Got carded for Sodium Nitrate... why?

[Johnd651]

Just curious if anyone else has ever encountered this. Got carded when buying sodium nitrate on Amazon to mix up my own nitrates.

https://amzn.to/4qk5Ps3

 

[Jamie814]

That's strange, how does amazon card someone?

I think sodium nitrate is used in part to make explosives... How much did you buy

 

[LOZReefer]

It unfortunately is used in crimes like creating boom booms or sometimes taking one's own life.

 

[Jamie814]

Isn't Magnesium Nitrate a better option for nitrate dosing though verse sodium nitrate?​

 

[Sam7]

Maybe thought you was the new una bomber

 

[rishma]

Isn't Magnesium Nitrate a better option for nitrate dosing though verse sodium nitrate?​

Why would be better?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Nitrate can be a source of oxygen for explosives.

I suggest we not discuss this further as there as we do not want to be a source of ideas for nut cases.

There was nothing wrong with this thread so far, but I’m going to lock it to be sure it does not go in an undesirable direction.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It seems some folks wanted an answer to why magnesium nitrate was suggested as a better choice than sodium nitrate for dosing a reef tank. In short, it would not be, IMO.

Good choices are sodium or calcium nitrate (calcium nitrate is actually a balanced alk and calcium addition system when the nitrate is consumed) as well as ammonium bicarbonate and chloride. Most of these are cheap and easy to get food grade.

Magnesium nitrate would boost magnesium each time it is added, in an unbalanced way to its consumption relative to alkalinity, and in many tanks it would rise steadily. That seems suboptimal.

Magnesium nitrate would add 12 ppm of magnesium for each 41 ppm of nitrate and 2.8 dKH of alk added. But consumption is not more than1-2 ppm of magnesium for each 2.8 dKH of alk consumed.

FOr further discussion, please start another thread. :)