Wonder shell questions

[moonmist]

So I purchased a wonder shell off of aquarium co-op’s site and according to their directions, they are good for about a month before you need to replace them. I put in one large size according to their instructions it’s good for a tank up to 20g (mine is 17.5g)
It is nearly completely dissolved and it’s been about 2 weeks barely. My water is super soft because we have a water softener. My gh was nearly 0ppm, now it’s reading between 75-150, which is what I’m aiming for (hard to tell, I am using the co-op test strips as well to check the colors are very close) I’ve read that they dissolve quicker the softer your water is. So my question is do I wait a full month before adding in a new wonder shell? Or should I just sort of eyeball the gh to determine when to put in a new one? I do about a 10-20% water change once a week. I also have to add a little bit of water in between the wc’s because of evaporation.

 

[Byron]

I will have to look this up, it's been ages since I read about it. But in the meantime, we should look at the reason you are using this. What is the GH of your water pre-softener, if you can get this? Softeners depending how they work are not good for fish. So, what fish species do you have?

Edit, forgot to ask, what is the pH reading before (as right after a water change) and after this shell goes in the tank? And does it fluctuate going forward?

 

[moonmist]

I will have to look this up, it's been ages since I read about it. But in the meantime, we should look at the reason you are using this. What is the GH of your water pre-softener, if you can get this? Softeners depending how they work are not good for fish. So, what fish species do you have?

Edit, forgot to ask, what is the pH reading before (as right after a water change) and after this shell goes in the tank? And does it fluctuate going forward?

pH has been stable so far, always at about 7.2. The shell hasn’t seemed to change that. No fish, only cherry shrimp. They seem to be fine they’ve been in the tank for a couple weeks now. That’s why I’m trying the shell since they need it for molting. All my faucets are connected to the softener unfortunately so I’m unable to get a reading without it. So far it has only affected the hardness so that’s good

 

[Byron]

pH has been stable so far, always at about 7.2. The shell hasn’t seemed to change that. No fish, only cherry shrimp. They seem to be fine they’ve been in the tank for a couple weeks now. That’s why I’m trying the shell since they need it for molting. All my faucets are connected to the softener unfortunately so I’m unable to get a reading without it. So far it has only affected the hardness so that’s good

OK, this makes a big difference. These shells are not advisable for fish. I suspect the shrimp are different, if someone who knows advises differently OK, but you're probably good here. Not sure about the salt in the softened water though, if that is how the softener works.

 

[moonmist]

OK, this makes a big difference. These shells are not advisable for fish. I suspect the shrimp are different, if someone who knows advises differently OK, but you're probably good here. Not sure about the salt in the softened water though, if that is how the softener works.

Thank you for your input on the softener I have never had one in the house before so I had no idea this could be an issue! I’ll def have to do some more research on the topic because I was thinking about adding some kind of nano schooling fish in the future. But come to think of it, I do have a garden house out back that I dont believe is connected to the softener so I will check the levels on that

 

[Byron]

Thank you for your input on the softener I have never had one in the house before so I had no idea this could be an issue! I’ll def have to do some more research on the topic because I was thinking about adding some kind of nano schooling fish in the future. But come to think of it, I do have a garden house out back that I dont believe is connected to the softener so I will check the levels on that

Good. If the softener does use salt, nano soft water fish would not do well. Test the GH and pH pre-softener.

 

[Colin_T]

what's a wonder shell?

 

[Essjay]

Wonder Shell | Natural Aquarium Minerals to Increase Water Hardness

Use mineral blocks to add calcium, magnesium, and trace elements. Great for livebearers, invertebrates, goldfish, African cichlids, & plants in soft water.

www.aquariumcoop.com

They "add hardness and minerals" to the water.