Calcium Requirements

Any reason a BN would need excess calcium?

I recently bought some Cory catfish off AB and the breeder sent some earthworm sticks to try with them. The cories and my clown loaches go bazerk over them! I asked the guy where he buys them and he provided me with this link: http://www.kensfish.com/kens-premium-sinking-sticks.html.

He said he recommended the veggie sticks with calcium, that his BNs grew real nice on them. Anyways I bet he ordered the calcium ones because he raises shrimp as well. I woudl also like to order the veggie sticks with calcium because it's beneficial for my snAils' shells. But then I was thinking maybe it wouldn't be the best decision. The BNs are my focus and if the normal veggie sticks would be better I would get those instead. They would probably be offered these sticks 2-3 x weekly ... Which would you chose?

Either way I have to buy some of those earthworm sticks and wanted to try something else with it.

sorry mate, no idea

I ordered the normal veggie sticks.

I read this article about how saltwater bony fish produce calcium carbonate because of their excessive intake of sea water and excrete in a much more soluable form than decaying skeletons of plankton (I think it was plankton.) Anyways I am explaining this horribly so here is the link:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090115164607.htm

Give it a read it's actually pretty interesting!

My thoughts are that IF freshwater fish can also do this in the presence of excess calcium then their excrement would increase the pH of the wAter, something I wish to avoid.

ktk05 wrote:

I ordered the normal veggie sticks.

I read this article about how saltwater bony fish produce calcium carbonate because of their excessive intake of sea water and excrete in a much more soluable form than decaying skeletons of plankton (I think it was plankton.) Anyways I am explaining this horribly so here is the link:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090115164607.htm

Give it a read it's actually pretty interesting!

My thoughts are that IF freshwater fish can also do this in the presence of excess calcium then their excrement would increase the pH of the wAter, something I wish to avoid.

Hi, interesting read, but I think you missed the last bit. It showed that even euryhaline fish only produce and excrete calcium carbonate when in seawater, in freshwater the same fish don't. You have nothing to worry about.
Sarah

Yeah I did read that, but those fish in a freshwater environment were not subjected to an excess of calcium as they were in a saltwater environment. So making a direct comparison without having the same calcium intake wouldn't yield any scientifically significant results.

Still interesting how they can adapt so drastically to different environments!

This is what I use from kens and it creates a feeding frenzy in the grow out tank.

http://www.kensfish.com/moreinfo/kens-premium-veggie-wafers.html

I highly recommend it. I'm glad I found it, the plecos love it and it's 1/2 the price or better than the competition

Daren