# Calcium from Phrag



## Fan Tan Fannie (Nov 24, 2019)

Hello,

I would like to add some calcium to my phrag Kovachii and my paphio Lowii & PEOY. Which of the following would be the best to supplement my plants? I search in Amazon for a few. 
1. 5 Pounds Calcium Carbonate Limestone Powder by The Seed Supply - Rock Dust - Great Soil Amendment and Fertilizer ($11)
2. Calcium Carbonate Powder"Greenway Biotech Brand" Chalky Paint Additive Limestone Powder Rock Dust Very Fine Powder 3 Pounds ($17)
3. Dolomite Plus Magnesium and Calcium"Greenway Biotech Brand" 5 Pounds ($18)
4. Dolomite Lime - Pure Dolomitic/Calcitic Garden Lime (1 Pound) ($10)
5. Down to Earth Organic Garden Lime Calcium Carbonate, 5lb ($14).

My fertilizer does not contain calcium. Or the crushed oyster shell is all I need?

Thanks!


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## Ray (Nov 25, 2019)

Does your water supply contain calcium? Most well and minicapal water supplies do. What is your water source?


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## Fan Tan Fannie (Nov 25, 2019)

Ray said:


> Does your water supply contain calcium? Most well and minicapal water supplies do. What is your water source?


I use the rainwater I collected for the PK. For the Lowii and PEOY, I use the tap water.


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## NYEric (Nov 25, 2019)

Does your rainwater contain calcium? BTW #1


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## Ray (Nov 25, 2019)

Rainwater certainly doesn't contain calcium, but your tapwater might.

I would not use a powdered supplement as a medium additive, as with its high surface area, it can easily be overdone. Something chunkier like the dolomite sold for aquarium substrate for African cichlids is better, in my opinion.

Personally, I prefer to use a fertilizer formula that contains calcium and magnesium...


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## Linus_Cello (Nov 25, 2019)

Ray said:


> Something chunkier like the dolomite sold for aquarium substrate for African cichlids is better, in my opinion.



Freshwater fish nerd alert:
To clarify, Ray is referring to African Rift Lake cichlids- Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika. There are cichlids in the Congo River basin ("krib" Pelvicachromis pulcher,
Congochromis sabinae), and those prefer soft water with low calcium.


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## abax (Nov 25, 2019)

Order K-Lite fertilizer from First Rays and don't
worry about calcium.


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## tomkalina (Nov 26, 2019)

Tried posting this before , but for some reason it didn't load. We've used Ray's 100 gpd RO system for a few years, and couldn't be happier with it. Other than replacing the charcoal and pre-filters periodically, and the RO membrane every two years, it has been problem free. Not sure how large a collection you have to water, but this is a great way to fine-tune the type and amount of nutrients you're feeding. We use a 55 gal. polypropylene barrel to store the irrigant, and a submersible pump connected to a std. hose fitting connected to a hose that is tipped with a watering wand (Wonder Waterer). This batch-watering works well for us, but not sure how much water you need. A lot of what you use for fertilizer and how often you apply it depends a lot upon your raw water chemistry. In our case, we add 5 gal of Lake Michigan water out of the tap to 50 gal of RO. This our base water to which we add nutrients of various types. Our final solution conductivity as applied to the plants runs around 200 uS using Peter's Excel 15-5-15 CaMg. We flush the plants with our base (5+50) water every 3-4 weeks depending upon the season to prevent salt buildup.


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## tomkalina (Nov 26, 2019)

tomkalina said:


> Tried posting this before , but for some reason it didn't load. We've used Ray's 100 gpd RO system for a few years, and couldn't be happier with it. Other than replacing the charcoal and pre-filters periodically, and the RO membrane every two years, it has been problem free. Not sure how large a collection you have to water, but this is a great way to fine-tune the type and amount of nutrients you're feeding. We use a 55 gal. polypropylene barrel to store the irrigant, and a submersible pump connected to a std. hose fitting connected to a hose that is tipped with a watering wand (Wonder Waterer). This batch-watering works well for us, but not sure how much water you need. A lot of what you use for fertilizer and how often you apply it depends a lot upon your raw water chemistry. In our case, we add 5 gal of Lake Michigan water out of the tap to 50 gal of RO. This our base water to which we add nutrients of various types. Our final solution conductivity as applied to the plants runs around 200 uS using Peter's Excel 15-5-15 CaMg. We flush the plants with our base (5+50) water every 3-4 weeks depending upon the season to prevent salt buildup.



This is a repeat of what I posted elsewhere. It contains a little more info but is essentially repetitive.


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## ScientistKen (Nov 26, 2019)

I usually mix Hausermann's Fertilade (liquid) with Ray's K-Lite at around 1/4 tsp per gallon with RO water. I occasionally use a weak solution of Calcium Nitrate. I occasionally flush with RO discard water which actually has lower uS than my tap water and has been cleaned a bit by the pre-filters. Other times I flush with straight RO water. 

I have crushed oyster shell in a few pots but worry that when I take my plants outside in the summer it might attract animals. Has anyone had an issue with animals and oyster shells?


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## Linus_Cello (Nov 26, 2019)

ScientistKen said:


> I usually mix Hausermann's Fertilade (liquid) with Ray's K-Lite at around 1/4 tsp per gallon with RO water. I occasionally use a weak solution of Calcium Nitrate. I occasionally flush with RO discard water which actually has lower uS than my tap water and has been cleaned a bit by the pre-filters. Other times I flush with straight RO water.
> 
> I have crushed oyster shell in a few pots but worry that when I take my plants outside in the summer it might attract animals. Has anyone had an issue with animals and oyster shells?



no issues with animals and oysters shells outdoors for me


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