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I have some Apple & Nerite snails & i would like to know how can i add Calcium in the tank. The Snails are on their own, without any fish or other inhabitants. What can i do to add Calcium, so they will strengthen their shells?.

Thanks alot in advance.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

You can add CaSo4 (calcium sulfate) in powder form. You can also add crushed coral to the filter, or cuttle bone (sold in pet stores for bird cages), which is loaded with calcium.
There are also a variety of food that supply Ca as well.

And yes, you would be doing your snails a favor by adding some calcium to their environment.

Len

HAVE DISCS - WILL TRAVEL

If there's no fish I'd add some limestone. Snails love hardwater with a high ph. Think african cichlid type setup. A low ph seems to make it harder for them to use calcium and a low enough ph dissolves their shells. These guys absolutely love a ph of 8.0 and higher. It also helps to increase gh as well as kh and ph. The best way to do that is to use kent's liquid calcium supplement designed for reef tanks. They'll have shells made of rock if you use that. But most other things that raise the kh will also add some to the gh like the limestone, cuttlebone, crushed coral, or baking soda but not to the same extent.

Thanks alot for both reply's. I will add some Baking Soda, Limestone Rocks & CuttleFish bones in the tank for now & see how the things go.

I would also like to buy some Calcium liquid to add in the tank.

Thanks once again & best regards from Malta.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com

I'd hold off on the baking soda, Jason.

The other stuff you're adding will increase the kh, gh, and calcium levels more than enough. The baking soda isn't going to add any calcium (which seems to be your main objective) and you could end up with cloudy water, mineral deposits, and the like if the kh gets too high.

Joe Potato

Well, i added the Baking Soda, till i find some CuttleFish bones. The water is still clear, but i haven't tested the water parameters yet.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/
Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
http://www.maltaaquarist.com