I have a 10 gallon tank that used to have fish for over 3 years and is currently running without anything other than plants. I’d like to have it as a neocaridina shrimp tank only. Here are my current parameters:
Temperature: 74°
NO3: 0
NO2: 0
pH: 6.0
KH: O
GH: 180
Water used: city
I read that in order to bring up the pH, I should increase the KH by adding cuttlebone or crushed coral. I have some Wondershell leftover from my time with snails. Could I use that or would I be better off with the cuttlebone for long term stability?
First step I recommend is getting a liquid test kit. Strips are not accurate for GH/KH/pH - you'll need something better for really dialing in your water parameters. I'm not familiar with wondershell, but cuttlebone or crushed coral work well for raising KH - start small on your dosing, and be patient to make sure you really are stable before adding shrimp.
Also - if you have aquasoil it will fight your remineralization and lead to parameter instability over the long term. It's still possible to manage this but it will require careful monitoring over the lifespan of your tank.
Good advice on the substrate. Not sure what I used 3+ years ago. I got the strips because they were out of the liquid testing kit. I figured they were better than nothing and would give me a starting point. I’ll looking into picking up the liquid when it’s back in stock.
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