Anyone here uses oyster shells to add calcium and magnesium? I was
wondering how high it will raise pH.

My tap water is very soft, acidic (~6.5), and low in gh.

try it in an isolated tank and get back to us on it's result.....


"Steve Galupe" wrote in message
...
| Anyone here uses oyster shells to add calcium and magnesium? I was
| wondering how high it will raise pH.
|
| My tap water is very soft, acidic (~6.5), and low in gh.
|
|

Steve Galupe wrote:

My tap water is very soft, acidic (~6.5), and low in gh.

A lot of discus breeders out there envy you!

Tell me about it. Poeple who live in hard water areas would love to keep
discus and people like me soft water areas would love to keep African
cichlids. I wonder why that is.

The purpose of this is that the leaves of my H. polysperma is really wrinkly
but is really green. And Vallis and Bacopa never seem to thrive in my tank.


"Dave Millman" wrote in message
...
Steve Galupe wrote:

My tap water is very soft, acidic (~6.5), and low in gh.

A lot of discus breeders out there envy you!

Oyster shells are almost pure CaCO3, so they will provide your tank with
calcium, but they don't contain much (if any) magnesium. To supply
magnesium, you have a couple of choices - Epsom Salts are hydrated Magnesium
Sulphate (MgSO4 + 7H2O). Don't worry about adding Sulphate to your tank -
its needed by plants as well (Sulphur is an essential element and is
absorbed as the SO4-- ion). To determine dosing levels for Epsom Salts, use
Chuck Gadd's excellent calculator
(http://www.csd.net/%7Ecgadd/aqua/art...osage_calc.htm)

Another source for both Calcium and Magnesium is Dolomite (Calcium Magnesium
Carbonate - CaMgCO3). You can pick up "food grade" Calcium & Magnesium
Tablets at the drug store in the vitamin and mineral supplement section.
Look for a brand that has no additives or artificial sweetners added
(usually, the generic brands are the best).

James Purchase
Toronto

You refer to food grade Ca & Mg tablets. What is the suggested dosage
range when using them per 10 gallons? I can easily obtain them and it
is cheaper for me to use, and I would rather not use Oyster shells as
it seems as an incosistent way to dose. I was previously using Epsom
Salts for Mg, but it didn't seem to make any difference to the plants.

For reference 3 quick dissolving tablets I have now contain 1000mg Ca,
and 400mg Mg. Converting that into how much I should put into water
causes me a lot of problems as I'm not a math person. If you have a
suggestion, it would be very appreciated.


Another source for both Calcium and Magnesium is Dolomite (Calcium Magnesium
Carbonate - CaMgCO3). You can pick up "food grade" Calcium & Magnesium
Tablets at the drug store in the vitamin and mineral supplement section.
Look for a brand that has no additives or artificial sweetners added
(usually, the generic brands are the best).

James Purchase
Toronto