shells for shell dwellers and ph question

hola,

just got some shell dwellers (ocellatus gold) up in brittas (stunners) and had a few questions.

1. which shells are best and where do u get them... tried brittas and wackers but they had none.

2. this is my first african tank so ph question
- im using silica sand and want to decorate it with inert rocks instead of ocean rock. im using proper ph 8.2 to raise the ph but will this stay up without ocean or tufa rock?

thanks in advance.

IMO it will not stabilise.

I use Bread soda to raise my ph.
It also raises the kh of the water so your ph is less likely to drop due to high nitrates.
IME ph buffers are a waste of time and money. Using small measured amounts add these to 10 litres of your tank water until you get the ph you want
Divide your tanks water capacity by 10.
Multiplying this number by the amount of BS you used in the 10 litre bucket.
This will give you the amount of BS needed to raise the ph in your tank.

Hope this does not sound too fewked up. :shock: :shock:

panda if you are stuck for shells i can give you some.

deadly id love them....at the moment i have 3 shells all claimed by the dominant ,ale
where did u get them i might be able to pick some up...if not id really appreciate it :wink:

I can give you a dozen or so shells.
I picked them up a long time ago in case the day ever came that i decided to keep shell dwelers.
You can also use shells from escargo (i havent a clue how that is supposed to be spelt) if you want to ask a french resteraunt.
I will pm you my Ph. no. if you want the shells just ring me.

I agree on the buffering idea, using chemicals is a waste of cash and if not done consistantly ie regular amounts with each water change it can lead to difficulties. I have kept shellies on and off over the past 8 years and I have found the best way to keep the kh/gh/ph levels high enough for shellies is to use a mixture of crushed coral and silica sand as a substrate. I have also found that using limestone rock as a line of sight breaker helps keep the peace and buffers the water.

As far as shells go I usually get mine via mail but this isn't always the best solution. Many of the mail order firms sell sea shells for handi craft work, the problem is that these shells are usually too big and heavy for the occies etc to move which they love to do! I have found that the escargot shells used in France to put cooked snails into are far and away the best but getting hold of them can be difficult not to mention costly.

As a last resort I have used (and still do) common garden snails found in the back garden in Dublin. I root around old walls covered in ivy and take empty shells etc. Boling them for 4 hours or so (tip: make sure your missus doesn't come accross them or there will be war!), cool them down, remove the former inhabitants (if there was any), rinse again and drop into the tank. Perfect sized shells, right weight and my shellies love them.

You mentioned Brittas had shellies, how many at the time you went and what type? I've only just arrived back into the country so I haven't had a chance to call them yet.

platy sorted me out with shells ....fair play to him so thats that prob sorted...apple shells. brittas had occelatus gold, brevis and i think multies but im not sure...give them a bell i think they had a good few.. the occellatus were 16 quid each but buy 2 get one free! im gonna try anthonys baking soda.

Bread soda.

I think its different

Hey panda can you post a picture of the shell dwellers

according to www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/water_chemistry.php

To raise KH and pH, add baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). A baseline recommendation is 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons of water (dissolve in a cup of aquarium water if adding directly to the tank). For an established aquarium, remember to take this slowly as fish are highly sensitive to pH changes. Incidentally, there are off-the-shelf products available for this purpose, but baking soda is cheaper and most people already have it on hand. Wardley’s product Raise pH® is sodium bicarbonate, whereas Aquarium Pharmaceuticals’ pH Up® is sodium hydroxide.




To raise GH, add Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). A baseline recommendation is 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons of water (dissolve in a cup of aquarium water if adding directly to the tank). While adjusting total hardness is not as potentially dangerous to your fish as adjusting pH, dramatic changes of any sort can be stressful. “Flashing” (rubbing on the gravel or rocks) is often attributed to changes in hardness. Personally, I would make any substantial GH adjustment over a period of 2 to 3 days if my aquarium were already stocked with fish.

Its still best to experiment with set amount sof tank water and bi carb.