# How do you keep your water hard for snails?



## snailies3 (Mar 29, 2013)

So I've noticed my snails shells are really soft. Like I picked one out of the tank and my fingernail was harder than it's shell, able to rasp it and I accidentally cracked it where it had been growing. Very thin and weak. 
So some people have recommended I use calcium chloride, but doesn't that have salt in it and won't salt kill the snails? 
I am not looking to raise my pH with it, so calcium carbonate can't be used, and I don't have more than 10 dollars or so to spend on this, but I really want to get the hardness up so my snails shells can grow healthier! 
Any solutions? 

I already have cuttlebone in there. I just sprinkled some in, but I've sprinkled some in a few times in the last few weeks, so I thought it would be solved by now. 
I'm also feeding them algae wafers.
I don't put carrots/lettuce in there because the water gets way too dirty way too fast. 
Thanks!


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

crushed coral, oyster shells and some other seashells can help I believe, but not sure which kinds. Also low KH/GH, low PH, and poor diet can all result in shell issues. I suggest you have your water thoroughly tested to find out if any problems exist there. I would also test the tap water to see how it test, presuming you use tap water to fill the tank. Im no expert, but thats a few things I have found while researching in the past


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Crushed coral and oyster shells will increase ph and she doesnt want that...just saying


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

I've never really tried to keep snails except assassin snails and I don't seem to be very good at keeping them even. I tend to have a few small rams horn snails that come and go probably because I keep my tanks quite soft. That being said I have used magnesium sulfate (epson salt), calcium chloride as gh boosters. I also use equilibrium.

Epson salt is easy to find at drug stores. I got calcium chloride from pat at Canadian aquatics. I dose at a ratio of 1:4 until I find the gh I want. These days I just use equilibrium. A bit more expensive but it comes with other trace minerals I want to put into my planted tanks.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Cuttlebone is primarily calcium carbonate.

What's your current PH at? Why are you afraid of it rising? What are your current KH and GH parameters?

Calcium Chloride is a "salt", but isn't like table salt (which is Sodium Chloride). From my understanding calcium chloride reacts with water quickly, the reaction even heats it up, so you would want to ensure you did your research on measurements before trying it out.

As I mentioned in your other thread, I'd look into Baking Soda (for your calcium source) and Epsom salts (Magnesium source) to increase the GH for DIY\budget alternative to aquarium buffer products.


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Tap water in Surrey is near 0 kh\gh, so this is one reason why we need to add buffers.


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## snailies3 (Mar 29, 2013)

Diztrbd1 said:


> crushed coral, oyster shells and some other seashells can help I believe, but not sure which kinds. Also low KH/GH, low PH, and poor diet can all result in shell issues. I suggest you have your water thoroughly tested to find out if any problems exist there. I would also test the tap water to see how it test, presuming you use tap water to fill the tank. Im no expert, but thats a few things I have found while researching in the past


My tap waters pH is 7.2 but I don't know the other stats, but in my tank the KH is like 250 and the GH is like 0. Nitrate/ite is 0. I just need to figure out how to raise the GH and then it's good.


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## snailies3 (Mar 29, 2013)

effox said:


> Cuttlebone is primarily calcium carbonate.
> 
> What's your current PH at? Why are you afraid of it rising? What are your current KH and GH parameters?
> 
> ...


My pH is at 8.5 and I want to keep it there since the snails seem happy, I don't want it to climb too high. My GH is 0 but my KH is 250. I've already put baking soda in there to raise the pH, but it didnt raise the GH.


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## snailies3 (Mar 29, 2013)

Reckon said:


> I've never really tried to keep snails except assassin snails and I don't seem to be very good at keeping them even. I tend to have a few small rams horn snails that come and go probably because I keep my tanks quite soft. That being said I have used magnesium sulfate (epson salt), calcium chloride as gh boosters. I also use equilibrium.
> 
> Epson salt is easy to find at drug stores. I got calcium chloride from pat at Canadian aquatics. I dose at a ratio of 1:4 until I find the gh I want. These days I just use equilibrium. A bit more expensive but it comes with other trace minerals I want to put into my planted tanks.


Where do you get equilibrium from?


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

cheapest place around is J&L Aquatics: SeaChem Equilibrium - 600 Gram


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## effox (Apr 21, 2010)

Equilibrium is a good GH booster. It's designed for aquarium use. It's got the magnesium that you're tank is missing.

I only suggested Epsom salts because you've already added baking soda.


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## snailies3 (Mar 29, 2013)

Diztrbd1 said:


> cheapest place around is J&L Aquatics: SeaChem Equilibrium - 600 Gram


Thanks everyone! I think I'm going to get Equilibrium, unfortunately it's on back order at J&L : (


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Check with Roger's Aquatic? King Eds?


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## Livyding (Feb 6, 2013)

Another cheaper alternative is Lake Tankanykia (sp?) Cichlid salt, which has magnesium and other minerals in it, and mix that with a bit of baking soda.

Personally I use crushed coral, since it is easier to just leave it in there and let it erode gradually whenever the hardness drops, and everything always stays buffered to practically the exact same level, and I never really have to think about it.


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