# snails and CO2



## Mysphit (Feb 6, 2007)

For those of you who use injected co2 do you dose calcium to help keep your snails shells from disolving? I thought I read that hi levels of co2 will eat away their shells, is this true or am i imagining things? I really havent been able to find good posts or articles addressing this.


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## mordalphus (Jun 23, 2010)

co2 dissolved into water is called carbonic acid. It has the ability to strip calcium from the shells of snails. It happens. It's easy to keep snails such as ramshorns and pond snails which have a shell comprised of primarily chitin, but snails that have shells comprised of calcium such as nerites, trapdoor snails and mystery/apple snails, their shell will definitely wear away from the carbonic acid.

There's no effective way to stop it either, because calcium in the water column seems to have no protective effect, neither does calcium in their diet. The best way to stop erosion is to raise the pH to above neutral. That is detrimental to some plants though.


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## AquaTom (Feb 1, 2012)

I don't mean to thread hijack but on a similar note, what effect will CO2 have on shrimp? I'm currently injecting CO2 in my 2.5 gallon with around 8 cherrys.


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## EnigmaticGuppy92 (Jan 31, 2012)

i have mts in my 8 gal with diy co2 and they are fine


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## Mysphit (Feb 6, 2007)

Thanks for the information. I noticed that my MTS's and assasin snails shells had holes in them and was hoping dosing calcium might help them out.


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## jasonpatterson (Apr 15, 2011)

Unfortunately no, it's basic chemistry. Their shells are largely calcium carbonate and that reacts with even slightly acidic water, dissolving it. The only reason they don't melt completely is that the water is just barely acidic and there is a protein structure that accompanies the mineral content of the shell, protecting it somewhat.

The same thing is happening in the oceans, actually, where the pH is rising slightly due to increased CO2 in the atmosphere. It is making it more difficult for animals with carbonate structures (corals, for instance) to grow.


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