Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V5 #62

["Chris Ferrell" <ferrell_chris at hotmail_com>]

> MTS don't seem to flourish in my tank either.  Typical? plant tank as
well.
> KH = GH = 5 degrees, pH = 6.8 with CO2 on a controller.  Shells of dead
> snails dissolve in a couple of weeks under these conditions -- maybe not
so
> great for live ones either?

That's possible, however my ramshorn (normal brown ones) are doing just
fine.  Their shells aren't see-through (typically indicating lack of Ca or
Mg).  I also dose with Equilibrium, which is Mg, Ca along with some Fe and K
(and maybe some other stuff) at every water change.  I usually do 1/4 tsp
for a 20 gallon tank, which is a decent amount, IIRC.

From what I recall, the MTS snails are less susceptible to Ca shortages than
other snails, which is also why I'm thinking that might not be a cause.
They may also be victims of some predatation (rosy barbs? - they seem to eat
everything else) or lack of food.  I'll try adding some Ca sources
(cuttlebone, seashells, Ca supplements) and possibly setting them up in a
non-CO2 tank to see what happens.  Unfortunately, I don't have a filter on
the tank to place some in to experiment, powerhead only tank.

Thanks, Chris