calcium carbonate particles?

K

kthomas

Premium Member
I've had my calcium reactor (dual chamber) set up for about a month now and I am able to maintain my calcium - 440, alk - 11 dKH, and good mG levels with it set the way it is now. Everything in my tank is extremely happy and growing well, but I have a lot of white "snow" like particles floating. I've read elsewhere that this may be calcium carbonate particles.

Is there any way to get rid of these or is this something that I need to live with?
 
@kthomas wrote:
I've had my calcium reactor (dual chamber) set up for about a month now and I am able to maintain my calcium - 440 said:
I'm not sure if this is the case or not, but if you are getting calcium precipitating into the water column, then you can bump your MG up. This allows you to run higher Ca levels.

The only time you should have particles of calcium is if your running a kalk reactor and the kalk doesn't settle completely... even then, that is not a good thing to have happen.
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Kyle,

If you figure it out let me know. I have the same problem and just about identical params. When I use my baster to blow it off, it looks like I went nuts with the Joe's Juice. :wink: ...but my corals are just going crazy with growth and color.
 
Could it be due to temporary formation of magnesium hydroxide? Mg(OH)2 is very insoluble and I remember taking Randy Holmes-Farley's reef chemistry quiz and I think there was a question on the identity of white precipitate when Kalk is first dripped in and I think it was magnesium hydroxide...

--Ben
 
Guys,

I haven't noticed anything wrong with anything in my tank. My tank is extremely happy and everything is growing well. I am going to check my Mg levels this evening. I have not dripped kalk in about 3-4 weeks, so I don't believe it's a buildup from that.
 
My stats are: ph8.3, Alk 11 dkH, Cal 420, Mg 1300. All of the inhabitants seem to be extremely happy. Fish are very active and acting normally. Corals have great color, good polyp extension and good growth. I don't see much, if any settling on the corals themselves. I have a little shelf on the front of a Calfo style internal overflow that catches "snow" as well as the tops of powerheads, return loc-lines, etc. Most appears to be blowing around in the water column.
 
@bigtex52 wrote:
My stats are: ph8.3 said:
Same here ... you can really only see it if you're sitting there staring at it. It's predominately visable when the moonlights are on or upward towards the lights.
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I have wondered if there is some correlation between the total volume of effluent I am dripping in the tank and the amount of precipitation I am seeing. Currently, in order to maintain my alk and CA, I am putting in 60 DPM of effluent with a pH of 6.5. Also, my Mg seems to drop faster than I think it should which leads me to wonder if maybe it is magnesium hydroxide I am seeing rather than some calcium precipitate. Just thinking out loud a little here.
 
if your mg is low kyle i would try putting some zeomag in your ca reactor it will break down and release into your tank
 
@kuyatwo wrote:
if your mg is low kyle i would try putting some zeomag in your ca reactor it will break down and release into your tank said:
damn ... I should have purchased some from the GB you're hosting.
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