What’s in the bio-magnet clarifiers?

Be102

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Sounds like a random question... but what’s is in these things? The things that come with live sand to clarify it faster?

Just spent the afternoon rinsing tons of sand and figured I’d ask what the properties of these things where and how they played a role in our tank. The amount of dust and cloudiness from the sand. I can’t believe I originally had that in my tank when I first added live sand and didn’t rinse it.
 

Dsnakes

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That’s a good question. This is what I found for the Caribsea product, which I imagine is in their live sand packets.
800E4EF9-491C-456F-96DF-7264201C84CC.jpeg
 
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Be102

Be102

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That’s a good question. This is what I found for the Caribsea product, which I imagine is in their live sand packets.
800E4EF9-491C-456F-96DF-7264201C84CC.jpeg
Seems a little questionable although I know nothing about those types of things. I’d like to hear others opinions... I could just be skeptical of the need for them.
 

brandon429

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Through one or more means, chemically and or physically, flocculants affect the same targets as simple manual cleaning does: that which clouds if disturbed.

It has been well-positioned that the high silt portion of unrinsed sand is a very high surface area silicate powder, something early invaders really enjoy. Flocculants makes the powder a little less high surface area/able to dissolve or be used as substrate by an invader, but rinsing seals the deal and removes it.

For the nonrinsers, flocculated high fraction silt is either removed by a filter or its sinked into the bed, aggregated particles weighs more than the individual particle. A rinsed system simply has nothing to sink.

Anyone who followed the directions on the bag about using the floc packet and then proceeded to use without rinsing (to preserve the bac, of course :) ) still has a system that will cloud if you reach into the bed, grab a hand of sand, and drop down. And we'll see many (not all, many) of those systems reporting as invasion systems in coming months

A rinsed system is cloudless therefore it's not invaded. Rinsing simply commands compliance from the system it's not the only way to reef.

They provide the floc as just one of many options...Aquaculture industry and lake/river management has legit use of floc it's just one approach of many.

Rinsing is the better trait since our tanks are always needing better export one way or another.
 
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Be102

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Through one or more means, chemically and or physically, flocculants affect the same targets as simple manual cleaning does: that which clouds if disturbed.

It has been well-positioned that the high silt portion of unrinsed sand is a very high surface area silicate powder, something early invaders really enjoy. Flocculants makes the powder a little less high surface area/able to dissolve or be used as substrate by an invader, but rinsing seals the deal and removes it.

For the nonrinsers, flocculated high fraction silt is either removed by a filter or its sinked into the bed, aggregated particles weighs more than the individual particle. A rinsed system simply has nothing to sink.

Anyone who followed the directions on the bag about using the floc packet and then proceeded to use without rinsing (to preserve the bac, of course :) ) still has a system that will cloud if you reach into the bed, grab a hand of sand, and drop down. And we'll see many (not all, many) of those systems reporting as invasion systems in coming months

A rinsed system is cloudless therefore it's not invaded. Rinsing simply commands compliance from the system it's not the only way to reef.

They provide the floc as just one of many options...Aquaculture industry and lake/river management has legit use of floc it's just one approach of many.

Rinsing is the better trait since our tanks are always needing better export one way or another.


Rinsing sand just always seems to be the smartest option less problems overall and less likely to be able to feed on the silicates. One sand rinsing thread has taught me a lot and one thing leads to another. It’s interesting how once you begin to learn what’s in the sand you begin to understand why people have diatoms and whatnot.
 

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