# RO or tap water better?



## Atom (Sep 17, 2014)

I'm thinking about starting a tank with cherry red/yellow shrimp, some moss, and maybe a few small fish and have the option of using reverse osmosis (RO) water or regular tap water. I've got a few questions about this:

1.)Which would be easiest to start a tank with? I've heard that you need to supplement RO water with minerals for the plants and shrimp, but does it require any other conditioning? Would tap water treated with a conditioner such as Prime still require mineral supplementation? Basically, what's the easiest and least expensive method here and am I missing any steps?

2.)Which type of water would be better for top ups? Would this water need to be treated beforehand and how?

3.)Which type of water would be better for water changes? Would this water need to be treated beforehand and how?

Sorry if these are fairly basic questions I'm a complete beginner and the amount of information out there on this kinda stuff is a bit overwhelming  Thanks in advance for any answers!


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## woopderson (Feb 12, 2014)

Whether you need RO depends on the type of shrimp you keep. If you keep neos (cherries or yellows) you can use tap water. If you keep caridina shrimp like CRS or taiwan bees, then RO is your best bet.

Just make sure you dechlorinate yout tap and you will be a-ok for neos. 

Neos prefer harder water with a more neutral ph. Your tap water will be better suited to this. Generally RO is used for the caridinas as they like a low ph, and less buffering capacity is equired to lower parameters from a neutral state.

Some will say keeping neos is easier, and others says keeping caridina is easier. I started with crystal red shrimp back in March, and my tank now has an exploding population. 

The most important thing is to keep your water stable, no matter which shrimp you choose. 

I say pick a shrimp you like, then build around it (substrate choices etc). If you have any other questions please feel free to ask!

Hope this helps!


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## zzz (Sep 18, 2013)

To answer your other 2 questions:

For topping up you should use RO, because only water evaporates, not minerals- therefore by topping up with tap water you are adding more minerals into already concentrated solution. So in this case RO non-treated.

For water changes is probably the most convenient to use type of water which you've used for starting (although you can start with treated RO to have better initial control and then go tap). On the other hand waterchange can be a good opportunity to measure your parameters (pH, TDS) and adjust something if necessary. (Just no big adjustments- that's the ultimate rule of the shrimp hobby). Tap should be dechlorinated, I'm not sure about RO, whether you treat it beforehand or only once added to aquarium-can anyone answer this? (For OU I treat it before, but those survive anything and everything...)


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## Atom (Sep 17, 2014)

Thank you both for such detailed answers!

Yes, I was thinking about going with neos (or even ghost shrimp) because I've read that they're hardier and I don't trust myself with delicate shrimp at this stage. So I gather that you're saying I can go with either type of water in this case and tap water might actually be preferred?

In terms of RO water top-ups, it was mentioned that only the water evaporates and the minerals stay within the tank, but are the minerals depleted within the tank over time by being used by the plants, shrimp, and fish?

Thanks again for your answers! Sorry if I'm not understanding anything correctly.


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## woopderson (Feb 12, 2014)

Glad to help! Yeah if you go neos tap water is best. The minerals will stay in the tank, and if you measure tds over time, the number will rise. Same concept as letting a cup of salt water evaporate. The water leaves and salt deposits are left. You can regulate the tds by doing small regular water changes. With new tap water. In between changes, top up with RO.

Trace elements will be used, but nowhere near enough to compensate for concentration due to evap.

I understand the feelings about hardy shrimp for sure. I was the same way starting out. If the tank is in a room with ac then crystals are an excellent intro caridina. Combine them with ro, and amazonia substrate and you have a formula for success!


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## Atom (Sep 17, 2014)

Ahh ok thanks for the clarification on that then. Just wasn't sure if extra supplementation would ever be required or how exactly the minerals in the water would be taken up by the organisms in the tank. But I get it now that they won't take up enough to require supplementation and water changes using conditioned tap water is enough to replenish the tank with minerals from time to time.

And you might be slightly convincing me to go with crystals  I'm mostly concerned about what I can get locally/easily and for a lowish price. Hardiness is another big plus and I'm not too concerned with appearance of the shrimp, though CRS look pretty striking in a tank .

Thanks again for everyone's advice and I welcome any other additional information. I may update as I start up my tank and we'll see how it goes!


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## woopderson (Feb 12, 2014)

You're actually not that far from some great vendors! Shrimpwiki or Shrimpfever are great places. Or even post a wanted add here. There are lots of people with great shrimp. If you're ever in the Oakville area feel free to pm me and I can show you the setup.

Both neos and caridinas have beautiful breeds. Each have their own challanges. Pick what catches your eye!

If you go with caridias, crs or cbs is a great place to start. They are not as scary as they seem. Neos have a number of easy breeds as well.


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## Atom (Sep 17, 2014)

Thanks for the reassurance  Yeah people seem to steer noobs towards neos a lot so I just figured that was the way to go. I really like the look of shrimpfever actually I just wish it was closer lol

Thanks as well for the offer, I'll see how I go when I get my tank started and maybe include pics and updates as I go along


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## woopderson (Feb 12, 2014)

No problem! Yeah cherries are the easiest for sure. With crystals jist test your water and pay attention to the tank and you will be set for success. 

Also once a month, typically the third Thursday, a group of us shrimpers meet up to share our experiences and talk about everythig shrimp. You can sometimes buy shrimp off those guys as well if you prearrange. You should come out if you get the chance. 

Be sure to do a journal thread, would like to see how things work out for you!


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## Atom (Sep 17, 2014)

That sounds pretty awesome actually! Whereabouts do you guys meet? Is there a page posting these meetings somewhere?


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## woopderson (Feb 12, 2014)

Its a bit of a ways, but we usually post either here or in the GTA Shrimp Society group on facebook. We usually meet at the coffee time @ victoria park & sheppard, but sometimes we go to some of the member's places as well. Be sure to request membership to the facebook group just in case we miss posting it here!


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## Atom (Sep 17, 2014)

Ok great! Thanks for the heads up on that.


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