PH level and Breeding CRS

[shrimp]

Trying to find out if the PH value will affect the breeding behaiour of CRS.

I am using a tank at PH 7.2 and have not experience any breeding.

Care to share the PH level of your tank that breeding CRS is possible... Thanks

[imi_sky]

6.6-7.2 is a good range ive managed to breed out mine in that pH

[shrimp]

6.6-7.2 is a good range ive managed to breed out mine in that pH

Thanks for your info.

I brought up this question because I was told that a higher PH will cause the shell of the shrimp to harden and might cause fatality when during pregancy and will also cause fatality when the shrimp de-shell.

Have a lower PH will also the shell to be softer and hence will be at less risk during pregancy as the shell tends to expand.

[Jake]

In my experience, softer, more acidic water is beneficial for the well being and breeding of this species. The ph that was listed previously is good, but I would recommend a more narrow range of 6.6-6.8, and I would ensure the gh is not too high.

[shrimp]

I managed to reduce the PH value of my tank by 0.2 making it 7.0 now, by inducing slightly more CO2. 2 bubbles per sec.

I heard that inducing more CO2 might cause a toxidic effect on the water that will be harmful to the CRS. Issit true?

I have other shrimps such as Bee and Tiger., they can all manage well with a higher dose of CO2... not sure about CRS though..

[NanoDave]

Thanks for your info.

I brought up this question because I was told that a higher PH will cause the shell of the shrimp to harden and might cause fatality when during pregancy and will also cause fatality when the shrimp de-shell.

Have a lower PH will also the shell to be softer and hence will be at less risk during pregancy as the shell tends to expand.

A higher pH does not cause the shell to become harder. The shell is alkaline in nature, and acidity will react with it (eating away at it) but alkaline don't make it harder (just less tendency to get eaten away). As an example, if you dip a coral chip in acidic water it slowly erodes it but if you dip it in alkaline water it doesn't make it bigger/thicker/harder.

Supposing that hardness can be increased from its max hardness in non-acidic water, lets explore the impact of an increase in hardness.

Firstly the shrimp is not suppose to de-shell(moult) during pregnancy.They try to hold it until the shrimplets leave.

Secondly, a harder shell is logically easier to get out from compared to a softer shell because the the shrimp gets out by contracting its body to separate it from its body, and then create a gap between it and the shell before it shoots out. A harder shell has less tendency to contract with the body making it easier to separate. A softer shell contracting with the body causes the gap to be unable to be stressed enough to separate the body from the shell. The result will be a failure in moulting or a partial failure where only a part of it remains stuck. Moulting is a much more 'dangerous' activity for a shrimp compared to anything else and it is a cause of shrimp death.

That said, most people keep crs in acidic water so you are safer to follow suit. There is a larger percentage of toxic ammonia (ammonium) in higher pH amongst other negative impacts a higher pH has in less ideal water conditions.

[shrimp]

NanoDave,

Thanks for the information that you have provided. It is very useful. Enjoy reading your reply. :)

[NanoDave]

You're welcome. :)