# need help with my new shrimp tank!



## jeff1727 (Nov 7, 2010)

so i'm starting up a shrimp tank and i've been cycling it for almost two weeks now i think, i went to test the water today and i'm confused. here are the results i got. ph - 6.6, kh - 1, gh - 8, nitrite - 0, ammonia - 0, nitrate - 10. when i started it i used the water from my other tank and put used media in the filter. the test kits i used for the ph, nitrite, ammonia, and nitrate was the api kit. for the kh and gh i used the laborett kit. i think the kh is really low because in the instructions for the test kit it said count how many drops it takes to turn the water from blue to yellow but when i put the first drop it was yellow right away. and i think the nitrate is way too high...these test results are really confusing me...is my tank ready for shrimp? i attached a pic of my tank.

thanks


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

jeff1727 said:


> so i'm starting up a shrimp tank and i've been cycling it for almost two weeks now i think, i went to test the water today and i'm confused. here are the results i got. ph - 6.6, kh - 1, gh - 8, nitrite - 0, ammonia - 0, nitrate - 10. when i started it i used the water from my other tank and put used media in the filter. the test kits i used for the ph, nitrite, ammonia, and nitrate was the api kit. for the kh and gh i used the laborett kit. i think the kh is really low because in the instructions for the test kit it said count how many drops it takes to turn the water from blue to yellow but when i put the first drop it was yellow right away. and i think the nitrate is way too high...these test results are really confusing me...is my tank ready for shrimp? i attached a pic of my tank.
> 
> thanks


Looks like you've got a big chunk of driftwood in there, and is that ADA soil? Both will lower your pH, and probably kH as well. Nitrate 10 is okay, and makes sense if you used water from your other tank.


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## jeff1727 (Nov 7, 2010)

yeah, i have drift wood and fluval soil. i read somewhere that shrimp need lower ph. so the nitrate isnt too high? i'm thinking of getting some shrimp this week, hopefully they dont die in my tank, one more question, i put a zebra danio in the tank to cycle it, should i take it out before i put in shrimp, would he eat my shrimps?


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

jeff1727 said:


> yeah, i have drift wood and fluval soil. i read somewhere that shrimp need lower ph. so the nitrate isnt too high? i'm thinking of getting some shrimp this week, hopefully they dont die in my tank, one more question, i put a zebra danio in the tank to cycle it, should i take it out before i put in shrimp, would he eat my shrimps?


any kind of fish either small or big can harm your shrimp. its better to put shrimps only. btw what kind of shrimps are you planning?


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## camboy012406 (Jun 11, 2010)

do a big water change like 50% coz your nitrate is too high.


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## jeff1727 (Nov 7, 2010)

yeah i did a 10% water change after i did the test, i guess i'll do a bigger one tonight. i'm want to get those yellow shrimps that igor is selling, they look really cool.


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