IAL and live plants

[aokashi]

Apparently queens Gh or KH is 0 forgot which one.

[Laki]

Oh. So I only need to worry about pH then.. gah, so confusing! I like the ignorance of just plunking my fish in and forgetting about it. lol
So IAL can soften the water then, and therefore ruin snail shells if they don't have cuttle bone.

[aokashi]

well it all depends. Snails shells depends on calcium so, you will have to see the calcium hardness of your water. Also only if your water's ph is below 7, will the acidity eat away at your snail's shell.
If IAL is capable of bringing down your GH and KH, but tour water is very hard anyway, it may not have much of an impact at all. this includes PH. if the water is fairly hard, the impact of IAL on PH will be low. as opposed to soft water, where PH change may be dramatic.

That said, I've yet to lose a fish or planta to IAL. so dont worry about it and use to your hearts content. I do prefer clear water, so I clear it out once I'm done. you dont have to. instead you can find a middle ground between tea colored water and light penetration :)

[Laki]

okay! thanks! I love the look of IAL and I like to use it long term for overall preventative care. Plus I like the look of decaying leaves in the water lol, I like it au naturel!

[starrlamia]

i didnt read through the whole thing because im a bit lazy atm but IAL is fairly common in planted tanks, esp for shrimp keepers. I generally soak mine for a day or two to get tannins out before putting it in my tank.

[babystarz]

Yeah I keep my tanks pretty dark with IAL for my wilds, and the plants have not been affected at all. I dose my tanks with calcium supplements from the pharmacy to keep snail shells healthy :P I will often find snails stuffing their faces full of it, they look like Dave Chapelle playing a crackhead XD

[Laki]

lol oh Chappelle...