Do I tell that by the ph?Zach72202 said:If you can see right through the shell and looks super thin you may need more minerals in the water for their shell. Do you know if you have hard or soft water?
Thanks! The people at the shop told me just to put this rock in there and it would be fine - Is it possibly a species pron thing? I have nerites and ramshorns that never had this issue,should I feed them some too?(just in case) and is it ok for Cory's if they get at it?mimo91088 said:Calcium issue for sure. Make sure you keep the hardness up and feed some food with calcium. I personally use hikari crab cuisine.
Not necessarily. Hard water and high pH generally go together, same with soft water and low pH, but not always.Galactica555 said:Do I tell that by the ph?
Wow!Thank you for such a detailed response,I'll check into getting that kit. I do have a ph reader and it's around 6.4-7. Is that too low?Zach72202 said:Not necessarily. Hard water and high pH generally go together, same with soft water and low pH, but not always.
Hard water and soft water are general terms for something called GH or general hardness. You can test this with a GH test kit. GH is basically minerals like calcium, potassium, and other electrolytes. By this, hard water would mean a high GH, and soft water would be a low GH. Things like livebearers and snails like hard hard water, where neon tetras and discus like soft water. They can adapt to different conditions, but just remember stability is key with any fish. If you want to raise GH you can use wondershells, cuttlebone, or crushed coral.
When your GH is low, the mystery snail's shell will actually dissolve into the water, therefore becoming thinner and weaker. When the GH is high the snail's shell will get thicker over time. It takes time for this to happen, it isn't instant.
On the other hand what relates to pH is KH, or carbonate hardness. This is a buffer in the water which protects pH from dropping or raising. A low KH means if you added some acid, like tannins, into the water your pH can drop, but if you add some type of base into the water with a low KH, your pH can rise. To raise KH you can add a teaspoon of baking soda, its perfectly safe.
To test for these you can get a KH and GH test kit for like 15 dollars. You can probably take a water sample to the local fish store and they will probably test it for you to let you know.
Yea. Acidic water will eat at the shell. You want to stay above 7. Try adding some crushed coral to your HOB. Your guppies will appreciate the harder water too.Galactica555 said:Wow!Thank you for such a detailed response,I'll check into getting that kit. I do have a ph reader and it's around 6.4-7. Is that too low?
