Cuttlebones for calcium

[BAT]

Has anyone used cuttlebones for calcium?  I go through the wonder shells pretty quick to keep enough calcium in the tank for my snails. I had read a few sites about using cuttlebones and am wondering if anyone has any experience?

[CJs Aquatics]

I’ve used them, no noticeable  differences to me, now I use crushed up eggshells mostly in my shrimp tanks/ snail tanks they seem to love that as well

[Scapexghost]

If your looking for budget options, research tums and baking soda. Do a lot of. Research firdt though

[Bev C]

My Mystery  snails will not touch the cutterbone,  I had to buy some liquid calcium to add to the rapashy food but been thinking of trying the egg shells and crush it like a powder  like in this video so it will not mess up my black sand 

 

[Cinnebuns]

On 9/4/2022 at 11:30 PM, Bev C said:

My Mystery  snails will not touch the cutterbone,  I had to buy some liquid calcium to add to the rapashy food but been thinking of trying the egg shells and crush it like a powder  like in this video so it will not mess up my black sand 

 

The cuttle bone isn't for them to eat so they won't touch it. It's to add calcium to the water. Crushed eggs shells is also for the water not for feeding. To get calcium in their diet you need blanched veggies, green beans, or crab cuisine. 

Edited September 5, 2022 by Cinnebuns

[Bev C]

@Cinnebuns thank you for the info when i bought the cutterbone   from my fish store they told me they will get on it like the shrimp ..  they  do not ,,, and i know it and the egg shells and wonder shells  dissolve in water   , I do feed plenty of vegetables carrots zucchini spinach and kale  but i still need the extra calcium because the snails shells cracks if i don ‘t that is why i been using liquid calcium for extra  so that is why i might try the egg shells  instead of the liquid calcium 

Edited September 5, 2022 by Bev C

[Guppysnail]

Be prepared. Cuttle bone floats.  🎈 they all float 🎈 (S. King fan girl 🤣

It also dissolves pretty slow. Stuffed in a filter I found easiest. I have had a few that got nasty I’m guessing it was not prepped correctly. 

Edited September 5, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Katherine]

I don't know how different these are from wonder shells or if they'd last any longer, but I've been using the vacation feeder blocks that are mostly calcium. My snails will all give them a nibble and I'm assuming they also dissolve into the water a bit, but my water's pretty hard, so they're mostly for the nibbling.

Edit: The big ones are a much better deal per oz than the packs of several small ones. We broke them into smaller chunks with wire cutters. You could also put them in a bag and hit them with a hammer.

Edited September 5, 2022 by Katherine

[gardenman]

I've used cuttlebone and they do work, just very, very slowly. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Slow changes to the water are often better than drastic ones. And the rate at which they melt away depends on your water. More acidic and they'll dissolve faster. Less acidic and they'll last longer. Mine did sink, but it takes them a day or two. Maybe longer. It's a cheap, easy way to add extra calcium.

[Mmiller2001]

GlasGarten Mineral Junkie Soft Bites 50g ( Bites) https://a.co/d/gL5ORR1

Edited September 5, 2022 by Mmiller2001

[BAT]

I’m not well educated on snails care - what does the calcium in the water due vs. the calcium they eat?

Also, any suggested reading/watching?

[Katherine]

On 9/5/2022 at 10:12 AM, BAT said:

I’m not well educated on snails care - what does the calcium in the water due vs. the calcium they eat?

Also, any suggested reading/watching?

The calcium in the water keeps their shells from dissolving, the calcium they eat helps grow strong new shells. That may be an overly simplistic explanation, but that's my understanding.

 

What kind of snails are you keeping?

[The Killer of Fish]

I have wanted to try cuttlebone but haven’t been able to find any locally that is just plain cuttlebone that isn’t engineered or flavored. 
I use egg shells that I grind to powder with a coffee bean/spice grinder.  I add it directly and mixed with food. I started doing that when I saw the shrimp snacking on the ground egg shells. 

[rockfisher]

I have a fish coffe grinder to do the same. I ise for lots of other things too like make fry food and so many other things. I never thought I would need one for fish but it has come in handy more times that I can remember. I think that and a small digital scale are things serious fishkeeps should have. The scale is great for meds and making your own foods, fertilizers, among other things. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

You can get cuddlebones in the bird aisle of any big box store. I usually find a spot to float them and eventually they sink. They’re great long term and they accumulate biofilm and eventually the shrimp and or snails find them for this. Just a different way to do what we’re all trying to do - provide a necessary nutrient for our aquatic friends. 
In terms of potency and effect having aragonite or crushed coral is better but not everyone likes that aesthetically or has room in their hob or canister. 

[Cinnebuns]

On 9/5/2022 at 2:31 AM, Bev C said:

@Cinnebuns thank you for the info when i bought the cutterbone   from my fish store they told me they will get on it like the shrimp ..  they  do not ,,, and i know it and the egg shells and wonder shells  dissolve in water   , I do feed plenty of vegetables carrots zucchini spinach and kale  but i still need the extra calcium because the snails shells cracks if i don ‘t that is why i been using liquid calcium for extra  so that is why i might try the egg shells  instead of the liquid calcium 

If they have both calcium in the water and in their diet it's possible their shells are cracking for other reasons. It could be over mating. No matter how much you do, over mating will cause shells to crack. That is why I never keep more than 1 male per tank with multiple females. Even if you only have 2 snails and 1 is male it can be too much. 

Edited September 5, 2022 by Cinnebuns

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Cuttlebones float at first, then sink. They dissolve slowly, last a long time, and I have seen nerites and mysteries graze on them. Not daily grazing, but sometimes. I guess they just know when they would like to have some.

[Cinnebuns]

On 9/5/2022 at 2:06 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Cuttlebones float at first, then sink. They dissolve slowly, last a long time, and I have seen nerites and mysteries graze on them. Not daily grazing, but sometimes. I guess they just know when they would like to have some.

I've seen the same with wonder shells. Very occasionally they will graze on them but not often.

[BAT]

Sounds like best to give them appealing calcium containing foods like veggies and nano blocks and just use the egg shells/coral/wondershells/cuttlebones for adding calcium to the water. Thanks all!

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Not sure if mentioned yet but Crab Cuisine is a food that contains calcium. My guys like it.

[Cinnebuns]

On 9/5/2022 at 3:41 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Not sure if mentioned yet but Crab Cuisine is a food that contains calcium. My guys like it.

Crab cuisine is the best. It also has a high amount of protein for them. My cories grab a bunch too lol

[rockfisher]

On 9/5/2022 at 1:53 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

You can get cuddlebones in the bird aisle of any big box store. I usually find a spot to float them and eventually they sink. They’re great long term and they accumulate biofilm and eventually the shrimp and or snails find them for this. Just a different way to do what we’re all trying to do - provide a necessary nutrient for our aquatic friends. 
In terms of potency and effect having aragonite or crushed coral is better but not everyone likes that aesthetically or has room in their hob or canister. 

Here’s a little help so you don’t have to make so many trips out

A&E Cage Cuttlebone 4-6 5lb 4-6 in. Cuttle Bone Piece44; 5 lbs https://a.co/d/0aLWq8q