Adding Calcium via Cuttlebone or Wonder Shell

[Solsong]

Hello. I have a 10 gallon betta tank with 2 nerite snails. I need to add calcium to the tank for the snails. I've been reading posts here where people have recommended adding piece of cuttlebone. I've also been reading posts where people have recommended Wonder Shells. I was wondering if there's any benefit to one versus the other.

If I go the cuttlebone option, do I just place the entire thing into the tank (after boiling so it will sink)? Will that raise the tank GH levels too high if I do that?

Alternatively, if I go the Wonder Shell option, what size do I purchase? It appears that "large size" is appropriate for a 5 gallon tank (but from what I've been reading it's fine to use half of the recommended dosing anyway). Would the large one be the correct size?

Thank you for any assistance and advice.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Are you sure that gh is an issue? I wouldnt go messing with water chemistry unless you know you have a problem.

You might be better getting some calcium into the snails diet. Cucumber and zucchini are good sources of calcium.

Ive put cuttlebone either just dropped into the tank or put into the filter.

 

[Solsong]

Are you sure that gh is an issue? I wouldnt go messing with water chemistry unless you know you have a problem.

You might be better getting some calcium into the snails diet. Cucumber and zucchini are good sources of calcium.

Ive put cuttlebone either just dropped into the tank or put into the filter.

Oh no, I'm not specifically sure. I was trying to use jargon and being a novice, I undoubtedly used it wrong.

I had a mystery snail that died recently. It's shell was pitted pretty badly and its growth rings weren't smoothing over. When I brought my water into the pet store for more extensive testing than the strips I have at home, the aquatics person said that they thought it was because I have a heater in the tank. They also said they suspected I have a calcium deficiency. The heater, obviously, needs to stay for the fish. For the calcium, they recommended I put egg shells in the filter compartment. When I tried that, though, my daughter's betta fish started acting super stressed. When I searched for why a fish would act weird when egg shells were added to a tank, I came across a few posts of people who added egg shells and their fish later became ill. I removed the egg shells, and he started acting perfectly normal again, so I started looking for alternative options.

The test-strips I have don't specifically say the GH levels, though. They just indicate whether the water is "very soft/soft/hard/very hard". The water tests as 150 "Hard". Since the water tests as hard, I imagined the mineral levels were fine and the pitting was just the snail's type and it's natural aging process (especially since my nerite doesn't have any pitting). Adding cuttlebone or other calcium doesn't seem like a bad idea, though, as long as it doesn't change the tank chemistry since -- at least according to the test strips I have -- everything looks acceptable ranges...I think. Since I'm an extreme beginner at this, currently it all tests as:

Nitrate: Between 0 and 20 (safe) (there's it's very slight pink tinge, but not even close to the pink of the "20" level -- these say up to a 40 is safe, but idk)

Nitrite: 0 (safe) (not even a slight tinge to this)

Total Hardness: 150 (hard) (it's the exact color)

Total Alkalinity: Between a 40 and 80 (low to moderate) (color is greener than the one for 40 but not as green as 80)

pH: 6.8 (neutral) (it's the exact color)

 

[Delapool]

I have added cuttle bone as well. Did get green algae on it otherwise went ok. Presently have dropped some small shells in as a just in case of ph drop.