CaribSea Purple-Up

[mksalt]

What is the general consensus regarding CaribSea Purple-Up?

It was sold to me by my LFS when I bought my first coral. He said it was a good idea.

So I have almost a full bottle of it. Anyone have any experience with it. Is this a good way to raise the calcium level when needed?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

[J. Montgomery]

The general consensus is that Purple Up is not necessary (aka junk) and should not be used. I'd be skeptical of any other advise that salesman gives you.

[bertoni]

I wouldn't dose that product. There have been a lot of discussions. The primary ingredient is finely-ground aragonite, which is useless as a supplement:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...y2002/chem.htm

[woodycb]

waste of money.

[snorvich]

Waste of money and unnecessary. Tend to your chemistry rather than start dosing stuff to fix your chemistry.

[Adamc1303]

After reading the article I have a few questions. Do most people just dose Kalkwaser with out any alk buffer? Or is Kalk generaly dosed with calcium?

[bertoni]

Kalk provides both calcium and alkalinity, and in the ratio that corals use them for building their skeletons, so it can be an all-in-one supplement, although most tanks consume a little extra alkalinity, for various reasons.

[Adamc1303]

So what do people use for the decline in Alkalinity?

[bertoni]

I use limewater and a DIY 2-part:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-02/rhf/index.php

For that size tank, a calcium reactor is a common choice. This article might help:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

[Adamc1303]

Do you use a calcium reactor as well? What size tank do you have?

[mksalt]

Thinking maybe C-Balance® Two Part Balanced Ionic Supplement is a better way to go than Purple UP? Yes?

[bertoni]

C-Balance seems to be fine.

[sjm817]

I use limewater and an occasional dose of baking soda to raise up alk. As Bertoni posted, for some reason my tank uses a little more alk than ca.

Seems to work for me. No Purple pixie dust required.

[CowDoc09]

What do you all think about Kent Tech CB?

[Adamc1303]

Nice Coraline dude.

[Adamc1303]

Can I just add kalk to my top-off bucket? What is the exact purpose of a kalk reactor/stirer ?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

CowDoc09:

The Kent two part is likely a fine way to go, but bear in mind that there have been no independent confirmations of the components of any of the commercial two part systems.

Adamc1303:

This article details how folks use limewater:

What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm

[boxfishpooalot]

I just had a random postulate here.

Suppose that aragonite does not maintain alkalinity and calcium or in any way influence the growth of coralline.

But what if that ground up aragonite we call "purple up" was actually adding spores of corraline algae. Would it then purple up the tank?

Maybee then, that is what people find it works to purple things up. Of course I can be tottally off if the aragonte is collected on dry land and made. But then again is not all aragonite of marine origin?

Consider this. When you add live rock it "seeds" the aquarium with corraline. What then is small dust of that same rock? Aragonite with corraline.

Possible or not?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Possible, I suppose. It may also reduce phosphate by binding phosphate onto the fresh aragonite surfaces. That might spur coralline.

[boxfishpooalot]

I wonder how you would go about testing our two hypothesis's? Perhaps 2 small 5 gallon tanks with the same batch of water. Both with the same lighting running across with both of them side by side. There will be lids to prevent cross contamination.

No filtration used of any kind. No sand, no rocks. Just an air bubbler for aeration and circulation.

Randys tank has been spiked with Po4 to let us say .10ppm. No3 spiked to 1ppm.A scraping of corraline algae of the weight of 1 gram to go inside. If the phosphate is reduced immediatedly upon addition of say 5ml of purple up. Then that proves " reduce phosphate by binding phosphate onto the fresh aragonite surfaces".

Box's tank has been spiked with .10ppm of Po4 as well. But this time no corraline has been added. 1ppm of no3 is added as well. If the corraline grows from out of no where then this proves that "it is being 'seeded' by the aragonite".

Seems like a big waste of time

[mksalt]

The bottle says some living algae must already be present.

[mksalt]

Randy,

The reaction from some to my Purple Up being worthwhile question seemed pretty strong. Basically the theme was “garbage”

I have a whole bottle of it. You’re your opinion, should I use it to raise my calcium level? Or throw it away.

Supposedly what it does is:

1. Ionic calcium. Immediately raises dissolved calcium levels in your aquarium water
2. Ten micron aragonite. Targets the live rock surface, where it dissolves in situ (in place), delivering calcium, strontium, magnesium and carbonate right where it is needed.
3. Iodine Replenishment: Replenishes iodine, an essential element for coralline algae tissues that quickly becomes depleted in closed systems.
4. Improved coral growth.

I was thinking about trying C-Balance two part to accomplish keeping my Alk and CA at proper levels. That is my main goal.

I’m not a do it yourself guy so I would rather just buy something off the shelf.

What do you think? Open to suggestions.

Thanks for your candid advice,

Mike

[fatrip]

double post srry

[fatrip]

I used purple up and it seemed to work beautiful. I didn't use it in a way to boost or maintain calcium levels tho like you are talking about doing. I maintain those by kalk and two part but just added a few capfulls every other dayish. it seemed to make the coraline grow much faster on the new base rock I had placed in the tank. I believe what they are trying to accomplish with the fine aragonite is so that the calcium in the mix will sink with the aragonite onto the rock work so it is more readily available to the coraline to use as well as most people don't dose iodine and just bank on doing water changes to replenish it but this product will add it to your system, I believe that iodine is needed for the coraline to grow as well.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I do not know if it does anything useful for coralline algae or not, but it is not a good way to boost calcium alone. The main ingredient, fine aragonite, will simply not dissolve in seawater. Even if it did, any significant boost in calcium would boost alkalinity too high.

Long ago I publicly challenged manufacturers to show any reef aquarium known to RC members that had its calcium and alkalinity supplied solely by such a supplement (like Aragamight or Kent Liquid Reactor). No one came forward.

I believe that iodine is needed for the coraline to grow as well.


What makes you believe that?

I believe what they are trying to accomplish with the fine aragonite is so that the calcium in the mix will sink with the aragonite onto the rock work so it is more readily available to the coraline to use

How is coralline going to use the calcium in it if it does not dissolve?