DIY KZ Coral Snow (with >97% purity)

Daniel@R2R

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I think that is the right one @mdbannister. Sure would like to see about not having to purchase the retail stuff. They are too proud of it. Not like they invented the stuff being used in the off-the-shelf products I'd imagine.
Thanks! I think I'm gonna pull the trigger. :D
 

vetteguy53081

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Thanks! I think I'm gonna pull the trigger. :D
I use the jz brand as i have the regular and plus in 500ml size and Do see benefits of clarity, reduction in cyano and happy leathers
 

joeyamador

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Entz

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mitch91175

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That is the kind i ordered. Heiltropfen says > 99% which wont hurt. It is more expensive but even if I did it daily it will last years....

How long have you been using it? Any issues? Just same dosage similar to Coral Snow right? Have you attempted to add LC to the mix?

Apologize for so many questions. Just like know as much as possible before delving in.
 

Entz

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How long have you been using it? Any issues? Just same dosage similar to Coral Snow right? Have you attempted to add LC to the mix?

Apologize for so many questions. Just like know as much as possible before delving in.
Its still in the mail actually. Should be here tomorrow. I plan to follow the OP in this thread as I have never use Coral Snow. Never used LC either (Just GFO if needed).

This is all new to me but if it works as they say its cheap for what it does.
 

2000se

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So it appears as though people are talking about 2 uses here with coral snow.
1) Clearer water
2) Vermetid snails
I get the clearer water part...so my question revolves around the vermetid snails. What if I have other filter feeders in the tank, would this also starve them out as well? I get the impression it would but wanted to ask the community.
 

CNDReef

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I want to say yes just because I had a porcelain crab for a few months then did some big maintenance on the tank and used this and I’ve never seen the crab ever after that. But I do have gorganias and a clam and they don’t/haven’t been stressed out with this snow at all. My 0.2
 

Hwsreef

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As the product say calcium and magnesium carbonates, Couldn’t be Dolomite? Dolomite is described as a calcium magnesium carbonate with a chemical composition of CaMg(CO3)2.

So Korallen Zucht's Zeovit product line has been around for a while. It contains many products, but one that finds usefulness outside of the ultra low nutrient setups is Coral Snow. In addition, the claims that KZ makes about it are not completely absurd and actually lie in the science of it. They claim it is a 'calcium-magnesium carbonate mix' (aka MgCO3 and CaCO3). When dried, it looks like an off-white confectioners sugar, extremely fine ground powder.

It is essentially a calcite chalk. Yes, the same stuff that teachers used to write on chalkboards with, that is bought for pennies and sold in RO/DI at nearly $120 per liter.

Despite being expensive, it does have its benefits. Organics adhere to its surface, as do particulates, acting as a flocculent, being easily removed via protein skimming or small micron mechanical filtration. This leads to unparalleled water clarity.

Thankfully there is a cheaper way to get that same clarifying effect. You can purchase food grade calcium carbonate powder, minimum 97% purity, for around $9 per pound, less if you order more (but that's not really necessary).

It comes as a very fine powder. You will want to mix it with water before dosing. The amount of KZ product in each mL (after it is very well-shaken to thoroughly mix) is 0.4g. This is a bit less than 1/8 teaspoon, and this is good for roughly 100 liters aquarium volume (25 gallons). You can either just put the dry powder into a small container and mix right there, or you can create a stock solution.

For a 250mL solution, use 5 level tablespoons (roughly 115 grams) of CaCO3 powder and add roughly 230mL of RO/DI water. This should mix right about 250mL. The powder will NOT dissolve, it will stay suspended in the water. Will look like this when you're done.

20150826_190144.jpg



Mix thoroughly before dosing, and dose 1mL per 100L volume (25 gallons) whenever you feel like. No harm in doing it daily, twice a day, once a week, etc, as it gets removed from the water column. It won't raise your pH, calcium, or alkalinity, as the powder will not dissolve in a reef aquarium, the pH is too high. You can even double, triple the dose without consequence. Your tank will look like this (or actually a bit cloudier, as this is roughly an hour post-dose) for a few hours, then will clear up with much higher clarity than before.

20150826_181336.jpg



Happy reefing!
 

Mada

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Is it right to say that dosing calcium carbonate prevents (to some extent) nitrate and phosphate to build up because it binds organic matter?
 

Darsh

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I’ve used this in the passed ....
but can’t remember ... if I mix this whole container with 750ml RODI water
image.jpg
Pretty much yes.
According to the original recipe on the first page, 230ml of RO mixed with 115g = 250ml of final product.
So if you have 340g, you should mix it with 780ml of RO, and you should end up with about 840ml of final product :)
 

Rmckoy

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Pretty much yes.
According to the original recipe on the first page, 230ml of RO mixed with 115g = 250ml of final product.
So if you have 340g, you should mix it with 780ml of RO, and you should end up with about 840ml of final product :)
And still dose 1ml per 25gal
And it will not effect cal , alk , or any other parameter ?
 

CNDReef

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I don’t even mix it anymore, I just grab a pinch with my fingers and put in my return chamber :cool:
 

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