Free CALCIUM???

Something for nothing???

Could this be???

I've been reading that in nature, over 50 percent of all calcium carbonate is produced from a very simple creature we all know, and even some of us own. Any takers??? It's the Sea Cucumber!!! From the stomachs of these guys acid is produced, which is actually just breaking down the crud around sand these guys eat, but there's also small shell and old coral bits that get eaten too. This, in turn, is supposed to recycle the calcium that's trapped in the old skeletons, and release it into the water.

Most large tanks prefer the use of a calcium reactor, which drops the PH in a controlled chamber, freeing calcium and alkalinity ions from added substrate, and dripping them back into the tank.

Could this be done naturally simply by adding a Sea Cucumber?

And, adversely, there are some people out there that seem to have issues with high calcium and imbalanced Alkalinity levels for no apparent reason. Could these little guys be the unknown culprit? It's worth looking into.

 

+1 great question! Can't wait for the reefa masta's to chime in on this one!

 

Yeah, but you need a source like a coral derived sand in order for this to function. if you want cheap calcium try pickling lime.

 

From what I have read, pickling lime, (When heated to 512 °C, the partial pressure of water in equilibrium with calcium hydroxide reaches 101 kPa, which decomposes calcium hydroxide into calcium oxide and water.[2])
A suspension of fine calcium hydroxide particles in water is called milk of lime. The solution is called lime water and is a medium strength base that reacts with acids and attacks many metals. Lime water turns milky in the presence of carbon dioxide due to formation of calcium carbonate.
Wiki....

If I wanted to do all that I would just add kalkwasser....

Aragonite is a calcium based substrate, that when digested will do the trick. The question is, is it enough for one cucumber to make that much Cal Carb for a tank, or if many are added will they just eat themselves out of food and starve....

 

Crushed oyster shell is a good source of calcium and can be purchased at Tractor Supply for around $8 for a 20 pound bag.

 

True, but depending on what type of animals you have in your tank, O shell can be pretty sharp and cause some unneeded abrasions.

 

Hmm this is something that I hadn't thought about. Could always toss it into a rock tumbler with some sand to smooth it down. Just a thought anyways.

 

What about putting it into a media bag to be used in the sump?

 

That would be a good idea. This is a very interesting thread.

 

Getting ready to start a fuge for my Biocube and was looking into different substrates. Wondering if crushed oyster shell covered with an inch or two of fine grain would be good. Throw in a sea cucumber and viola -- free calcium right?