How much Aluminum will it leach? Let's guess

[Mark Gray]

Since both Brightwell and MarinePure are baked ceramic medias that leech aluminum, would other media such as Eheim Ehfimech and Substrat Pro also leech similar mineral sooner or later? I think Eheim is also baked ceramics.

Good point the frag plugs are also baked ceramic

 

[hart24601]

I think eheim is sintered glass so it shouldn't have issues.

 

[HmoneyReefOkc]

Just an update. I Still have 25 marine pure blocks in my sump and no issues with any of my corals, and have yet to run GFO. Stay tuned with the build thread as I plan to send off a triton test this month or next.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Since both Brightwell and MarinePure are baked ceramic medias that leech aluminum, would other media such as Eheim Ehfimech and Substrat Pro also leech similar mineral sooner or later? I think Eheim is also baked ceramics.

I think there are a lot of variables, including type of ceramic, how it is made, and if it is very high surface area or not. I would not assume it is an issue of all ceramics.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Just an update. I Still have 25 marine pure blocks in my sump and no issues with any of my corals, and have yet to run GFO. Stay tuned with the build thread as I plan to send off a triton test this month or next.

Do you have leather corals?

 

[Rogergolf66]

Don’t have time to read 22 pages. Anyone will to post the highlights and findings from this thread for me and others?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Don’t have time to read 22 pages. Anyone will to post the highlights and findings from this thread for me and others?

Jason summarizes the first phase of his testing here:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/h...t-leach-lets-guess.247034/page-9#post-2979612

 

[Scott Campbell]

Good point the frag plugs are also baked ceramic

Yes - frag plugs are made of roughly the same ceramic material being used as filtration media.

Any ceramic material is almost certainly going to contain aluminum in alumina-silicate form. As a ceramic material is fired closer and closer to the melting point of that material, it will become more glass-like and usually less able to leach components of that material. And as the ceramic material formula tilts more toward "glass" than "ceramic", it would contain less alumina and become less likely to leach aluminum. So there are manufacturing parameters that can affect how likely it is a ceramic material might leach aluminum. But generally they are all going to be rather similar.

 

[HmoneyReefOkc]

Do you have leather corals?

Yes, toadstools, finger leather and green and neon green sinulara. All are fine with exception of the neon but it was struggling when i got it and I bet in time it will be fine too. I also have Zoas, sps, palys, chalices, and a couple meat corals.

 

[HmoneyReefOkc]

Also worth noting is i did not rinse any of the marine pure blocks. Took them out of the box, then bag, shook off the dust and put them in.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes, toadstools, finger leather and green and neon green sinulara. All are fine with exception of the neon but it was struggling when i got it and I bet in time it will be fine too. I also have Zoas, sps, palys, chalices, and a couple meat corals.

Thanks. :)

 

[FranklinDattein]

Since both Brightwell and MarinePure are baked ceramic medias that leech aluminum, would other media such as Eheim Ehfimech and Substrat Pro also leech similar mineral sooner or later? I think Eheim is also baked ceramics.

Ceramic is baked clay and not all clay are rich in Aluminum. Even the ceramic used aquarium media products are Aluminun rich, there are also other factors involved when it comes to it dissolving in saltwater and I guess an important factor is how the media is produced. Marine Pure is quite porous and therefore brittle, which I believe is the reason it dissolves so easily.
Also, if other types of ceramic were to release Al, I would say we would be reading a lot more complaints about them.
So, I guess the best approach is the usual one, research the specific product before buying.

In my particular case, I haven't had any Al after replacing MP with Siporax.

 

[Lasse]

Siporax does not release Al but - at least in my aquaria - it release Si during anaerobic conditions (Triton testing). I have heard of more cases there Siporax and sand containing Si have release Si during anaerobic conditions.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[bif24701]

I have had my MarinePure Blocks now going two years. I love them. Nitrates are easily controlled, in fact I’ve added some a few times. Just placed them in the sump where they don’t get bothered and they do the work. Triton and ICP Analysis should only very slight aluminum levels yet nothing in my systems has ever complained.

 

[Dodo]

I have a block in my system which runs zeovit,on the zeovit forum they recommend removing it as zeo causes it to leach,can anyone back this up any zeo tanks with marine pure?

 

[HmoneyReefOkc]

Just sent off my first Triton labs test today. We shall see how much 30 marine pure blocks leach.

 

[zack801]

Just sent off my first Triton labs test today. We shall see how much 30 marine pure blocks leach.

Any update on this?

 

[HmoneyReefOkc]

Yes sorry! I should have posted my results but no elevated aluminum and tank is still going strong. I can tell you that i have yet to put any gfo into my reactor on this system and don’t plan to as i believe that is a great factor for the elevated aluminum levels people have.

 

[HmoneyReefOkc]

Here ya’ll go. Have fun deciphering.

https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/aquarium/auswertung-b/icp-oes/51980/

 

[mfollen]

Sorry for surfacing an old thread but my first ICP results show sky high aluminum: 475 µg/l

I have three broken pieces of brightwell’s Xport brick in a 25 gallon aquarium.

Has there been confirmation that this brick leaches aluminum?

I just left for vacation (of course) got the results and have been researching.

Should I call someone to remove the bricks from my aquarium?

Ughh not how I wanted to start off this trip.