Ice Melt Experiment

[quagmire]

I will run this tank for a few months with no water changes, carbon, gfo, or protein skimmer, top off water only using hardware store bought DIY additives. I'll use C-Force ice melt first as the calcium supplement and if i have enough patience i'll empty it out and start over using Prestone ice melt. I may add some lps and soft corals and change the filter from hang on to submersible because of the splashing.

 

[MIKE NY]

I'm curious to see the results....I've been using Magflake for years w/o any issues, but for cal it is either BRS or a named brand cal suppliment like Kent Turbo cal.

 

[quagmire]

Me too Mike. I do have doubts about the purity and long term affects of c-force ice melt but thought it would be fun to experiment with it. Can't go wrong with brs. I use brs lime and calcium chloride 99% of the time. Also use mag flake and pharmacy epsome salt mix for mg and cooked baking soda for my alkalinity solution. I won't be satisfied until i find a cheap reliable local source for calcium chloride and lime.

 

[quagmire]

Test 1

Test 1

Putting an end to the c-force experiment before it gets started.
No way i'm putting that in my tank. Going straight to prestone.

Prestone --------------------------------------vs---------------------------------------------- C-force

 

[Breadman03]

Putting an end to the c-force experiment before it gets started.
No way i'm putting that in my tank. Going straight to prestone.

Prestone --------------------------------------vs---------------------------------------------- C-force

The c-force is still cleaner than my tap water! :furious:

 

[quagmire]

:lmao:

 

[Breadman03]

BRS 5 stage. The sediment filter only makes about 200 gallons of RO before it is clogged. I've got an old RO unit I might plumb in just to make a few stages of micron ratings.

In reality, I'd like to fill up a few bottles of tap and send it to the EPA.

 

[quagmire]

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully you will get some new filters as a holiday gift this year. Good luck to you.

 

[Breadman03]

5 gallon bucket, from the kitchen sink.

Somehow, I doubt this meets EPA standards.

 

[MIKE NY]

WOW...I have family and friends who live in Buck and Pike counties and their water is alot cleaner than here on the Island....do they really expect people to drink that....where is Erin Brockovich?

 

[Breadman03]

I'm from Bucks originally, right next to Quakertown. Where's your family?

Filling up a white bucket is how I convinced my wife to go for a RO unit.

I just sent the Penn State University lab an email asking about independent testing of the water for "everything" since they do residential testing. I figure the water company would have a difficult time discrediting the results of a state university compared to a local testing facility.

Can I get a picture of the Prestone label, as I'm probably going to end up taking this route when I start dosing.

 

[quagmire]

 

[quagmire]

1 month update: concentration test

I did this test last month so please bare with the lack of details. I made 1gl of BRS calcium chloride solution and 1gl of prestone ice melt solution(2.5 cups calcium chloride per 1 gallon of ro/di water). I added a equal amount of each solution to two seperate buckets containing 1.5 gallons of ro/di water. The brs measured 180ppm and the ice melt measured 240ppm. It appears that the ice melt is a stronger concentration.
I've only had to dose the tank once so far. All corals seem to be fine. Getting a little coraline growth on the rack. I added a near death dendro and a mexican turbo snail because the tank was getting furry.

 

[quagmire]

2 month update

2 month update

Temporary additions - Clam for 2 weeks
New additions - acro, blasto, frogspawn
Removed - 1 montipora
Current corals -
2x acro
2x birdsnest
2x monti
1x porites
1x blasto
1x Euphyllia
1x dendro

 

[quagmire]

3rd and final update

Its been 3 months using prestone ice melt as a calcium suppliment. I used the same recipe that brs suggests using for their product. The concentration is stronger using ice melt so i dosed less. Had no casualties and saw growth on most of the corals but did have a couple that browned out too. I attribute that to the lighting, 9 watt led clip on. One of the two that browned out is also one of those that showed the most growth. Brown and ugly but still growing. It will be fun to watch it transform back again after putting it in the display. I fed the tank several times this past month by grinding up some flake food. I don't feed the corals in my display so i didn't have anything that you might normally use to feed corals. The water is now greener than ever and the snail thats been in there for the ride is now bigger as well. That snail has done an outstanding job by the way. Props to you my bloated buddy.
This experiment should really be carried out by someone who knows what the !**! they're doing but i don't see too many volunteers so this will have to do. Glad it's coming to an end, I'm sick of looking at it. I purposely turned a cute little tank into a swamp and dumped ice melt in it for 3 months without killing anything. Works for me, I'll use it.
If anyone is interested in trying for themselves, do so at your own risk. I guarantee nothing.

DIYers po4 media test coming up next.