.

[kensk]

So how does one with Amazonian ADA soil negate (counter) the nitrate produced from the soil. Kindly advise. Thanks.

No not like that. The ammonia produced by the ADA soil eventually become nitrate.
NH3 -> NO2 -> NO3
ammonia->nitrite->nitrate

[natureAddict]

I just re-did my tank with ADA soil. I am using back the old filter as well as the java fern/moss which served the tank for about 6 months.
There wasn't anything wrong with the original tank setup, as CRS were OK, it was just that the pH level was 7.4, and my shrimplets output wasn't very high. So I am hoping to have a lower pH tank to have a good shrimplet yield.
Meanwhile my CRS are sitting in another tank mixed with my lower grades CRS, they are doing OK with pH 6.2
Q1: May I know how long I need to cycle the new setup before I can introduce back the CRS (but using the lower grade to test it out ).

hi brightsp@rky, if i recalled correctly you didnt wc your old tank but just top up water, so question is how do you get ph of 7.4

[brightsp@rky]

i suspect it is from the tap water top up.

[mordrake]

should be, i'm staying at kovan too and my tap water pH is slightly higher than 7.0

[brightsp@rky]

My tank is in office in Toa Payoh. In any case, water is the only source of pH since I don't have any coral chips.

[fishpoo]

I have heard that ADA amazonia has to be cycled for at least a month... probably do frequent checks after 3 weeks? to see if you get 0 ammonia and nitrate for afew days to be safe...

[brightsp@rky]

Sorry...blur man. So after 3-4 weeks, check ammonia and nitrate, OK then put shrimp. If not OK, how to lower the ammonia and nitrate?

[fishpoo]

It should lower with time... if it doesn't means that the bacteria is not established.... maybe killed by water that's not decholrinated.... if that happens then gotta add more bacteria and cycle again.... hope this helps...

[Quixotic]

It's okay to check ammonia (NH3) and nitrite (NO2) (it's i, not a). NH3 and NO2 are lethal even at very low readings. The end product, nitrate (NO3) is lethal at high levels -- how high is relative to the type of fauna, some are more sensitive than others.

Something I wrote a while back about nitrogen cycle, see if you can understand.
http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...94&postcount=2

Here's a graphical representation on the cycle to help with understanding the process, http://thegab.org/Articles/WaterQualityCycling.html

[fishpoo]

oh yeah nitrite... my bad... typo error