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Shell attrition

Hi all,
jellybean said:
they “dug wells” for the source and that they “soften” it. It feels slimy to the touch and tastes like baking soda has been added to it. Needless to say, we don’t drink it.
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OK, that helps, they use <"sodium carbonate softening">.
_Maq_ said:
Much better. But better still, powdered calcium carbonate. It's "insoluble" and will make the water cloudy, for some hours. But fear not, it's harmless and it will dissolve.
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Personally I'd go down that route. Can you get <"Oyster (or Cockle) shell Chick grit">?

If you can't? the potassium carbonate (K2CO3) is fine.
...... 1.2g K2CO3 in 25 litres of water = 2 dKH
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cheers Darrel
 
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Ahhhh, the Louisiana drinking water article … I don’t live on the coast but is it possible that my water source is from a well that has saline in it? Where I live, there used to be a “saltwater natatorium” that was fed by a saltwater well. Interesting stuff here.

Ok. I’m tossing the baking soda. I only have potassium carbonate on hand now but will order the calcium carbonate. And, yes I measure it when mixing. I go by TDS to get me close then double check with liquid test kits.
 
I think I found the chicken grit. It’s called Dumor Oyster Shell chicken calcium supplement. Ingredients are oyster shell and coral calcium. Pellet sized crushed oyster shell. Heat treated for purity. Active ingredient is oyster shell. Is this the right stuff?
 
Hi all,
jellybean said:
Dumor Oyster Shell chicken calcium supplement
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That sounds right and hopefully pretty cheap? (a couple of $ a pound?) you should be able to find some that costs "chicken feed".

You just need to add a little and see how long it takes to dissolve (you can put it in a net bag in the filter, or the tank, etc). If it doesn't dissolve? your Ramshorn snails won't either. If it dissolves rapidly, just add some more.

cheers Darrel
 
Wow, that sounds easy! So I will leave my RO at 0 Kh? And just add the Ca/Mg to get the Gh to 8 and call it done?

And, yes, cheap. 5 pounds for $8.
 
Hi all,
jellybean said:
So I will leave my RO at 0 Kh? And just add the Ca/Mg to get the Gh to 8 and call it done?
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Yes. Just add a couple of pellets of the Oyster shell chicken feed to the tank and see how the snails get along.

They won't be able to repair the damaged shell, but hopefully they should be all right. I use rain-water and the Ramshorn snails <"never get very big, or very old">, but they maintain themselves as a population.

cheers Darrel
 
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Ok, got the crushed oyster shell pellets. When you say to add a couple of pellets … how many per tank size? I have 20, 40, and 100 gallon tanks. Thanks.
 
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dw1305 said:
@jellybean did this work?
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Yes! Shells are much better though I do still lose a snail here and there (with a translucent shell). But I’m seeing many, many more with much more solid looking shells than before. The grit that I put in the tanks a few months ago is mostly still there. Very little has dissolved. I’ve also been adding calcium rich foods at least twice a week. And I switched from baking soda to Potassium Bicarbonate for my Kh.

Thanks so much for all your help and for checking back in.
 
Hi all,
jellybean said:
But I’m seeing many, many more with much more solid looking shells than before.
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Good, I knew it should / does work, but it is always nice to have some confirmation.

We have quite a few threads (on all sorts of subjects) where we've offered advice, and the OP says that they have started following it, but after that we just don't get anymore posts.

The problem at that point is that you don't know whether:
  • The OP has found it works and <"now no longer needs us">, or
  • It has all gone <"horribly wrong">, and they are so traumatised by the whole experience that they have vowed never to come on the forum again.
I always like to believe the former option, but I'm guessing (in some cases) it is the latter.

cheers Darrel
 
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dw1305 said:
We have quite a few threads (on all sorts of subjects) where we've offered advice, and the OP says that they have started following it, but after that we just don't get anymore posts.

The problem at that point is that you don't know whether:
  • The OP has found it works and <"now no longer needs us">, or
  • It has all gone <"horribly wrong">, and they are so traumatised by the whole experience that they have vowed never to come on the forum again.
I always like to believe the former option, but I'm guessing (in some cases) it is the latter.
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Ha! I haven’t been traumatized on this forum … yet. Instead, I visit most every day to see what new tidbits you guys are handing out. Such a great place to learn.
 
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