Mixing Live rock+ Live rock Accelerators

[DanMan36]

I recently bought around 30p of base rock and a friend gave some small chunks and i bought some pretty decent live rock (around 3 pounds) and it has star fish on it and feather dusters and a bunch of stuff, so my first question is...How do i get the live stuff to spread ? As for my second ? it's accelerators...I just got some PurpleUp and it's a essential element for coralline algae, and it has lot's of calcium, but is there ahything else ? Thanks guys.

[Ninong]

How do i get the live stuff to spread ?

You don't have to do anything.

As for my second ? it's accelerators...I just got some PurpleUp...

You should have saved your money -- completely unnecessary. This is nothing more than very fine particle aragonite sand mixed with water.

[DanMan36]

You don't have to do anything.

You should have saved your money -- completely unnecessary. This is nothing more than very fine particle aragonite sand mixed with water.

Well the guys that sold me the stuff did say it was for coral, but he also said it would promote good stuff. So is there any other types of Live rock Accelerators ?

[Ninong]

Live rock doesn't need an accelerator. The best thing that you can do for not-so-lively base rock is to put some livlier live rock next it. Nature will take its course.

The guys who sold you this stuff get paid to sell all of the stuff on their shelves, 90% of which you don't need.

[DanMan36]

Well today i bought i calcium tester and im sitting at 400, if i hadn't used the Purpleup i would be at around 300...So i guess i'll update this thread if i start getting sweat coralline algae. p.s i think your Calcium should be at 450, i just raised mine again.....

[Ninong]

Well today i bought i calcium tester and im sitting at 400, if i hadn't used the Purpleup i would be at around 300...So i guess i'll update this thread if i start getting sweat coralline algae.

Wow! You're going to make your local magic potions salesmen very happy. They sure have you bamboozled!

Do you have any idea what you're talking about? Seriously, do you realize that what you're saying makes absolutely no sense whatsoever? No offense, but you have obviously been taken in by the manufacturer's hype for this product.

Do you realize what is in this product? If so, please tell me so that we will all know. I know that the main ingredient is nothing but very fine sand (aragonite sand). And if they are adding anything else, such as iodine and strontium, I would want to know that because I'm not stupid enough to dose toxic elements like iodine and strontium without testing first to see if my water is really deficient in those elements. Both iodine and strontium are toxic in excess. Someone on another board posted that the salesperson told him this product was really great because it also contained iodine and strontium.

Before you add this PurpleUp to your aquarium, you might get the manufacturer to tell you what's in it besides sand. And then you might ask the manufacturer to please explain how adding extremely fine particle aragonite sand has anything to do with raising calcium levels. Aragonite (which is the main ingredient in PurpleUp) doesn't even begin to dissolve until the pH drops below 7.7. If the pH in your tank is below 7.7, then you're in trouble right there.

Aragonite is used in calcium carbonate/carbon dioxide reactors (aka calcium reactors) to raise calcium levels. The way this works is that carbon dioxide is injected into the calcium reactor to lower the pH much lower than 7.7. This causes the aragonite to dissolve. This is a GOOD idea. Dumping fine particle aragonite sand into your aquarium in the form of PurpleUp is a DUMB idea. It's a joke the manufacturer is putting over on gullible hobbyists who are clueless and willing to believe whatever they are told.

Never add anything to your tank unless you know exactly what it is and exactly how it's supposed to work. If you follow that rule, you will save a lot of money.

[Ninong]

Here's the contact information for the manufacturer of PurpleUp:

Betsey Moore
3501 Industrial 27th Street
Fort Pierce FL United States 34946
Betsey@carib.sea.com
772-461-1113


Go ahead, send Betsey Moore an email and ask her to give you a list of the ingredients in PurpleUp. Ask her to explain how adding aragonite to your aquarium will raise your calcium.

Good luck with that!

Below is the description of the product that I found on a vendor's website. Note that they claim the fine particle aragonite sand will dissolve in situ, delivering calcium, strontium, magnesium and carbonate right where it is needed. This is an absurd claim. It won't even begin to dissolve until the pH drops below 7.7, which is why it dissolves in calcium reactors that are injected with CO2. Note that they also claim the product includes ionic calcium. If you want to add ionic calcium, you can do it a lot cheaper with one of the two-part products or one of the calcium chloride products specifically sold for boosting calcium. From the description below, it appears that the basis for the claim of strontium and magnesium is probably just that it's in the aragonite sand. Of course it is, that's why aragonite is used as media in calcium reactors.

In any event, this product is the biggest bunch of magic potion hype I have ever seen. Coralline algae will form in any reef tank as long as there are coralline algae spores somewhere in the system. You don't need to dump tiny (10 micron) particles of aragonite sand on top of your live rock to encourage the coralline algae to form. In fact, it will form all over the place, including the glass walls of your aquarium.

However, if I was in the business of selling sand by the ton, I think it would be a great idea to grind up some of it and put it in a tiny bottle and sell it for lots of money. Yeah, that sounds like a winner to me.

Description Pet Product News Editor`s Choice Awards Winner as One of the Best New Products of 2005

Purple Up has a unique dual method approach to coralline algae acceleration:

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.

Features:

• Iodine Replenishment: PurpleUp replenishes iodine, an essential element for coralline algae tissues that quickly becomes depleted in closed systems.
• Easy to use. One bottle of Purple Up replaces the typical multi-product recipe for successful coralline algae growth favored by advanced aquarists.
• Contains Super Sea Calcium, a natural calcium derived from pristine tropical oceans.
• Treats up to 4730 gallons.

Instructions:
Shake well before use. Add 1 capful (5ml) per 50 gallons, no more than once daily. Place in the sump, near a powerhead outlet or any high flow area of the system for rapid dispersal. Some temporary cloudiness will appear. Check calcium levels regularly, adjust dosage to maintain calcium levels between 380 ppm and 420 ppm.

Do not exceed 420 ppm on a regular basis or significant precipitation will occur.

Important!! Wait at least one hour after using this product to test calcium levels or erroneously high calcium levels may be indicated.

P.S. -- Haha! Check out their "warning" that exceeding 420 ppm Ca on a regular basis will result in "significant precipitation." What a joke! You aren't going to get precipitation unless your Ca gets well above 500 ppm. I kept my calcium levels ~475 ppm with no precipitation whatsoever. NSW concentration of Ca is ~411 ppm but most reef hobbyists prefer to maintain calcium at levels slightly higher than NSW.

I love this line: "Contains Super Sea Calcium, a natural calcium derived from pristine tropical oceans." What a great bunch of advertising hype! I love it!

All of their aragonite sand comes from the same place in the Bahamas where it is mined by Marcona Ocean Industries. I guess that counts as "Super Sea Calcium" from "pristine tropical oceans."

Marcona Ocean Industries
20 Avenue M
Fort Pierce, FL 34952
561-464-1836

[DanMan36]

(Commercial post deleted.)

[Ninong]

DanMan36,

What exactly is the purpose of posting copy from Leroy and Sally Jo Headlee's site?

What does that have to do with PurpleUp?

How exactly are you "accelerating" the growth of coralline algae with PurpleUp?

There are no algal spores in PurpleUp. The coralline algae is introduced to your tank on live rock. You can also introduce it by taking scrapings of coralline algae from another hobbyist's reef tank.

PurpleUp is not a good way to increase the calcium levels in your aquarium. It's main ingredient is aragonite sand. It is a joke.



P.S. -- I deleted your post above because it was nothing but a cut and paste job from a commercial site with links to that site and it had absolutely nothing to do with the product you asked about, PurpleUp.

I left your post up for 24 hours waiting to see if you would respond but at this point I'm not sure if your purpose in opening this thread was to ask for advice or to push someone's products. If you are sincerely interested in seeking advice from fellow reef aquarum hobbyists, I think your motives would be less suspect if you didn't use a phony location in your profile. In case you haven't heard, we can resolve your IP address to your exact location.

[Ninong]

Well the guys that sold me the stuff did say it was for coral, but he also said it would promote good stuff. So is there any other types of Live rock Accelerators ?

Where exactly did you purchase the PurpleUp?

[zhenya]

Aside from pretty dubious claims of coralline algae being extremely beneficial, I think copying and posting someone elses advertising hype is not allowed in the forums. I can see posting a passage or two, but posting an entire ad is just plain advertising for GARF.

In my honest opinion, and I am talking from experience here, coralline algae can be quite detrimental to the health of your live rock by smothering all of the living organisms that live inside the rock. Some here and there is OK but having all of the rock covered in coralline I think reduces biological filtration capabilities of the rock. Dr.Shimek describes what is good and what is pretty useless rock in this article

[Poseidon]

Don't sweat the coralline, it will grow! Oh, and the next time you want to spend $20 on a suspect product, let me know, I'll send you my address! ;)

You would be much much better off buying a balanced 2 part additive, like Tech C & B or similar products by SeaChem that raise Alk and Ca levels independently. You can also make DIY products using commonly available Baking Soda and Calcium Chloride, here is a link:

An Improved Do-it-Yourself Two-Part Calcium and Alkalinity Supplement System by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

I used these until I was able to get my Ca Reactor back online.

[Bigred0942]

I bought Purple-up because my LFS suggested I use it. I followed the directions and added it to my tank every day for a little more then two months. And guess what happend???? Jack S**t. I test my water every single day for everything, and nothing changed until I used seachem calcium plus. Purple-up I think doesnt work.

[zhenya]

Here's what my tank looked like without adding any purple up or anything else "specifically designed" for growing it. I don;t know about you all but I hated it.


Spending hours scraping this nonsense off the glass is no fun at all.

[dibenni]

I also have never added any chemicals to my tank designed to promote coraline growth - and after six months or so I couldn't keep it off the glass!

But something Ninong said got me curious - "You can also introduce it by taking scrapings of coralline algae from another hobbyist's reef tank."

I scrape it off the glass of my tank because I like the look of a deep blue background to really bring out the color of the tank. But I have also had trouble with high calcium levels the past couple months (450 -500) without having to add any supplements.

I am pretty new to this - so I am wondering if craping the coraline off the glass and back into the water is raising my calcium levels. Should I stop doing this and live with the coraline on the back of my tank?

Thanks,

Nick

[Ninong]

But I have also had trouble with high calcium levels the past couple months (450 -500)...

This is not "trouble." Ca 450-500 ppm is definitely not a problem unless it causes your alkalinity to fall below normal.

I am wondering if craping the coraline off the glass and back into the water is raising my calcium levels.

No.

Should I stop doing this and live with the coraline on the back of my tank?

No.

[dibenni]

Thanks Ninong. I know that you said you keep yours around 475 so that made me feel better about mine being "high" (or so I thought). Everything else is fine (including alkalinity) and my tank has finally after a little over a year and a half gotten to a point where I am very happy with it. Now I have to convince my wife to move because my 55 has the perfect spot in my family room - so before I can upgrade I need a bigger house.

Why is it that all the test kits say that you should target 400 -450?

[Ninong]

Why is it that all the test kits say that you should target 400 -450?

Because that's a good target range.

Many reefkeeping hobbyists prefer to maintain both calcium and alkalinity above natural seawater levels of 411 ppm Ca and 2.5 meq/l (7 dKH) alkalinity. Most books will recommend alkalinity between 8-10 dKH and calcium between 425-450 ppm. That would be just slightly above natural seawater levels. Other hobbyists prefer to go a little higher than that. To each his own.

[DanMan36]

Here's what my tank looked like without adding any purple up or anything else "specifically designed" for growing it. I don;t know about you all but I hated it.


Spending hours scraping this nonsense off the glass is no fun at all.

Wow, that tank looks horrible like that....And NO thats not the look im going for.

[DanMan36]

(Commercial post deleted.)

lol, I honestly didn't even realize Betsey Moore had made that article... But ya i do find that kinda ironic, and i have lost a lil faith in the secret sauce, but it has raised my Calcium to where it should be...And i will use it (when needed) untill the bottle is empty and after that i will consider a different product.