Are Your Tank Parameters Good For Neocaridina Shrimp?

pH - Good

The pH of your tank is within the recommended range for Neocaridina. For more information on what pH is and why it matters for shrimp, please see the following resource:
Learn More About The Importance of pH In Shrimp Keeping

pH - Borderline Low

Neocaridina do not always adapt well to pH between 6 and 6.5. If you choose to introduce Neocaridina to your tank at this pH, then we recommend a longer drip acclimation period to reduce the stress of transition. If you wish to raise your pH then please see our guide on the topic:

• Learn More About The Importance of pH In Shrimp Keeping
• How to Raise pH

pH - Borderline High

8-8.5 pH is slightly outside of the recommended range for Neocaridina. They may survive but they may not thrive. If you choose to introduce Neocaridina to your tank at this pH, then we recommend a longer drip acclimation period to reduce the stress of transition. The following resources may be useful:

• Learn More About The Importance of pH In Shrimp Keeping
• How to Lower pH

pH - Above Recommended Range

The pH of your tank is above the recommended values. Few—if any—shrimp keepers have success at such a high pH level. The resources below may help you understand why that is and how to lower pH to make your tank suitable for shrimp:

• Learn More About The Importance of pH In Shrimp Keeping
• How to Lower pH

pH - Below Recommended Range

The pH of your tank is below the recommended values. Few—if any—shrimp keepers have success at such a low pH level. The resources below may help you understand why that is and how to raise pH to make your tank suitable for shrimp:

• Learn More About The Importance of pH In Shrimp Keeping
• How to Raise pH

Ammonia - Good (Conditionally)

Your tank has a safe level of ammonia.

Condition: This does not guarantee that your tank is safe for shrimp, however, unless the tank has been properly cycled with an ammonia source. We also recommend having the tank setup for at least 6-8 weeks before adding shrimp even if your cycle completes before this time. Doing so ensures a more stable (AKA seasoned) environment. For more information on cycling a shrimp tank, please see the following resource:

• A Comprehensive Guide To Ammonia
• How To Cycle a Shrimp Tank

Ammonia - Above Recommended Range

Any level above 0 mg/L is considered dangerous for shrimp. If you do not have shrimp in your tank and ammonia levels are below 4 mg/L, then continue to let your tank cycle. If ammonia levels are above 4 mg/L in an empty tank, then this may inhibit your cycle so water changes are recommended.

If you have shrimp in your tank and the pH is above 7.5, then we recommend one or more emergency water changes with ammonia-free water to reduce levels. If you have shrimp in your tank and pH below 7.5, then water changes are still necessary but not nearly as urgent. This is because lower pH reduces the toxicity of ammonia.

Common causes are an incomplete/crashed cycle due to a new tank, overfeeding, over-medicating, insufficient filtration, or adding too many animals. Methods to reduce ammonia include water changes, reducing feeding, cleaning filters, adding more plants, or adding nitrifying bacteria. Please see the following resources for more information:

• A Comprehensive Guide To Ammonia
• How To Cycle a Shrimp Tank
• Seachem Prime Does Not Protect Your Tank During Ammonia & Nitrite Spikes

Nitrite - Good (Conditionally)

Your tank has a safe level of nitrites.

Condition: This does not guarantee that your tank is safe for shrimp, however, unless the tank has been properly cycled with an ammonia source. We also recommend having the tank setup for at least 6-8 weeks before adding shrimp even if your cycle completes before this time. Doing so ensures a more stable (AKA seasoned) environment. For more information on cycling a shrimp tank, please see the following resource:

• How To Cycle a Shrimp Tank

Nitrite - Above Recommended Range

Any level above 0 is considered dangerous for shrimp. They won’t die within the hour but we recommend performing one or more water changes to reduce nitrite levels.

Common causes are an incomplete/crashed cycle due to a new tank, overfeeding, over-medicating, insufficient filtration, or adding too many animals. Methods to reduce nitrites include water changes, reducing feeding, cleaning filters, adding more plants, or adding nitrifying bacteria. Please see the following resources for more information:

• A Comprehensive Guide To Nitrites
• How To Cycle a Shrimp Tank
• Seachem Prime Does Not Protect Your Tank During Ammonia & Nitrite Spikes

Nitrate - Good (Conditionally)

In general, nitrates lower than 20 mg/L are considered safe. There is some debate on this, however, so other online sources may contradict this and say “Only nitrates lower than 15 mg/L are safe.” or “30+ mg/L is still safe”. For the most part, lower is better.

There are sources online that claim a tank must not be cycled if it has 0 mg/L nitrates, which is not true. Cycled tanks with plenty of plants and a low-to-medium bioload can have no detectable nitrates.

Condition: If your tank has never shown any nitrates, then that may mean your tank has not been cycled properly. There must be ammonia present for nitrates to be produced so, if there has never been an ammonia source in the tank, then nitrates won’t be present. This means your tank has not been cycled so it would still be dangerous for shrimp. For more information on cycling a shrimp tank, please see the following resource:

• How To Cycle a Shrimp Tank

Nitrate - Borderline High

In general, nitrate levels of 20-30 mg/L are considered relatively safe but we recommend trying to bring them below 20 mg/L. If nitrates continue to rise above 30 mg/L, then this may stress out your shrimp. Please see the following resource for how to lower nitrates in a shrimp tank:

• A Comprehensive Guide to Nitrates

Nitrate - Above Recommended Range

Nitrate levels above 30 mg/L may not kill your shrimp but they do get stressed. If you have high nitrates then we recommend more frequent water changes to keep levels lower. Fore more information on nitrates and how to lower them, please see the following resource:

• A Comprehensive Guide to Nitrates

GH - Good (Conditional)

Your GH level is in a range to promote healthy shell development and molting. Please note that we consider a slightly wider range of values to be healthy (6 to 10 dGH (107 to 179 ppm GH)) than other sites may recommend. This is because new shrimp keepers often focus too much on the values and may try chasing a number by continuously changing their tank. If your shrimp do not experience any molting problems, then it is best to let your parameters stay where they are to avoid stressing your shrimp.

Condition: If you are experiencing molting problems even though your GH is within healthy ranges, then it may be due to an imbalance of minerals (common in tap water) or lack of protein in your shrimp's diet. For more information on GH and how to control it, please see the following resources:

• The Basics of GH
• Signs of Shrimp Molting Problems

GH - Borderline High

Your GH level is higher than what is generally recommended for Neocaridina (6-10 dGH (107 to 179 ppm GH)), which may lead to molting problems. If you do not have shrimp in the tank yet, then we recommend lowering your GH.

If shrimp are already in the tank and they seem healthy, then we recommend leaving your parameters as is. If the shrimp are having molting problems, then lowering GH is recommended. Please see the resources below for more information:

• How to Lower GH
• The Basics of GH
• Signs of Shrimp Molting Problems

GH - Borderline Low

Your GH level is lower than what is generally recommended for Neocaridina (6-10 dGH (107 to 179 ppm GH)), which may lead to molting problems. If you do not have shrimp in the tank yet, then we recommend raising your GH.

If shrimp are already in the tank and they seem healthy, then we recommend leaving your parameters as is. If the shrimp are having molting problems, then raising GH is recommended. Please see the resources below for more information:

• How to Raise GH
• The Basics of GH
• Signs of Shrimp Molting Problems

GH - Above Recommended Range

Your GH level is very high so shrimp will have trouble with molting. Please see the resources below to bring your tank into the recommended range of 6-10 dGH (107 to 179 ppm GH):

• How to Lower GH
• The Basics of GH
• Signs of Shrimp Molting Problems

GH - Below Recommended Range

Your GH level is very low so shrimp will have trouble with molting. Please see the resources below to bring your tank into the recommended range of 6-10 dGH (107 to 179 ppm GH):

• How to Raise GH
• The Basics of GH
• Signs of Shrimp Molting Problems

The Importance of GH Measurements

GH stands for General Hardness and is a measure of how many minerals are present in your water. Shrimp need the right amount and ratio of minerals to form their shells and molt properly. Too much or too few minerals leads to molting problems and stress. We highly recommend getting test strips or a kit to measure GH. Please see the following resources to learn more about what GH is, how to measure it, and how to detect molting problems:

• The Basics of GH
• Signs of Shrimp Molting Problems

KH - Good

Your KH level is sufficient to stabilize your tank and prevent most pH swings. Please note that we consider a slightly wider range of values to be healthy (3 to 8 dKH (54 to 143 ppm KH)) than other sites may recommend. This is because new shrimp keepers often focus too much on the values and may try chasing a number by continuously changing their tank. These changes often cause more stress to your shrimp than if the tank was left alone.

For more information on KH and how it affects pH, please see the following resource:

• The Basics of pH and KH

KH - Borderline High

Your KH level is higher than what is generally recommended for Neocaridina (3 to 8 dKH (54 to 143 ppm KH)), which may raise pH above recommended values. If your pH is still within healthy levels, then you do not need to change your KH but should keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn’t keep climbing. Please see the resources below for more information:

• The Basics of pH and KH <

KH - Borderline Low (Conditional)

Your KH level is lower than what is generally recommended for Neocaridina (3 to 8 dKH (54 to 143 ppm KH)), which may lead to pH swings.

Condition: KH is lowered by active substrates like Fluval Stratum and ADA Amazonia Aquasoil. These products stabilize pH at low levels so KH is not needed in the tank. If they lower the pH below recommended values, then it may be worth raising your KH, which will increase pH. Please see the resources below for more information:

• The Basics of pH and KH
• How to Raise KH

KH - Above Recommended Range

Your KH levels are very high, which often pushes pH above the recommended range. This level of carbonate may also stress out the animals and plants in your tank. We recommend lowering KH to bring it below 10 dKH (179 ppm KH). Please see the resources below for more information:

• The Basics of pH and KH
• How to Lower KH

The Importance of KH Measurements

KH stands for carbonate hardness (Karbonate hardness in German) and is a measure of how much carbonate is in your water. This measurement is important because carbonate is critical in preventing pH swings and creating a stable environment for your shrimp. We highly recommend getting a test kit to measure KH. Please see the resource below to learn more and the relationship between pH and KH, along with out to control KH:

• The Basics of pH and KH