CaCO3 as fertilizer?

[uklau]

Hi, do you guys use CaCO3 as source of calcium in planted tank? I'm adding it mainly to supply calcium to my snails The fertilator at APC listed CaC03 as one of the calcium source. When I mix 1 gram (about 8ppm) into water & add to the tank, the entire tank turns milky. Disaster?

[KeIgO86]

CaCO3 is almost insoluble in water. It saturates at a very low concentration and the rest remains as solid. These fine solids get carried along by the water currents and form a suspension, thus your tank turns milky.

[uklau]

Thanks, KeIgO86. Does this means that CaCO3 is not usually used in planted tank?

[KeIgO86]

It is used in the form of coral chips which are placed in the filter for people who want to increase kH in the tank water so that they can get high pH as well. eg. people who keep african cichlids.

I seldom hear of people using in planted tanks though.

[blackBRUSHalgae]

It is used in the form of coral chips which are placed in the filter for people who want to increase kH in the tank water so that they can get high pH as well. eg. people who keep african cichlids.

I seldom hear of people using in planted tanks though.

Calcium is an important nutrient for any living things. When comes to plants, it is needed for enzyme activation, cell membrane permeablility and cell wall structure. Thus when in deficiency, plants new growth will becomes deformed and twisted. When they tries to grow when the cell membrane/structure ain't growing, they got jammed in small spaces.

Nutrients that are often associated with water hardness—K, Ca, Mg, Cl and So4—are generally taken up from the water.

[uklau]

Thanks for helping, guys .