I bought some cuttlefish bone for my snails and shrimp and tossed it in. It just seems to sit there, they don't climb on it or eat off of it, and it doesn't seem to be dissolving or being eaten. Is this an effective means of supplementing calcium for snails/shrimp?
Calcium Pills and Reviews
- Thread starter Lupin
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- Sep 21, 2006
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- Paul
If your pH is not acidic, the cuttlefish bone will take a long time to dissolve. Calcium is best ingested by the snails so they can add layers of shell growth to thicken and repair their shells. The pH and hardness levels if adjusted will help prevent shell erosion, that's about it.
I'd be cautious with any peppermint flavored ones. Peppermint oil has side effects on its own, in large amounts. Since they're dosed for humans, I'd be careful of it with the much smaller snails. Plus, a lot of the time peppermint flavored junk will actually "burn" your mouth, imagine a snail crawling on it.
Equate Extra Strength Antacid Tablets
I haven't tried the actual Tums brand in the tanks, so I can't exactly compare them, but, the Equate (Walmart) brand started to dissolve incredibly quickly in my tanks (and my water is over 300 somethings for hardness and 8 something for pH), and one tab lasted maybe 5 minutes total. When the snails attempted to eat it, it was falling apart so fast that they gave up. Now, I'm going to assume that the Tums brand doesn't do this (or at least not as quickly) because when you try to eat them, it's almost like chewing on a rock, and the Equate brand is much softer and easier to chew. Taking them as a human, hands down, I say Equate brand, but, for snails, I don't recommend it.
Equate Extra Strength Antacid Tablets
I haven't tried the actual Tums brand in the tanks, so I can't exactly compare them, but, the Equate (Walmart) brand started to dissolve incredibly quickly in my tanks (and my water is over 300 somethings for hardness and 8 something for pH), and one tab lasted maybe 5 minutes total. When the snails attempted to eat it, it was falling apart so fast that they gave up. Now, I'm going to assume that the Tums brand doesn't do this (or at least not as quickly) because when you try to eat them, it's almost like chewing on a rock, and the Equate brand is much softer and easier to chew. Taking them as a human, hands down, I say Equate brand, but, for snails, I don't recommend it.
- Sep 21, 2006
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I don't think hardness has much to do with the dissolution rate of the tablets. Caltrate dissolves quicker than Tums even if my water is on the same footing as yours. It may have something to do with the ingredients rather than the hardness itself. As you can see on various brands, various ingredients are used and not all ingredients are similar to each other. The comparison of ingredients is just based on assumption of course so I can't say for sure that the ingredients they use are really similar or different or just close.lol
I just tossed a couple of flavored tums in my tank. Now it's a milky white color (you did warn us!) but NONE of my snails have shown the slightest interest. My bridgsii's ignored it, even a centimeter from their food, and my thousand or so ramshorn and pond snails are also avoiding it like the plague.
Of course, my guppies, being guppies, all took a big bite before spitting it out.... I swear, even though I'm a contributor, we're breeding the brains right outta these things.
Of course, my guppies, being guppies, all took a big bite before spitting it out.... I swear, even though I'm a contributor, we're breeding the brains right outta these things.
Is vitamin c bad for snails? I ask because I have inherited this bottle of powder: Ester C. It has Vitamin C and Calcium as in Calcium Ascorbate, and Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex consisting of extracts from lemon, orange,grapefruit, lime, and tangerine. That is all it has in it. No fillers and nothing artificial.
What do you think? Good or bad for snails?
What do you think? Good or bad for snails?
- Sep 21, 2006
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Very strange that all snails avoid it like plague. My diffusas just went far out when they saw the Tums for the first time and this one was the strawberry flavor. Just give them time to adjust. Test their interest with Caltrate (whether with Vitamin D added or not). If they go for Caltrate, you can switch to Tums after that and see if their interest peaks. They just need to get used to the taste of calcium carbonate. Caltrate attracts almost all snails quite quickly and at least quicker than Tums but my snails are now so used to Tums that I never had issues with them ignoring it.
Yeah, my guppies harassed the diffusas into distancing my snail jello riddled with Tums and shoveled into their mouth the crushed Tums. I wasn't happy either to discover they just gave birth to some fry. They are only 2 cm and I wasn't aware they were gravid until I saw some fry darting around much to my dismay.
I have never heard of calcium ascorbate being used with snails although most foods such as dandelions are excellent sources of Vitamin C but vitamin C is not often the primary focus when it comes to nutrition for snails. Calcium ascorbate is mineral ascorbate which is Vitamin C itself. You are looking for calcium bicarbonate, not calcium ascorbate.
Vitamin C should be fine, it's a water soluable vitamin, so if they eat too much, they'll pass it in excretions.
Equate Antacid Ingredients
Calcium carbonate, dextrose, maltodextrin polyethlene glycol, talc, powdered cellulose, natural and artificial flavors, mineral oil, red #40 lake, blue #1 lake.
Similar to Tums, but I can vouch that they're very different. Tums are simply disgusting, they're harder, and have larger chunks of calcium carbonate in them, the Equate brand is finely milled and the flavor is blended into it much better.
Equate Antacid Ingredients
Calcium carbonate, dextrose, maltodextrin polyethlene glycol, talc, powdered cellulose, natural and artificial flavors, mineral oil, red #40 lake, blue #1 lake.
Similar to Tums, but I can vouch that they're very different. Tums are simply disgusting, they're harder, and have larger chunks of calcium carbonate in them, the Equate brand is finely milled and the flavor is blended into it much better.
Calcium Ascorbate
Calcium Ascorbate
Calcium Ascorbate is non-acidic (pH neutral), making it gentle on the digestive system. Vitamin C plays a vital role in the formation of collagen (a structural protein in connective tissue), amino acid metabolism and hormone synthesis, and the utilization of many nutrients, such as folic acid and iron. It is also a key factor in the body's Defense mechanism of body.
Calcium Ascorbate
Calcium Ascorbate is non-acidic (pH neutral), making it gentle on the digestive system. Vitamin C plays a vital role in the formation of collagen (a structural protein in connective tissue), amino acid metabolism and hormone synthesis, and the utilization of many nutrients, such as folic acid and iron. It is also a key factor in the body's Defense mechanism of body.
