Hi everyone. I've had aquariums for 2.5 years, but only got Neocaridina shrimp on May 5, 2026. I actually bought shrimp because of seeing all your cute shrimp pics in this sub! I cycled their tank for a couple months using ammonia and old filter material. Pics attached are yesterday's water tests and my tank now. Tests are API & Salifert liquid tests.

I'm hoping some experienced shrimp keepers can help me figure out why I occasionally lose shrimp in my 10 gallon / 38 L Neo tank. I suspect my water/mineral balance may be part of the problem because my GH and KH have consistently been low.

We live in the country outside Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and have well water with an iron remover and water softener, so I use RO water. I used to remineralize with Seachem Equilibrium (GH only), but now have Aquaforest Remineralizer (GH & KH). My LFS also had me buy Fluval Mineral Supplement (GH only). Last week I added some crushed coral because all my tanks tend to have low pH.

I'd like to buy Salty Shrimp GH/KH+, but I'd have to order it online and I currently no longer have an income.

I started with 21 Neos - 15 blue and 6 red. All 6 original reds are gone, although they bred and I now have lots of reds of different sizes, as well as blue and wild-type babies. I lost some blues early on and saved 2 that had Clado, but lately I seem to find a larger red shrimp dead about once a week. I've seen the white ring several times, so I'm wondering about failed molts.

Sept. 13 water test:

GH: 4 dGH

KH: 3 dKH

pH: 6.6

TDS: 318 ppm

Nitrate: 15 ppm

Ammonia: 0 ppm

Nitrite: 0 ppm

Temp: 75°F

My GH has previously been as low as 3 and KH 2. I also admit I'm an overfeeder, which may be contributing to the nitrate/TDS. I've been doing about a 2-gallon water change monthly with remineralized RO and topping off evaporation with plain RO. I've only vacuumed the tank a couple of times, using pantyhose over the siphon to protect the babies. I also occasionally use a turkey baster over the white sand food dish.

I have a juvenile Sterbai Cory that hitchhiked into this tank as an egg from my other aquarium plants. Because I'm worried about making sure he eats, I've been feeding him and the shrimp about 4-5 times per week, which is probably contributing to my overfeeding. I'm moving him to my Sterbai tank soon. There are also ramshorn snails.

My questions are (feel free to chime in and only answer whichever ones you like):

1. How often and how much water do you change in a 10-gallon Neo tank?

2. If you use RO water, what do you use to remineralize it and at what ratio? What GH/KH do you make your replacement water?

3. What range do you keep your GH, KH, pH and TDS at? (I know keeping water stable is more important than chasing perfect parameters.)

4. Could my low GH be contributing to the failed molts even though my TDS is high? My GH used to be around 3 and is currently 4, while my TDS is 318. I'm confused about why my TDS is so high while my GH remains low.

5. I'd like to vacuum and do about a 2-gallon water change today to start lowering the TDS while gradually raising GH/KH. I'm planning to use my Aquaforest Remineralizer (GH & KH) rather than the Fluval Mineral Supplement (GH only). How slowly should I raise the GH/KH without stressing the shrimp?

6. My old large sponge filter is starting to disintegrate. I have a new medium-sized sponge sitting against/on top of the old one to help seed it. How many weeks would you run them together before removing the old sponge?

The tank is planted, including a lot of Subwassertang that makes cleaning difficult. It also has driftwood, glass food dishes, and aquarium-safe hides.

Any ideas about what else I should be doing or looking for would be appreciated.

Help with questions on RO water remineralization, GH / KH & shrimp deaths please