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 Calcium Supplements

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ENBG




Posts : 19
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Join date : 2011-11-08

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PostSubject: Calcium Supplements   Calcium Supplements EmptyWed Feb 01, 2012 9:27 pm

Hey everyone,
I have been noticing some dead white ramshorn snail shells around the floor of my tank and my Nerites are seeming to have a little shell degradation.. which is a concern because I hope to add some new shrimp to the tank soon. I have been doing some research about different ways to supplement calcium into the tank for snails, shrimp, etc and I was wondering what people's experiences are?
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Summit MicroFarm

Summit MicroFarm


Posts : 52
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Join date : 2012-01-25
Location : Corvallis

Calcium Supplements Empty
PostSubject: Re: Calcium Supplements   Calcium Supplements EmptyWed Feb 01, 2012 9:58 pm

ENBG,

I assume you are on city water. City water here in Corvallis is quite soft with a TDS of mid 60's. It has a low KH and a very low GH. There are several ways to go about altering chemistry. To raise mineral content many people simply add some crushed coral. Depending on what species you plan to keep this will work, but if you are keeping more advanced fish or shrimp the inconsistency that crushed coral causes by nature may not work. In this case you have two main options...to use a substrate which buffers your tank water to the parameters needed for whichever species you will be keeping. I use this method extensively. You can also create your water just like salties do with their salt water tanks. I suggest Kent Marine products for this...Kent RO Right is an excellent product. I use a mix of both methods and have a RO/DI machine to control my water change water.
alien
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theRedSkull

theRedSkull


Posts : 657
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Join date : 2011-07-14
Age : 42
Location : Corvallis, OR

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PostSubject: Re: Calcium Supplements   Calcium Supplements EmptySun Feb 05, 2012 2:23 am

i too choose aragonite, i just cant see myself buying an RO machine at this point in my sickness...
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Summit MicroFarm

Summit MicroFarm


Posts : 52
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Join date : 2012-01-25
Location : Corvallis

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PostSubject: Re: Calcium Supplements   Calcium Supplements EmptySun Feb 05, 2012 3:53 am

Skull,
I use aragonite in my Sulawesi tanks...but that would never fly for an acidic soft water species. It works very well for the opposite effects.
alien
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badxgillen

badxgillen


Posts : 2139
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Join date : 2011-07-14
Location : Corvallis Oregon

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PostSubject: Re: Calcium Supplements   Calcium Supplements EmptySun Feb 05, 2012 1:22 pm

good call.long ago i tried using aragonite for my snails holy shells,wich this does work,but in the tank i also had some wild caught apistogrammas.they couldnt take the swing and one passed on before i realized what the problem was.aragonite is a pretty good bet when the PH is wanted on the higher scale.or if you monitor the levels in your tank.i personaly use coral of varying grades to buffer waters acordingly as i like the natural way i simply just check my PH and relative perameters until the desired levels are met. Very Happy
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fishfanatic

fishfanatic


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Join date : 2011-07-16
Age : 49
Location : Benton County Oregon

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PostSubject: Re: Calcium Supplements   Calcium Supplements EmptyMon Feb 06, 2012 2:44 am

funny enough when I had fiddler, red claw and vampire crabs (before they all escaped) I noticed thinning shells so I started giving them a tums tablet once a week, fixed them right up. Now if daughter had just left the top on like I told her a million times Sad
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http://www.northwestmri.com
ENBG




Posts : 19
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Join date : 2011-11-08

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PostSubject: Re: Calcium Supplements   Calcium Supplements EmptyTue Feb 07, 2012 7:23 pm

I plan on picking up some GH KH test kits today, and have some crushed coral in my supply box.. but am concerned about this raising my pH too high. I am not able to invest in an RO or DI water treatment system at this point and it is unfeasible for me to completely redo my tank with new substrate. I am thinking that I will purchase some Ca montmorillonite clay for after water changes, but am looking at the Kent RO right as well. I am slightly confused as to whether the clay would be sufficient alone or would need to be used in conjunction with small amounts of crushed coral in the HOB filter or the RO right? I will update once I can get a closer estimate of the GH/KH levels
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Summit MicroFarm

Summit MicroFarm


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Join date : 2012-01-25
Location : Corvallis

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PostSubject: Re: Calcium Supplements   Calcium Supplements EmptyTue Feb 07, 2012 11:53 pm

The montmorillonite clay and the Kent RO Right do not replace each other... They act in two different ways. The montmorillonite clay works to rid the water of impurities and heavy metals whereas the Kent RO RIght re-minerlizes the water affecting KH and GH (slightly).
alien
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ENBG




Posts : 19
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Join date : 2011-11-08

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PostSubject: Re: Calcium Supplements   Calcium Supplements EmptyWed Feb 08, 2012 1:17 am

okay that makes more sense. I am still trying to acquire some snow/golden bee shrimp and am using corvallis tap water. Therefore the water in my aquarium is soft.. I still have yet to run an accurate GH/KH test because I am lacking a kit.. So it is necessary to raise my TDS before adding these caridinia sp to my tank. What I am gathering is that the best way to achieve this is by using the kent RO right, which would be much more consistent (and not really affect pH) than using crushed coral? I am sorry for the confusion and asking so many questions, I just haven't found the most comprehensive information during searches and assume others might be interested in this info.
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