# TDS Poll for CRS.



## CrystalMethShrimp (Apr 27, 2010)

I'm curious what everyone has their crs tank's TDS tweaked to?


----------



## getochkn (Jul 10, 2011)

No idea. I wouldn't mind getting a good cheap meter though to find out what I'm at. Just got my first ever berried RCS this morning though, so I know my water is finally getting right whatever its at. lol. I know my pH is 6.4, gH is 4, kH is 1-2.


----------



## dchow (Oct 30, 2009)

I target 120ish TDS. I achieve this by using distilled water and mineral plus. 

Isn't TDS dependent on water source as well?


----------



## getochkn (Jul 10, 2011)

dchow said:


> I target 120ish TDS. I achieve this by using distilled water and mineral plus.
> 
> Isn't TDS dependent on water source as well?


Very much so on your water source, water changes, etc. That why I think water changes, even small ones are needed if you're using like city water and just top off the tank. Evaporation removes water but leaves TDS behind, so if you only ever top off, you're actually increasing your TDS each time because it gets concentrated, or at least thats the way I understood it from something I read online. l ol.


----------



## dchow (Oct 30, 2009)

getochkn said:


> Very much so on your water source, water changes, etc. That why I think water changes, even small ones are needed if you're using like city water and just top off the tank. Evaporation removes water but leaves TDS behind, so if you only ever top off, you're actually increasing your TDS each time because it gets concentrated, or at least thats the way I understood it from something I read online. l ol.


I top off with just distilled. It keeps my TDS in the 120+5ppm range depending on how much water I let evaporate.

What I meant was: my tds of 120 has a completely different makeup of someone elses tds of 120 unless they are using the same methods as I am.


----------



## getochkn (Jul 10, 2011)

dchow said:


> I top off with just distilled. It keeps my TDS in the 120+5ppm range depending on how much water I let evaporate.
> 
> What I meant was: my tds of 120 has a completely different makeup of someone elses tds of 120 unless they are using the same methods as I am.


Yes, I've been using a bit of distilled water too to help soften mine and help keep my pH low with the Netlea soil and been doing small water changes with treated-age-aerated tap water mixed with a bit of distilled.


----------



## Bwhiskered (Oct 2, 2008)

Everyone worries about water. Mine are in tap water with 20% RO. It is a 10 gallon tank with a black sand on the bottom a moss ball and java fern. An oak leaf lies on the botton on which you can see at least a dozen or more little CRS at anytime. No special shrimp food is needed after all they are scavengers. Don't you think there water varies in the wild. My wife gives them a tap water change once a week from a garden hose. I don't listen to experts only to people that are very successful.

Here is a man I have met and has been raising CRS before most of you had even heard of them.
http://www.brianstropicals.com/pages/Crystal-Red-Shrimp.html


----------



## Guest (Aug 2, 2011)

Bwhiskered said:


> Everyone worries about water. Mine are in tap water with 20% RO. It is a 10 gallon tank with a black sand on the bottom a moss ball and java fern. An oak leaf lies on the botton on which you can see at least a dozen or more little CRS at anytime. No special shrimp food is needed after all they are scavengers. Don't you think there water varies in the wild. My wife gives them a tap water change once a week from a garden hose. I don't listen to experts only to people that are very successful.
> 
> Here is a man I have met and has been raising CRS before most of you had even heard of them.
> http://www.brianstropicals.com/pages/Crystal-Red-Shrimp.html


----------



## CrystalMethShrimp (Apr 27, 2010)

Bwhiskered said:


> Everyone worries about water. Mine are in tap water with 20% RO. It is a 10 gallon tank with a black sand on the bottom a moss ball and java fern. An oak leaf lies on the botton on which you can see at least a dozen or more little CRS at anytime. No special shrimp food is needed after all they are scavengers. Don't you think there water varies in the wild. My wife gives them a tap water change once a week from a garden hose. I don't listen to experts only to people that are very successful.
> 
> Here is a man I have met and has been raising CRS before most of you had even heard of them.
> http://www.brianstropicals.com/pages/Crystal-Red-Shrimp.html


So are you saying most crs from any parameter source can be acclimated to tap water?

I know that there are low-medium quality in Toronto that are used to tap water. Usually the f1 and f2 but when you start keeping higher end crs they are very sensitive to water parameters. Not all SSS are created equal.


----------



## missindifferent (Jun 25, 2010)

Bwhiskered said:


> Everyone worries about water. Mine are in tap water with 20% RO. It is a 10 gallon tank with a black sand on the bottom a moss ball and java fern. An oak leaf lies on the botton on which you can see at least a dozen or more little CRS at anytime. No special shrimp food is needed after all they are scavengers. Don't you think there water varies in the wild. My wife gives them a tap water change once a week from a garden hose. I don't listen to experts only to people that are very successful.
> 
> Here is a man I have met and has been raising CRS before most of you had even heard of them.
> http://www.brianstropicals.com/pages/Crystal-Red-Shrimp.html


Just a thought.
Isn't that kind of like sending dogs out into the wild because they were once wolves? In the wild the shrimps aren't so inbred, right?


----------



## Bwhiskered (Oct 2, 2008)

If CRS are weak inbred sissies it could be that it is because people are making them that way. By mixing the same quality from different sources you can make them stronger. Breed the natural colour out of almost any species and it becomes weaker.


----------



## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

h_s said:


>


you rock.

For what it's worth, my CRS get tap water changes too, and they don't look too shabby IMO.

As with a lot of creatures we keep, it's not always about the "ideal" parameter, but more about maintaining an acceptable one at very stable level that usually ensures success. I'm sure many a very successful breeder have used "unacceptable" methods/parameters to keep and breed "sensitive" fish/inverts/plants/coral/kids before


----------



## dchow (Oct 30, 2009)

Being quite new to crs I think at first you are overly cautious about your parameters because of the stories you hear of mass overnight dieoffs. However once you find something that works all you really need to do is keep those parameters stable. Actually the reason I had dieoffs at first was more than likely because I fed a "special" version of a shrimp food not realizing it couldn't be used as a staple diet. Since I stopped all I really do now is peek at the thermometer and top off when the spray bar splashes. Everyone seems happy and getting berried now from S to SSS. 

We know that people can keep CRS under a fairly wide range of parameters and this is clearly demonstrated in this thread. If you want more evidence then go look around at other sites. You'll find the same opinions. What's important is that you've found something that works and your shrimp are thriving in those parameters. Its a lot like raising kids... Everyone has their own take on things.


----------



## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Well, to be fair. There is a difference between sustainability and thriving. Water quality or water parameter plays a part in the colouration of your shrimps. Just like any fish, the proper water parameter and a balance food source will cause your shrimp to pretty much glow. While incorrect water parameter and unbalance food will cause your shrimp to colour up funny. You can tell by looking at the amount of red and white in your shrimp. A shrimp under stress or on a high protein diet will have faded red colours. Under high pH the white will be unevenly distributed, making it spotty. Worst, successive generation will loose the white colour, this fact, I am not too certain why. It might have to do with that fact that with the correct water parameter you will get a much higher baby shrimp survivability rate and hence having more choice in selectively pick and choose the next generation.
Having breed CRS on and off for more than 6 years, I have to admit that Toronto water is missing something. I am a tap water guy.

*Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!*


----------



## CrystalMethShrimp (Apr 27, 2010)

I should apologize as I didn't clearly specify the intention of this poll.

This poll was created for 2 reasons. I wanted to see where everyone has their TDS at because a higher range usually produces thicker whites. Usually around 150-180ppm (ideally if your tank is R/O water + Mosura mineral). Also keep in mind that this hobby centers around selective breeding. The only reason CRS can sell for over $1000 is because of heavy inbreeding to display beautiful traits such as patterns, white intensity, white/red legs. If you don't want the fuss and want an easy setup then use tap water, but I think it's safe to say you won't get the best coloration, highest survival rate, or most shrimplets and this can go up exponentially when the grade/quality of the shrimp goes up. I'm pretty certain that the higher end CRS in Korea won't fair very well in toronto tap water and at $50 a pop I doubt anyone will want to try.

That being said, I do agree with whats been said regarding keeping water conditions stable and not fussing too much over water parameters (Tweaking your tank parameters constantly to stay with'in the "ideal" range is not a good idea). It is very important however to set the initial parameters as close to the CRS requirements as possible. Believe me, I would love to just toss my crs in tap water at 7.4 ph but you can't do that with all CRS. Perhaps some North American CRS may have adapted after many generations. The rule of thumb, the lower quality (grade/aesthetics) a crs is the more superior it's genetic diversity and less sensitivity to water conditions. The high quality a CRS is, the less genetic diversity and increased sensitivity to water. It's pretty much a hemophiliac albino (rare and fragile), which stands to reason why they are so expensive.


----------



## getochkn (Jul 10, 2011)

CrystalMethShrimp said:


> I should apologize as I didn't clearly specify the intention of this poll.
> 
> This poll was created for 2 reasons. I wanted to see where everyone has their TDS at because a higher range usually produces thicker whites. Usually around 150-180ppm (ideally if your tank is R/O water + Mosura mineral). Also keep in mind that this hobby centers around selective breeding. The only reason CRS can sell for over $1000 is because of heavy inbreeding to display beautiful traits such as patterns, white intensity, white/red legs. If you don't want the fuss and want an easy setup then use tap water, but I think it's safe to say you won't get the best coloration, highest survival rate, or most shrimplets and this can go up exponentially when the grade/quality of the shrimp goes up. I'm pretty certain that the higher end CRS in Korea won't fair very well in toronto tap water and at $50 a pop I doubt anyone will want to try.
> 
> That being said, I do agree with whats been said regarding keeping water conditions stable and not fussing too much over water parameters (Tweaking your tank parameters constantly to stay with'in the "ideal" range is not a good idea). It is very important however to set the initial parameters as close to the CRS requirements as possible. Believe me, I would love to just toss my crs in tap water at 7.4 ph but you can't do that with all CRS. Perhaps some North American CRS may have adapted after many generations. The rule of thumb, the lower quality (grade/aesthetics) a crs is the more superior it's genetic diversity and less sensitivity to water conditions. The high quality a CRS is, the less genetic diversity and increased sensitivity to water. It's pretty much a hemophiliac albino (rare and fragile), which stands to reason why they are so expensive.


When I first got my CRS, I had them in my normal tank, got them from the LFS without knowing anything, lower grade with a few bit higher tiger-tooth grades but mostly lower grade and they lived fine in my tank. Recently setup a shrimp tank to put some higher quality shrimp I got in and used netlea soil to help lower the pH, dropped from my community tank of 7.4 to 6.4 and I've gotten 2 berried shrimp since they've been in there from them. Time in community tank, 4 months, time in shrimp tank, 2.5 weeks. The gH, kH are higher in the community tank, the shrimp tank is 6.4, 4gH, 1kH and within 2 weeks, berries, and these are lower quality. One is a B-C grade, the other is one of my tiger tooths. There is some higher grade shrimp in the tank too, so I figure I'm just to let them breed for a bit and see what I get, but seems to me giving them the idea conditions, put them right into a berry mood within a few weeks.


----------



## getochkn (Jul 10, 2011)

4 Berried shrimp today, so 4 months in tap water tank, nothing at all. 2 weeks in a 6.4 pH, 4gH, 1kH, 4 berries in 2 weeks, so take that how ever you want that on what crystal do well in.


----------

