Calcium

[bettasandbeads]

I have been adding liquid calcium to my snail breeding tanks. Is there anything that would leach calcium directly into the water?
I some times forget and it affects the smoothness of their shells.
Thanks
Catherine

[OscarFan]

crushed up corals and shells

[Alfcea]

How hard is your water? If it is already very hard, you don't really need to add any more calcium. If it is soft, then any type of shell will do. The speed at which the shells dissolve in the water will be dependant on the pH, so, if your water is acidic, the rate will be faster and the calcium will be leached into the water faster. With slightly alkaline water, the rate will be slower...

... but then again, slightly acidic water will not only disslve the shells you add but also the forming shells of your snails, so that's probably not a very good idea...