Any one ever use this stuff?

[SushiRoll]

I had an apple snail die recently (?) and I'm looking at his shell (which I'm keeping... I'm not crazy) and it looks kinda thin but I have some cuttlebone so I don't know why that is but I was like ok I'll give them some liquid calcium and my mom had some so my questions are
1. How much do I dose?
2. Anyone ever use this stuff? Is it ok to use? Here's some pictures of the bottle


Thanks in advance!


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[SushiRoll]

The tank is a 10g with (now ?) 4 Apple snails and guppies (my female just gave birth but then ate them so there's about 7 guppies in there). There are live plants so I don't know if a high calcium rate could hurt them.


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[SushiRoll]

Anyone ever used it?


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[Autumnsky]

What is your KH (calcium) level now? What is your tap water KH? You can test it let it sit for 24-48 hours. If you want to mess around with adding this you should get a test kit.

Your adding this (I have not used this exact one) can drastically change your parameters, so best to try to understand what you are doing with test kit, otherwise you could kill your tank inhabitants. I am not the expert for this, still learning, but know that you should know where you stand and how things in your tank may affect your water, and from pwc.

Generally by keeping a generous pwc amount and weekly schedule you can keep a good amount of minerals in the tank. If you have plants, they use up some of those and large amounts of DW can mellow your water's pH. I have nearly 0 calcium in my water and that is a huge problem for me and I have to add calcium with each pwc each week to 10 days depending on which tank it is in.

You would need to try to keep the level of your calcium similar - to add some in each pwc to try and maintain a consistent number.

The test kit is usually KH/GH for carbonate hardness and general hardness. Sometimes found in the saltwater section.

 

[SushiRoll]

Ok thanks! Where can I get a KH test? Is it in the Api mater test kit? I was thinking about getting that when my other liquid tests ran out.


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[Autumnsky]

API master kit doesn't have the KH/GH included. Appx $15. LFS, I think I saw one at Petsmart in the saltwater department, or online.

If you have a relationship with a lfs, they might test for you for free or charge a couple dollars, just to see where you are. Mystery snails don't always have thick shells. If you have medium to hard water from your water supplier/company you should be alright. If you have a heavily planted tank the plants can use up your minerals, so frequent pwc are important to consider.