I wasn't suggesting using rift lake salts for mollies, but for
freshwater fish that need high mineral content.
What kinds of mollies do you keep? I have a tank of latipinna courtesy
of Laura Burbage, but they are breeding faster than I can give them
away, and are getting replaced with some Xiphophorus birchmanni which
I've been after for a while and just got. I really like the mollies,
but I need the tank :(
One funny molly observation.. when I setup that tank initially I had a
bad batch of gravel that was leaching something into the water. I
replaced it and all is well, but when it was there the fish often had
their fins clamped. When the large males had their fins clamped, they
woudn't use them to display in front of the females but would turn
themselves so they looked like they were standing on their tail. :-)
Jim
On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 06:23:06 -0500, Bob Bock <bockhouse-in-earthlink.net> wrote:
> It depends on the density of the mollies you're keeping and the proportion
> of water you change and how often you change it. If you breed mollies,
> like I do, and keep the density pretty high, you need to do frequent, large
> scale water changes. Crushed limestone and other high ca co3 materials
> take a while to leach calcium into the water. In such instances, it helps
> to be able to get the calcium back into solution rapidly, so that the
> calcium levels don't fluctuate.
>
> Calcium affects fish in much the same way osmotically as sodium--lots of
> euryhaline species can adapt to water with calcium in it when sodium isn't
> available. That's why fishes like mummichog and sheepshead minnows will
> survive in water with high carbonate hardness instead of their usual
> brackish water.
>
> Another advantage of calcium salts is that you can grow plants in your
> aquarium that you couldn't grow with higher levels of sodium.
>
> Finally, my hunch is that, in addition to sodium in the water, sailfin
> mollies will also benefit from some carbonate hardness--although I haven't
> done any comparisons and don't have proof.
>
> Rather than using cichlid salts, which tend to be expensive, I use a marine
> salt mix, which already has calcium salts in it, and a teaspoon or so of
> garden limestone, mixed first in a gallon of hot tapwater so it dissolves
> somewhat. Like I said before, I'd have better luck dissolving calcium
> chloride, which is far more soluble, but I haven't been able to locate a
> good source of it yet.
>
> > [Original Message]
> > From: James Smith <jbosmith-in-gmail.com>
> > To: <nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org>
> > Date: 3/23/2005 7:40:23 AM
> > Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- Rediscovery of the state-listed Iowa darter in
> DuPage Co., Illinois
> >
> > Crushed shells or limestone pebbles in a HOB filter keeps the
> > carbonate levels of the water plenty high enough. If you are looking
> > for freshwater salts to add instead of NaCl, rift lake salt addatives
> > will work wonders.
> >
> > For mollies, the salt they are used to is NaCl though, so in my
> > opinion, that is what they should get. I personally use canning salt
> > with mine. If they don't get it, they get eye infections or worse.
> >
> > On the other hand, when I keep rift lake African cichlids, I wouldn't
> > even think about using canning salt instead of calcium based salts.
> >
> > Jim
> >
> >
> > On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 06:22:49 -0500, Bob Bock <bockhouse-in-earthlink.net>
> wrote:
> > > Yes, thanks, Lee. I misspoke. I typed "calcium carbonate" when I
> meant
> > > to type "calcium chloride" I meant to tell Sajjaad that it would be
> better
> > > to use calcium chloride than calcium carbonate--the latter is far more
> > > soluble--only I haven't found a good source of calcium chloride.
> > >
> > > Still, I'd bet that calcium carbonate is probably better for plants than
> > > calcium chloride.
> > >
> > > > [Original Message]
> > > > From: <EELReprah-in-aol.com>
> > > > To: <nanfa-l-in-nanfa.org>
> > > > Date: 3/22/2005 7:38:49 AM
> > > > Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- Rediscovery of the state-listed Iowa darter in
> > > DuPage Co., Illinois
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > In a message dated 3/22/05 6:39:04 AM, bockhouse-in-earthlink.net writes:
> > > >
> > > > << Probably better still would be to
> > > > add some calcium carbonate (which I haven't used because I haven't
> been
> > > > able to find some around here.). >>
> > > >
> > > > Bob, garden limestone is calcium carbonate. Not lime (slaked or
> hydrated)
> > > as
> > > > used in cement which is calcium oxide.
> > > >
> > > > Lee Harper
> > > > Media, PA
> > > >
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