Results are in for Calcium supplement certified testing. How'd they perform? | BRStv Investigates

[WWIII]

This particular set of videos was awesome! Thank you @Bulk Reef Supply for taking this project on and spending the time and money! I use brs pharma calcium and magnesium for making my diy 2 part and have been very pleased with the results. When handling and mixing these materials it's easy to see the quality and it's nice to have a trusted source for these!

I've been using the "new" sodium hydroxide recipe as well for the past few months. I love it, my ph is great, but I think it's a smart move to not sell the lye. The stuff is bad to breath in, it gets really hot, and if you get it on your skin you can feel the slime of your own fat melting. I use a respirator, gloves, eye protection and keep it on the highest shelf in the basement. I don't really have the patience to mix it slowly, so better safe than sorry. I did have it melt a hole in one of my dosing containers early on luckily it was in a place to cause no damage, but wasn't fun to clean up.

I hope BRS knows how much we as hobbyist appreciate these videos. It gives me confidence to source the best materials when making my diy 2 part! I personally feel like we are beyond the days of driveway ice melt going into our tanks. We have so many more options now that can be shipped directly to our door. For a little more money it's nice to know that what we are putting in our tanks is consistent and of high quality! BRS is a big part of bringing those options to us! Thanks!

I would be interested in the nitrate test as well. More for curiosity sake, as I only use food grade sodium nitrate anyways. Still would be great to see if everyone using stump remover has anything to worry about!

 

[mcarroll]

It turns out that these additives have an unusualy high amount of Aluminum.

Was the problem that this was making your tank ugly and killing your corals?

 

[DesertReefT4r]

I've been using RHF DIY 2 Part recipes made with Prestone Driveway Heat I bought over 10 years ago. As far as Mg I was using RoadRunner MgCl and Walgreens/Walmart Epson Salt. As far as Alk - A&H baking soda.

I do dose 2Part, BRS Kalk and run a AquaC CaRx all at the same time. I've been doing this in my system for close to 18 years in the current system.

Why 3 different methods for dosing cal and alk?

 

[mcarroll]

Why 3 different methods for dosing cal and alk?

I know that wasn't at me, but if I may....

1. CaRx because he finally got it fully tweaked at some point and nobody is going to ***** with that!!!
2. Kalk to offset the CaRx.
3. 2-part to tweak levels.

 

[40B Knasty]

Take this as an impartial judgement, because I do not dose. BRS team you do not have to apologize in anyway with thinking this may be a plug in for your products. Your products are of high quality. You have taken the time and made something for us and put your products up to the test against others for better or for worse. Of course your products will be great. We expect that and we get that with your knowledge. It only makes our underwater world(s) we are trying to create better with products and knowledge of pros/ veterans of the hobby like yourselves. Keep up the great work with all that you do. I will say I want to do the Triton method I believe it is called. Showing your products to being a leading successer. At some point I know where to turn to for a product when the time comes. Thank you all for the videos. Sorry about the costs it is for some of the testing you do to make them.

 

[vipete1985]

Was the problem that this was making your tank ugly and killing your corals?

I was actually having die off in my coral population and I just couldn’t figure out why...also hair algae problem

 

[MichaelClark55]

This testing is an amazing benefit for all reefers interested in chemical balancing and nutrition. I think it's pretty obvious that most of us would rather use the safest chemicals for our reefs since we have lots of dough put into them and maybe most important we care alot about our hobby.

Please keep up all the informative videos, testing and information so that we can make the most informative decisions.

 

[fire4755]

I use Kent Tech CB simply because it was recommended by someone I trust when I first started reefing.

 

[truepercs]

I currently dose ATI Essentials 3 part. I got this in an attempt to eliminate water changes. That strategy doesn't seem to work for me

I had the same experience... I just went back to two part myself.

 

[Stigigemla]

For anyone considering to change from a well known method of reefkeeping: You are on the wrong track. If the method works for others it shall work for You too.
Unless you have been or are doing something wrong.
Most common is to have a hurry and not letting things take the time it should.
In the second place (at least for starters) is mixing moments from different methods.
But if a tank dont work well - something is wrong and it is just to find whats wrong. I know thats easy to say but in my opinion its the only way...

 

[mcarroll]

I was actually having die off in my coral population and I just couldn’t figure out why...also hair algae problem

That doesn't sound like side-effects from an exotic element. Plus Al isn't all that exotic.

Maybe surprisingly, no-water change "methods" like Triton even specify Al-based adsorption media vs Fe-based. No worries about Al from them and they aren't even doing water changes.

A quick look through Google Scholar for "aluminum toxicity in seawater" revealed no indications to look further. Even the doc titled "The bioavailability and toxicity of aluminum in aquatic environments" did not indicate any huge problems in seawater. Seems like aluminum problems are related to acidic environments unlike our tanks. Freshwater. From what I saw the most likely outcome for Al in our tanks might be as a binder for excess free-Si. Diatoms are known to use it up in this form. Notably, Brightwell has high Si as well....I seriously doubt this was your issue since it seems likely that most of it would be complexed.

Randy wrote Chemistry And The Aquarium: Aluminum In The Reef Aquarium a long time ago and it's chock full of info. It's worth noting that he was trying to cause side-effects in his experiment at the end and he didn't get anything much like RTN, which is basically instant death. And he was adding pure Al.

I suspect your tank has (or hopefully just "had") some other tribulations that would explain the effects you were seeing.

You don't have any threads where you've been documenting anything, but just from surveying past comments I saw that your tank also "had a run-in" with a bio-pellet reactor and you seem to have put some energy into pod-aquisition for some reason, so at the very least there is more to the story.

If there is still any of this going on you should consider opening a tank thread so you can post more about it directly and get more/better help resolving it all once and for all. (If not, that's even better!!) If you do, @mention me or post the thread link here!

 

[vipete1985]

That doesn't sound like side-effects from an exotic element. Plus Al isn't all that exotic.

Maybe surprisingly, no-water change "methods" like Triton even specify Al-based adsorption media vs Fe-based. No worries about Al from them and they aren't even doing water changes.

A quick look through Google Scholar for "aluminum toxicity in seawater" revealed no indications to look further. Even the doc titled "The bioavailability and toxicity of aluminum in aquatic environments" did not indicate any huge problems in seawater. Seems like aluminum problems are related to acidic environments unlike our tanks. Freshwater. From what I saw the most likely outcome for Al in our tanks might be as a binder for excess free-Si. Diatoms are known to use it up in this form. Notably, Brightwell has high Si as well....I seriously doubt this was your issue since it seems likely that most of it would be complexed.

Randy wrote Chemistry And The Aquarium: Aluminum In The Reef Aquarium a long time ago and it's chock full of info. It's worth noting that he was trying to cause side-effects in his experiment at the end and he didn't get anything much like RTN, which is basically instant death. And he was adding pure Al.

I suspect your tank has (or hopefully just "had") some other tribulations that would explain the effects you were seeing.

You don't have any threads where you've been documenting anything, but just from surveying past comments I saw that your tank also "had a run-in" with a bio-pellet reactor and you seem to have put some energy into pod-aquisition for some reason, so at the very least there is more to the story.

If there is still any of this going on you should consider opening a tank thread so you can post more about it directly and get more/better help resolving it all once and for all. (If not, that's even better!!) If you do, @mention me or post the thread link here!

That is some really good info you got going there...Thanks for the response...our tanks are so complicated and there could be so many different variables that have to be taken into consideration...At the end of the day though my goal is really to have the elements as close to natural seawater as possible...Although an elevated aluminum level may not be the cause of my issues, and very well may not be doing anything in the short term. I just also think about long term elevated levels in a closed system environment just can’t be positive. I think that if there is a way to eliminate this from my reef by switching additives to a more pure source then it would be foolish for me not to pursue this option.

 

[LC8Sumi]

Thanks for the videos! They're very useful! I've been dosing RS RF-A for Calcium ever since, but it does have a brown residue in the container. I've recently transfered to Fauna Marine KH, and will do this with Calcium as well, with their trace elements. I'd love to run a calcium reactor instead, because looking at pictures/videos, the most stunning tanks seem to run on that and not on dosing. I guess it has to do something with the trace elements bound in the corals you're melting in the reactor. Or the perfect balance of them. It's just that I can't afford the Ca rector

 

[kwroberto]

I use ME coral supplements and would have like to see how they stack up to the BRS in the tests! They say they are all pharma grade materials but would be curious to see how they preform!

 

[Rick Mathew]

Hey Reefers!

Today we wrap up (sort of) our certified ICP-MS and other testing of reef tank supplements for Alk, Mag, Kalk, and now Calcium. Today we share our findings as well as pose a question for a potential 5th episode on dosing concentrated nitrates.

Be sure to toss your vote in the poll above.

If you're interested in seeing another episode like this for nitrate supplements, shoot us a quick comment below.

Awesome work...you are all to be commended for adding to the knowledge of the reefing community

 

[don_chuwish]

A long time back I was using BRS 2-part but switched to ESV B-Ionic simply due to ease of use and reasonable cost. Buying the '2 gallon jug' liquid concentrate and adding my own RO water is a nice compromise. No scooping of powders & stirring impatiently, no doubt about accuracy, nothing to clean up & put away after. I also like the idea that it has the trace elements but I can't say how important that is in reality.

 

[ca1ore]

I'm a long time CaRx user. I do run a Kalk reactor on my ATO as a way to counter any low pH effects (doesn't work so well in the Summer when evaporation is low). I also have the ability to dose 2-part if any adjustments to levels are required. I do use the BRS chemicals for that.

 

[User1]

What Mrs Wages pickling lime did you use? I've used that in the past and what you showed in this video looks different. Food grade calcium hydroxide with no additives or preservatives is the standard package and powder. The video shows pellets or something different. Figured I'd ask not that it matters much.

Videos are good and thanks for doing them. From a big data perspective I wonder how many people use packaged aquarium products vs. any of the DIY sources and their differences of success.

 

[User1]

Fair enough, I was just curious and appreciate the response as I like to get everything from BRS so I was sad buying from amazon. Just for fun I added up how much have spent via paypal at BRS just in the past year, $2001 which is less than I thought but that doesn't count when use CC!

Anywho, again I appreciate the response although I wouldn't exactly start using fight club for sodium hydroxide safety information!

And look what was waiting for me when I got home haha.

Sad box - hope you sent that back or at least told them how it arrived.

 

[Ryanbrs]

What Mrs Wages pickling lime did you use? I've used that in the past and what you showed in this video looks different. Food grade calcium hydroxide with no additives or preservatives is the standard package and powder. The video shows pellets or something different. Figured I'd ask not that it matters much.

Videos are good and thanks for doing them. From a big data perspective I wonder how many people use packaged aquarium products vs. any of the DIY sources and their differences of success.

ms wages sells a food grade calcium hydroxide (pickling lime) and calcium chloride (xtra crunch/crisper) . In this video we used the calcium chloride and in hindsight I think we could have been clearer about that