[Hebert2580]

I was curious is the product purple up works, Is it safe? Does it work? Is it worth buying? I want my live rock to grow carolina algea, Could that and would that give it a quick start? Thanks

[FireEater]

I've heard it will work good. It is just calcium that you can add right into tank to raise levels.

You can get the same effect but cheaper with Mrs. Wages. Just drip it into the tank to raise the calcium levels.

You have to have coralline algae growing in your tank already, plus have strong enough lights to grow it. With the right lights and calcium levels of around 450ppm, the coralline will grow out fast enough on it's on.

[Poseidon]

Not that I like linking to other forums, but I was active in a discussion about Purple Up not long ago. MCSaxmaster in that thread is Chris Drury, he has been published in several reef keeping magazines, and is currently going to school for Marine Biology. I believe he is in Curacua studying wild reef reproduction or something along that line. It is my belief that Chris will be our hobby's next Eric Borneman.

Purple Up ... Waste or Wonder? - Michigan Reefers

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Hebert2580

I was curious if the product purple up works,

No.

Does it work?

No.

Is it worth buying?

No.

Could that and would that give it a quick start?

No.

This concludes another edition of easy answers to easy questions.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by FireEater

I've heard it will work good.

It doesn't work but many people think it works. They're fooled by the advertising.

It is just calcium that you can add right into tank to raise levels.

It's a suspension of powdered aragonite sand (CaCO3). CaCO3 doesn't dissolve in seawater (aquarium water) because the pH is too high. Aragonite begins to dissolve at a pH of 7.7. It is highly unlikely that the pH in your water column will drop that low. The water in your tank is already supersaturated as regards calcium carbonate, thus precluding dissolution of this product.

You can get the same effect but cheaper with Mrs. Wages.

You're comparing apples and oranges here. Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime is pure food grade calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2). Purple Up is nothing but very fine aragonite sand (CaCO3) in suspension. One is calcium hydroxide and the other is calcium carbonate. One works and the other does not. One is a cost-effective method for maintaining calcium and alkalinity levels in your aquarium and the other is a complete waste of money.

[Ninong]

If you want this product to dissolve, add it to your freshwater evaporation replacement water and let it sit for a few hours before adding it to your tank. The pH in the freshwater, assuming you use R.O./D.I. water, will be close to 7.0 and the fine powdered aragonite sand particles in the Purple Up will dissolve. Of course, you could accomplish exactly the same effect by simply placing a few cups of very fine aragonite sand (such as cheapy Southdown) in the bottom of a container and then fill it with R.O./D.I. water and allow it to sit for a few hours before using the water as top-off water.

However, since calcium hydroxide is so cheap, most people prefer to simply use it to make limewater (aka Kalkwasser, to use the German word for "chalk water"). Limewater is nothing more than a saturated solution of calcium hydroxide. It takes only two teaspoons of Ca(OH)2 per gallon of freshwater (preferably R.O./D.I. water) to get a saturated solution of limewater, which you can use as evaporation replacement.

The manfacturers of products such as Purple UP, AragaMilk and Liquid Reactor are selling you sand in a bottle. AragaMIGHT is the powdered form (nothing but powdered aragonite sand). It is absolutely amazing to me that they are able to fool so many people with their ridiculous advertising claims.

To make matters more complicated, people who use products such as these, will be fooled by their test kits into thinking that their calcium and alkalinity levels have actually risen. They haven't. The fine powdered aragonite will still be in suspension in the water column (in other words, it will NOT have dissolved), but when you take the water sample to test it, these fine particles will dissolve in low pH reagents, giving a false reading. This is probably why you will read posts by some hobbyists claiming that their magic potion <insert product name> did raise their calcium and alkalinity levels.

To review: CaCO3 as aragonite begins to dissolve at a pH of 7.7 and below. CaCO3 as calcite begins to dissolve at a pH of 7.4 and below. All of these products are powdered calcium carbonate.

[weez1959]

Originally Posted by Ninong

No.


No.


No.


No.

This concludes another edition of easy answers to easy questions.

[FireEater]

Originally Posted by Ninong

It's a suspension of powdered aragonite sand (CaCO3)

Ahhhhh....I should have known that. I completely forgot about it being powdered aragonite.

[trigger happy]

I have been using it for about 3 months and it is working for me. or at least it appears to be working for me.