Extreme Water Clarity and Cyano Eradication, Made Easy!

[billyocean]

Do you think this will work instead of the one mentioned above? Amazon said it was out of stock so was wondering if this will do
Pure Original Ingredients Calcium Carbonate (1 lb) Dietary Supplement, Food Preservative, Acid Neutralizer https://a.co/d/2pq6X7S

Probably fine. This is what I used

 

[Dinkins Aquatic Gardens]

Will be trying this!

 

[Baby_Shark]

Do you think this will work instead of the one mentioned above? Amazon said it was out of stock so was wondering if this will do
Pure Original Ingredients Calcium Carbonate (1 lb) Dietary Supplement, Food Preservative, Acid Neutralizer https://a.co/d/2pq6X7S

Yes it will, just make adjustments to the dosage because that powder is a lottle higher in ML

 

[Digitalfirex]

Hello all!

I have been reefing now for about 25 years, and over those many years I have picked up many tips, tricks, and best habits/practices. From a hobbyist and even a coral vendors perspective, I have gained quite a bit of valuable information. Many of you likely even have a coral that came from company, Pro Corals. The most popular of which being the PC Rainbow Acro.,

Over those years I attempted to pass on as much information and knowledge as possible. Now, I am compiling all the knowledge into one area and will be releasing articles and likely some YouTube guides on a weekly basis.

This is a great hobby and what makes it great is the wonderful community of reefers. Almost all are extremely helpful and it is our duty to aid one another and when we can, impart the little knowledge that we pickup along the way to aid others in their journey. We, and myself included, can easily forget what it was like entering the hobby. Its a minefield and much livestock and funds can be wasted. For someone like myself, books and online forums were my only sanctuary as I did not have any local hobbyist to gather knowledge from. There were many issues, losses and way too much money needlessly spent. Hopefully this series of guides will help those just entering the hobby and perhaps even help some reefing veterans to polish up their game.

The articles will be posted on my blog and right here on Reef2Reef. I am slowly building up my online presence through FB, Instagram and YouTube. If you'd like to follow along and receive the most up to date information please feel free to follow. I will try and keep the articles and video brief. We all have busy lives so I will attempt to post only the cliff notes.

www.ReefSite.com
Instagram: @Reefsite
Fb: @ReefSites
Twitter: @RimlessReef
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SonnyM63



Now, enough yammering. Onto the article!


Extreme Water Clarity and Cyano Eradication, Made Easy!

One of the most frequent questions I receive is how do I have such amazing water clarity and an overall clean looking setup. Well, it quite simple and you can easily do the same while also helping rid yourself of cyano or and the very least not allowing it to gain a foothold in your system. While this is not a cure-all, it will help you achieve your goals and help maintain a healthy aquarium.


For a number of years I had purchased branded products of Coral Snow to help achieve water clarity. That is, until I asked around and found that you can simply make you own Coral Snow solution, saving you hundreds of dollars.

What is Coral Snow?

At its simplest, Coral Snow is a Flocculant.

Flocculant’s work by binding small particles together into a larger mass that can be easily removed via filter socks or a proteins skimmer. The Coral Snow can also help to removal yellowing compounds such as phenols while at the same time helping neutralizes some undesirable chemicals in the system.

Personally, I use this powder Calcium Powder and one jar should last you years. Creating the solution couldn't be any simpler.

• Select a clean container, one that is resealable and able to be shaken. I use an old creatine bottle.(Yes, I am on the GAIN TRAIN)
• For 500ML of solution, add 10 level tablespoons of powder to roughly 425-450ML of RO/DI water.
• Shake the bottle up, and let it sit for two hours. After which, it will be ready to use.
• Now, I don’t believe that you can overdose with this product, but a good recommended dose is 5ml per 50gl of aquarium volume.
• Be sure to shake up the bottle prior to each use as the powder can settle.

The best time to add the solution to you aquarium is after conducting maintenance such as blowing off the rocks, cleaning the glass, siphoning the sand or conducting a water change. Ideally, you should be doing all of the aforementioned maintenance items during a water change, but that discussion is for another time.

Now, on to my personal favorite use of the product: preventing and getting rid of Cyano!

Cyano Solution

Cyano, in all its forms, has been the bane of many a reefers existence. Nothing can upset or ruin the appearance of an aquarium display like that nasty, slimy cyano! The algae is present in all systems, and dates back to the dawn of planet but you can keep it from taking over your aquarium and causing you heartache.

Ideally, you want to be taking preventative measures to ensure that cyano does not gain any real estate in your reef. Prevention is always easier than treatment, but if you can always treat it too.

To amplify the Coral Snow, you will need a bacterial solution. Most will do, but I like Microbacter7 by Brightwell Aquatics. What we are doing here is mixing the bacteria with the Coral Snow, allowing it to bond and adhere to the surface of sand and rock. Basically, we’re trying to eliminate land for the cyano to stake its claim. While most of the Coral Snow will be removed via filtration, there will be a bit that coats you aquariums surfaces, in this case with bacteria that will out compete algae.

The Mix

Take your measured solution of Coral Snow and add it to a small container.

• A plastic or glass cup will suffice.
• Next, add 10 drops of Microbacter7 per 5ML of Coral Snow.
• Allow 5 minutes for the solution to sit and then dose into your aquarium.

Note that Coral Snow will cloud your aquarium for at least two hours. Filter socks and Protein Skimmer(s) should be left on.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, you find this Coral Snow solution to be advantageous. I have used it for years with great results. My aquariums are devoid of cyano and nuisance algae. The fish look like their floating in mid air and the true colors of the corals are allowed to shine through.

I dose once a week but there is no issue dosing it daily if you are dealing with a particularly bad breakout of cyano. For best results, siphon out as much cyano as possible before dosing Coral Snow.

Good luck and if you need any additional help please feel free to reach out.

Sonny [email protected]

Just to be sure, the recipe is for 10 TABLESPOONS and not TeaSpoon correct??

10 Tablespoons I don't see a way that a jar will last forever. :0

 

[Digitalfirex]

Ps. Also ordered this one

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07B8V38GD?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[Peppe]

What is corals now? Do you post a link ?

 

[Peppe]

What is coral snow? Do you post a link?

 

[SunnyX]

Hello all! I have been away for a week now, off in the woods of Michigan, and just catching up on the reefing posts. Thank you to those who jumped in and assisted with the questions posed by others, I apricate it.

What is coral snow? Do you post a link?

Hi! Coral Snow is a flocculant, consisting mainly of Calcium Carbonate and RODI water, used to bind free floating organics, lower nutrients, and help clarify the water column. Depending on how its used, you can mitigate cyano and other undesirables by adding bottled bacteria to the mix. You can also use the coral snow in conjunction with amino acids to help feed the corals.

Please check on the first page of this thread for instructions on how to dose and create the formula.

-Sonny

 

[KStatefan]

Just to be sure, the recipe is for 10 TABLESPOONS and not TeaSpoon correct??

10 Tablespoons I don't see a way that a jar will last forever. :0

Dosed at 1ml/10 gallons depending on how often you are dosing. My first batch is going to last me a year and I still have enough powder to make at least 2 more batches.

 

[sghera64]

Can we not make coral snow [CaCO3] by mixing calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] in RO water and placing a recirculating pump in it. I will suck CO2 out of the air and make calcium carbonate. For small batches (<200mL), we merely need to exhale through airline tubing into a small cup of it to inject CO2 into it. Not sure there is a price advantage but this might be a way for those who have kalkwasser mix on hand to try this out before buying powdered calcium carbonate.

 

[SunnyX]

Can we not make coral snow [CaCO3] by mixing calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] in RO water and placing a recirculating pump in it. I will suck CO2 out of the air and make calcium carbonate. For small batches (<200mL), we merely need to exhale through airline tubing into a small cup of it to inject CO2 into it. Not sure there is a price advantage but this might be a way for those who have kalkwasser mix on hand to try this out before buying powdered calcium carbonate.

Hello,

It may be possible but for the low cost of the CAC03 it may not be worth the risk or hassle to transform kalkwasser. @Randy Holmes-Farley could advise better than I ever could on that question.

 

[Backtolifemassage]

Hello all! I have been away for a week now, off in the woods of Michigan, and just catching up on the reefing posts. Thank you to those who jumped in and assisted with the questions posed by others, I apricate it.




Hi! Coral Snow is a flocculant, consisting mainly of Calcium Carbonate and RODI water, used to bind free floating organics, lower nutrients, and help clarify the water column. Depending on how its used, you can mitigate cyano and other undesirables by adding bottled bacteria to the mix. You can also use the coral snow in conjunction with amino acids to help feed the corals.

Please check on the first page of this thread for instructions on how to dose and create the formula.

-Sonny

Is there any other brand of calcium carbonate that works as well

 

[SunnyX]

Is there any other brand of calcium carbonate that works as well

Hello,

Any pharmaceutical or food grade Calcium Carbonate will work. There is a lot of demand for it so perhaps a reefing vendor will start carrying it. @Bulk Reef Supply

 

[Backtolifemassage]

Hello,

Any pharmaceutical or food grade Calcium Carbonate will work. There is a lot of demand for it so perhaps a reefing vendor will start carrying it. @Bulk Reef Supply

Thank you!

 

[carmodpg]

Thank you so much for this write-up! I did it for the first time yesterday and I really can tell a difference in clarity. My tank is not dirty by any means, but the glass even looked a little more "sparkly."

 

[SunnyX]

Thank you so much for this write-up! I did it for the first time yesterday and I really can tell a difference in clarity. My tank is not dirty by any means, but the glass even looked a little more "sparkly."

Great to hear. Over time and if used weekly, you should notice an overall reduction in nutrients and detritus accumulating in the sump, overflow and area of low flow in the display. It will also help prevent Cyano when used in conjunction with bacteria.

-Sonny

 

[tjara03]

Anyone know if this would work?

Amazon product

 

[SunnyX]

Anyone know if this would work?

Amazon product

Hello,

It likes clean and like it would work. Any other website to confirm is purity? If not, any other pure calcium carbonate power will work.

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

bump! just in case some may of missed this thread.

 

[sghera64]

I've been trying this out. I did not to spend any money on Amazon for CaCO3, so I made some with BRS Ca(OH)2 and bubbled some air through it for a few days.

Results are noticeable. I don't have Microbacter 7, but I did use some Dr. Tims. It seems to me that the bacteria does make a difference. Maybe it makes more difference than the flocculant.

Since my kalkwasser method yields a pH above 12, I add the CaCO3 flocculant to the tank first and then add the bacteria. One think I like about the DIY CaCO3 from Ca(OH)2 is that the particle size is extremely small. Small particles mean more surface area to scrounge up "gunk". BTW - - the cost of using BRS Ca(OH)2 to make CaCO3 is cheaper than most options on Amazon when you take into account the molecular weight conversion and on a weight basis. If you buy the big 1 - 5 pound options of CaCO3, then those are more economical.

I did buy some proper CaCO3 on Amazon and some Microbacter 7. I'm curious to know if the particle size of what I bought is small enough to bring about the desired effect. I found some items being sold were from pulverized limestone. I suspect others are derived from amorphous precipitated particles.