Shrimp essentials?

[Cactuspixie]

I am becoming so confused! There are so many powders, and balls, and rocks etc marketed as being essential to keep shrimp healthy.


I have some cherry shrimp in a tank with sand substrate, a driftwood cave, java fern and java moss, and coral frags. It's heated (is 26c good for them?), filtered with a sponge powered by an air pump, and lit with an LED light.

What do I need to add/remove, do differently etc?

 

[Cactuspixie]

Another 2 dead shrimp this morning :-(

 

[Mogurako]

The only thing I add to my shrimp tanks is Cuttle bone to help strengthen their shells and recover faster after a molt. There's no need to buy all those additives.

Why do you have the coral in the tank? I would remove those as a precaution because there's no telling what they came in contact with.

What's your PH,GH, KH, TDS, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels?

 

[Cactuspixie]

The only thing I add to my shrimp tanks is Cuttle bone to help strengthen their shells and recover faster after a molt. There's no need to buy all those additives.

Why do you have the coral in the tank? I would remove those as a precaution because there's no telling what they came in contact with.

What's your PH,GH, KH, TDS, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels?

The coral is to buffer the ph because of the driftwood (and my slightly acidic tap water). I have coral rubble in all my tanks, either in the tank itself or in a filter.

I don't have any tests for GH or KH. Ph is 7, temp 27C, Amon 0.0, nitrite 0.0, nitrate 2.5 (not bright yellow but not orange)