I remember a while back someone was asking about calcium. A few people i know have started dosing Calcium liquid for marine. Just your standard Seachem product. Personally ive been trying this myself but i went for the more pure (no strontium and magnesium) Brightwell Aquatics Calcium (cheaper too). Haven't had a single death. Ill continue to use it and see if there is any improvements with future moults. Others are using Seachem Calcium or Seachem Complete without any issues. Anyone else?

Thanks for starting this thread.....always a interesting and important topic. I've use CaS04 to increase my GH, and never had any issues. It's in powder/raw form, so economical and cheap...

SO THATS THE SECRET!

Apparently the shrimp has three layers of shells so theoretically you wont see any improvements until the 2-3 moult when the thicker shell comes through.

May i ask how you dose the calcium sulfate? Premix it or dump the powder straight into the tank? Do you have any issues with residue or calcium building up on the glass?

LOL, it'll take a lot more then that for me to divulge my secrete ! Or 1st love ..... shirakura Ca+

I bought some Calcium Sulphate from ********* but haven't used it yet.

BBdo you purposely underdose the Saltyshrimp minerals so you can still use the CaSO4 to boost gH? Or do you alternate between the two at water changes?

May i ask how you dose the calcium sulfate? Premix it or dump the powder straight into the tank? Do you have any issues with residue or calcium building up on the glass?

C'mon Robert, 1st you proclaim it's a secrete, then you ask me how I dose it ? Lol

If you have a sump, just dump it directly,otherwise, dilute in water, and slowly drop them in....just need to work out qty needed to raise GH @ 0.5ppm per day .... gradual increase...

I bought some Calcium Sulphate from ********* but haven't used it yet.

BBdo you purposely underdose the Saltyshrimp minerals so you can still use the CaSO4 to boost gH? Or do you alternate between the two at water changes?

They're a separate application....I use salty shrimp to remineralise RO water, but in my tanks, GH tends to be used up, so use the CaS04, as a booster.

They're a separate application....I use salty shrimp to remineralise RO water' date=' but in my tanks, GH tends to be used up, so use the CaS04, as a booster.[/quote']

Cheers BB. Makes more sense now.

My tap water has 0 KH and 1 GH, I use Coral and feed Veg to give Calcium. It is fairly simple and permanent solution the more Coral you had to a volume of water the higher the KH and GH will stay, not always exactly the balance you want but I am sure we all keep things to exact and therefore weaken our shrimp ability to adapt to different water.

I take Cherry shrimp to the Markets and will do with Crystals when I get them breeding, the process for that is, dump the shrimp into a 10lt bucket of water, drive for up to 2 hours to where I am going, dump them in to a tank then dump 10lts of local water on them, at the end of the day back in the bucket home, dump in there tank, then do it again the next day. The point to all that was. I have to have them tough so I don't give them exact water just good food and water changes. I am going to buy some better quality Crystal shrimp from BB and Dean soon and try them after they have adapted to life here for a while and breed.

I also water change 4 to 5 times a week

Bob

Morning Bob, I don't "cotton wool" my shrimps, but I shivered with fear reading your post, as you used the word "dump" once too often. LOL. There's def. a level of toughness these shrimps can acclimatize / develop but they are sensitive to a degree.

Coral chips are great but its contribution to KH/GH needs to be monitored, so new hobbyist may struggle with it. I've attempted coral's a while ago, but found my TDS spiraling up.

Funny you raise this after last Friday night Robert LOL I've used some of the others as well but prefer the mixture, the strontium is in solution in extremely small percentages and the magnesium is always useful for the shrimp, its a major nutrient used as part of the carapace for binding and general health, the percentage is higher than the strontium but still small by comparison. For the other brands you're using I'd recommend checking the percentages. When I looked at various brands originally I found some of them to be extremely low in terms of percentage by volume, do bear that in mind for your costings.

Robert,

The Brightwell product or any bottled product for dosing calcium consists of just Calcium sulfate or Calcium chloride plus water.

You can mix you own by getting the above from Bunnings and some distilled water. You'd potentially get kilos of the stuff for the price of one Brightwell bottle.

OH BB I have to keep you on your toes.

My water is so soft up here it doesn't give me a lot of trouble except for being soft, I don't need that much Coral in the shrimp tanks and I water change a minimum of 4 time a week about 1/3 a change. Works for me I can move the shrimp around without trouble.

Block your eyes BB, The Cherries you sent over and thanks again, were dumped into their tank with out loss and I have little ones all over the place (the white was a pale yellow), after 50 years tanks and water are second nature, dam that makes me old, THERE YOU GO I left it open for a ribbing.

Bob

Bob I have a zimmer frame , walking sticks and a toilet raiser, you want they are ideal for an old man!

I remember someone saying to chuck in a bit of cuttle fish bone, the ones you give to your parrots for calcium or was I imagining that?

And I have a frame to pull yourself up in bed and a special tilt chair, lol, oh and a table on wheels to eat off in bed, all hardly used?

I remember someone saying to chuck in a bit of cuttle fish bone' date=' the ones you give to your parrots for calcium or was I imagining that?[/quote']

I would like to know the answer to that too please!

I would like to know the answer to that too please!

Read this article ineke http://www.tankgeek.com/2010/10/29/cuttlebone-for-healthier-more-colorful-shrimp/ I'm off to the supermarket to get some!

Thanks Chi I will get some too but can't add it to the filter so will leave a piece on the bottom and see what happens. Might even take the dogs to the beach and collect some myself:D

I recommend trying small pieces first! Maybe put somewhere with high water flow? Anyway sounds like it may be worth a try if it benefits the shrimp...

A small piece to start with cant do any harm if they suggest putting it in the filter. I can put it in a couple of filters but I have a couple of smaller tanks with only sponge filters.

I have read that some people just put pieces in their tank and the shrimp slowly munch on it, usually takes months for a piece to finish.

Well we will know soon enough:D

Chi I never thought of that and the shrimp will be able to eat it, good one and a good way to get it to them.

I did not think you 2 would pass up the chance, but is that all you have? I have big shoulders LOL

BB I think I have ticked you off, not intensional and I have I apologize sincerely. I forget all the time every one else has KRAP water.

Bob