Hello friends, today I like to share what is the correct TDS level for shrimps. Many hobbyists have the idea that there is a fix range of TDS level that they should maintain, but that is not really the case.

Shrimps in general depend a lot on their shell for survival. It is the exoskeleton of the shrimp and also protects the shrimp from danger. With the right minerals, the shrimp shell is able to develop well and also the shrimp is able to molt well. So, what exactly is the right amount of minerals we need to add?

Firstly, we need to understand what does TDS or total dissolved solid means. TDS is a measure of all substances present in a liquid other than pure water A.K.A H20. These can be anything but mainly minerals, salts and organic matter. With this information, it would mean that the mineral solution you are using is extremely important, because the ratio of beneficial minerals play a part in your shrimps being able to absorb these minerals.

Most minerals that are available commercially consist of mainly calcium, magnesium and trace elements. These are minerals that benefits your shrimp and different brand uses a different ratio of these elements.

The key question is, what exactly is the correct TDS you should have? The answer to that is, there is no correct TDS. Now if we measure our tap water in Singapore, it ranges from about 70ppm to 100ppm. Say you have around 100ppm in your TDS measurement, it doesn’t mean that the content in your water is useful for your shrimps. At most times, I would still recommend hobbyist who uses tap water to still add minerals in your tank.

If we take a look at the long list of elements found in our tap water here, almost 90% of the content is useless to our shrimp and they may even harm your shrimps. If you are using tap water, anti-chlorine solutions are highly recommended.

Another example would be, if we add coffee powder into our tank, it increases the TDS of our tank as well, but that doesn’t mean that it would benefit our shrimps.

Pure water on the other hand is my personal favorite. You can adjust your TDS levels to much lower range say 80-100ppm as the minerals that you add into your tank are mostly beneficial. The perks of using pure water is that you have full control of what you want in inside your tank. An alternative to a RODI filter is to get distill water from our local supermarket.

So to summarise this, if you are using pure water, it would be great to increase your mineral content to a TDS level of about 80-100ppm. If you are using tap water, increase your current TDS level to an additional 50ppm with your mineral condition.

MADFU Minerals+ is formulated by our team together with several breeders from Taiwan. It has been tested and proven to help with proper shell development even for shrimplets. They are available on our webstore and physical store. For overseas distribution, feel free to email us at hello@madshrimp.com.

I hope you enjoy this article and here is me wishing you all the best in your shrimp keeping adventures!