calcium? for shrimp and snail breeding tank?

[j-man the skater-man]

i am going to start a cherry shrimp and snail breeder tank (10 gallon) and i will use 100% of the water out of the tank they are in right now and seed the sand in the new tank with sand from the tank they are in now as well

the water parimeters are going to be ruffly : pH-7 kH-140 to 160ish gH-75
and i have read that if your breeding snails that you need to add calcium cause the babies use it in their shell alot when young and with shrimp and snail i was wondering if i really need it.....? and if i do plz give me the rundown on it...

thanks jason

[Scuba Kid]

when i was breeding snails i read that you can add calcium to the water just by adding a few sea shells.

[wildtiger]

There are lots of things you can do to add calcium to the water, but I use Kents. You can add shells, you can use a crushed coral substrate, you can feed the weekend feeders, plus you can feed foods that are high in calcium, such as spinach, kale and other good leafy greens.

[j-man the skater-man]

ok i am going with liqiud calcium and i will add flourish too how often in what amounts do i dose? had bad time with ghost shrimp and calcium...

[wildtiger]

I'm not familiar with flourish and snails so I'm not sure how much you would add. With the Kents I just add about a capful every couple of days or so. Generally feeding foods that are high in calcium is the way to go.

[garfieldnfish]

You can also use eggs shells. After eating the yolks, lol, you can put the shells in some tank water for a few hours or days. That softens them up. Then you can crush them easily, so there won't be any sharp edges where the snails or shrimp could hurt themselves. Then either add some of the water or the shells themselves to the tank. Cheaper then buying the liquid stuff and everyone uses eggs now and then.
I do also use the liquid calcium from Kent and feed mine crab cuisine, rich in calcium and the snails love it. I have very soft water so I overdo the calcium supplement a little but I got my apple snails to breed several times already and ended up with more snails then I wanted.

[Damon]

You don't have to add calcium to the tank. You tank water has plenty.

[j-man the skater-man]

what type of food would u recommend for feeding that has high calcium???

[ijedic]

Originally Posted by j-man the skater-man

what type of food would u recommend for feeding that has high calcium???

Hi J,
Collard greens have a lot of calcium, as do turnip greens. Weekend feeders are also really high in calcium. My snails and shrimp get lots of veggies, a weekend feeder every week or so, Ken's Fish sinking pellets, and Sonic's pleco power pellets. Our water is so hard coming out of the tap, I don't add calcium to the water. Have a great week, Shannon

[MyraVan]

Originally Posted by Simpte

You don't have to add calcium to the tank. You tank water has plenty.

Hmmm. j-man's pH is 7, which is just borderline for keeping snails. But if he wants to *breed* snails, especially if they are apple snails, he will definitely have to add calcium. Baby snails extract calcium from the water like you wouldn't believe... I've seen photos of what happens to baby snails' shells if the owners dont make sure they've added enough calcium to the water. The snails live, but they aren't pretty.

[j-man the skater-man]

ok any special way to prepare the vegies?? are dead plant leaves good for calcium?

[wildtiger]

Would you want to eat dead plant leaves? I wouldn't. Best to feed your fish and snails fresh or blanched veggies. When buying leafy veggies from the store, be sure to rinse well before feeding.