Originally Posted by
zeke92
http:///forum/post/2640552
bang guy where did you learn this? everywhere i've read is that molts and shells are like full of calcium and everywhere i've read it says to leave them cause it's healthy for them to eat it?
Crustacean exoskeletons are made of Chitin.
This is from Wikipedia:
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Chitin (C8H13O5N) is a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose, and it is found in many places throughout the natural world. It is the main component of the cell walls of fungi, the exoskeletons of arthropods, such as crustaceans (like the crab, lobster and shrimp) and the insects, including ants, beetles and butterflies, the radula of mollusks and the beaks of the cephalopods, including squid and octopi. Chitin has also proven useful for several medical and industrial purposes. Chitin is a biological substance which may be compared to the polysaccharide cellulose and to the protein keratin. Although keratin is a protein, and not a carbohydrate, both keratin and chitin have similar structural functions.
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Notice the chemical composition: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen. There is no Calcium. A tiny amount of trace elements will bond with the exoskeleton so that's why I didn't say there's "no" Calcium, it would just be a trace amount.
Shells, like Snails & Clams are mostly Calcium carbonate so that part is true.
