Calcium Usage By Snails & Hermits.

[JayBeDriften]

As everyone probably knows from my recent threads that I have been dosing with about 1 gallon of Kalkwasser & RO/DI Water about every 3 days to keep up with evaporation within my 29 gallon nano aquarium. My levels where steady at 550ppm - 650ppm with the three corals that I have. I decided that is was time for a cleanup crew of 12 Turbo Snails and 12 Blue Legged Hermit Carbs. I just checked my Calcium level and since the addition of the 24 little guys my level dropped to 440ppm. :o I never knew that they could use up Calcium that quickly. I have decided to up my dosage to 2 gallon of Kalkwasser & RO/DI Water about every 3 days to keep up with the new levels. I will keep everyone posted. :agree:

[CarmieJo]

I don't believe that you want to maintain your CA quite that (550-650) high.

[JayBeDriften]

I don't believe that you want to maintain your CA quite that (550-650) high.

What level would you suggest I keep my Calcium and Alkalinity at CarmieJo? :(

[CarmieJo]

CA 450
Alk = meg/L: 3.5-4.5 or dKH: 9-12

[Amphibious]

I really concur with Carmie, Jay. By "pushing" your calcium levels to try maintaining an unnaturally high level you are flirting with a chemical disaster. I experimented with keeping my calcium this high years ago and one day I woke up to a calcium precipitate that covered everything in the tank including the glass walls. It was a bitch to scrape off and the tank eventually had to be torn down.

If Mother Nature believed the critters in the ocean would do better at 550ppm of Calcium she would maintain it there. But she knows that 450 is ideal. Why do we humans try to best Mother Nature?

[V]

its all about equalibrium! there are many many of natures solders out there doing their bit for nature! > fish are a prime example of it, they can actually effect the water around them to create a osmotic balancing effect! the top few layers of the skin on a fish is not far from our RO membranes! if the surrounding water is to high in salinity, they expel fresh water molecules through the skin & gills to nutralise the surrounding difference! huge amounts of bodily energy is used up, just like our body trying to stay walm when we are freezing> huge wastages of energy consumption! this balancing act can come at a price in extreme cases, the fishes systems can work overtime, leaving the door open to desease! but as in jarrasic park>>nature will always find a way! in our captive environments with constant bombardments she allows them to crash> hense negating any possible comeback from an imbalance! in nature this is called perpetual cataclism! <double check the spelling folks..lol

[JayBeDriften]

I understand "John Hammond" will go sit in the Talking Reef time out corner.

[V]

man im a dummy! i didn;t get that!

[JayBeDriften]

LOL John Hammond Founder and Operator of Jurassic Park. :-)

[V]

u know i have a photographic memory with movies! but u may have caught me out on that one! cause it doesn;t ring any bells whats so ever! i shall get the DVD from the store & watch it again now! >im a shocker really> thanks jay for not stomping me too hard! :blush:

[JayBeDriften]

LOL, Veriann, you guys don't stomp me to bad when I make a foolish mistake like maintaining my calcium at an extremely high level so I try to reciprocate the same. lol

[wwest]

ok lets test you. this is a classic movie. and the name of the leading start is scott howard. think you can guess that one without looking it up? :)

[V]

no, i dont think u heard me! "i would like a keg of beer"
*glowing eyes*! are we talking teenwolf?
my fav parkinson friend from way back> i liked fox in boston legal! this is one of my fav TV shows by the way!

uve got to give me alittle slack as of late west our budding scientist! im on the promotion that would dwalf normal americans income by 50fold at least! give me a clue if im wrong! im always glad or happy if im wrong> it means i need to learn more!

[wwest]

did you look that up? you are correct :)

[V]

to be truthful west, i will give credit where credit is due! if i use someone elses info i will crack a oneliner & include there name somewhere in the sentence! but im not joking when i say im a god! well, maybe a little ., but who pays attention to ozzies anyways! :p

[wwest]

ok maybe well have to start a thread in the louge and try to stump you :) i love classic movies :)

[V]

hey go easy> u already have remember! jarrasic park!

[BrianPlankis]

I don't think 24 snails and hermits would drop Calcium that dramatically in a 180. I guess it is possible, but not very probable. Of course I'm about to start a study on the Calcium and Alkalinity usage by snails :) I'm very curious what the results will show.

Brian

[Amphibious]

You're right Brian. Perhaps it's because his Magnesium is low. that plays in the balance of Cal and Alk. Low Mag causes Calcium to precipitate out and Alk to climb. That's why it's important to measure for Mag and maintain about 1250 meg/L. Like viriann stated above, it's all about equilibrium.

[JayBeDriften]

Hey guys this is not in a 180 gallon aquarium. I actually had to break it down and start a 29 gallon Nano because I lost my job and wanted to conserve on the electric and operational cost. :-)

[Amphibious]

LMAO, post #1 mentions 180, did we miss something???

[JayBeDriften]

Sorry guys that was my fault. I am so used to writing about my 180 gallon aquarium that I just broke down that I must have typed it without realizing.

[V]

I don't think 24 snails and hermits would drop Calcium that dramatically in a 180. I guess it is possible, but not very probable. Of course I'm about to start a study on the Calcium and Alkalinity usage by snails :) I'm very curious what the results will show.

Brian

Mr plankis aka Dr plankis!
how are u going about controllling the evironment & contributing factors in this experinment?! this sounds interesting!

[wildeone]

I was under the impression that hermits would use very very very little calcium as they don't grow their shells. Is that the case?

[CarmieJo]

I don't know but they would have to use some due to the ectoskeleton.

[BrianPlankis]

Mr plankis aka Dr plankis!
how are u going about controllling the evironment & contributing factors in this experinment?! this sounds interesting!

Not a Dr yet, but working on it :D Yes this will be a controlled rigorous (hopefully) experiment. I'm very excited about it and will be able to share more once it is better formed :)

Brian

[bubbletip]

I cannot recall where I read information on snails, shrimp, etc. using up calcium in a tank. I beleive it was part of a Reefkeepign article. They definetely do, and from waht I remember, I do not beleive it would be much in our aqauriums. Basically, I have a peppermint, a dozen nassarius, and a mixed dozed with some cerith and astreas and have very limited calcium intake out of my recently cycled tank at this point. I am dosing B-Ionic every three days. If I do it any sooner my Calcium and Alkalinity goes up over the levels that I am shooting for.