KZ Coral Snow = Chalk?

[jedimasterben]

Never thought about that. I am running a lot of flow in my tank. So maybe it would precipitate out if I didn't have as much flow.


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I used my Gyre 150 in my BB 40 breeder and even it wasn't enough to keep stuff from settling under the rocks until I lifted them up off the starboard using some very tiny rocks, so they had roughly an inch or so under them, then it was much better

 

[Reefer PT]

I have 2 mp40's on either end of the tank plus 2 rw20's on the back wall aimed at the bottoms of my "rock islands" I could create a hurricane if I wanted[emoji16]


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[jedimasterben]

I have 2 mp40's on either end of the tank plus 2 rw20's on the back wall aimed at the bottoms of my "rock islands" I could create a hurricane if I wanted[emoji16]


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LOL, I think that should do the trick! Maybe when dosing turn the RW20 up just a fuzz to keep stuff moving away from the bottom. Also turn the MP40 to NTM

 

[jason2459]

I've got some flow going on too.

Two xf150/250's at 100% working together to churn plus around 1400gph from my return pump.

 

[2smokes]

First of all ,all the korallen zucht products have secret retepy so nobody knows for sure if Coral snow is CaOH or CaCO3.The guy that sayd it could be clay might also be right.To find out what Coral snow is made of you should test that with a mass spectometer(not toy spectrocolorimeter we use in the hobby).Kalk, CaOH is best known phosphate binder in saltwater beating even the GFO(floculant if you want to call it that way because thoose floating matter are mostly made of phosphate and calcium).We all know that GFO binds phosphate verry well but the GFO is made for treating fresh water with a lower ph than 7 while the kalk works better than GFO if the if the ph is above.Dicalcium phosphate is made like this using kalk H3PO4 + Ca(OH)2 → CaHPO4 creating a sediment stone thats called monetite wich is made by thoose floating detritus that is your problem in the aquarium.With kalk you can do a lot of things in a reef aquarium like killing aiptasia or any nuisance coral,maintaining propper level of Ca and alk,bonding phosphates...

 

[jedimasterben]

First of all ,all the korallen zucht products have secret retepy so nobody knows for sure if Coral snow is CaOH or CaCO3.The guy that sayd it could be clay might also be right.To find out what Coral snow is made of you should test that with a mass spectometer(not toy spectrocolorimeter we use in the hobby).Kalk, CaOH is best known phosphate binder in saltwater beating even the GFO(floculant if you want to call it that way because thoose floating matter are mostly made of phosphate and calcium).We all know that GFO binds phosphate verry well but the GFO is made for treating fresh water with a lower ph than 7 while the kalk works better than GFO if the if the ph is above.Dicalcium phosphate is made like this using kalk H3PO4 + Ca(OH)2 → CaHPO4 creating a sediment stone thats called monetite wich is made by thoose floating detritus that is your problem in the aquarium.With kalk you can do a lot of things in a reef aquarium like killing aiptasia or any nuisance coral,maintaining propper level of Ca and alk,bonding phosphates...

Uh, actually, literally every person that has ever used thid particular KZ product would know immediately if they were dosing CaCO3 or CaOH, as if it were CaOH and they dosed the recommended amount, there would be an immediate change in pH (which there isn't), there would be a noticeable increase in the tank's calcium and alkalinity (which there isn't), and there wouldn't really be any clouding effect (which there is).

And no, kalkwasser is not the best phosphate removal tool that reefers have, lanthanum chloride beats it out handily without any significant caveats like there would be if you dosed enough to do the same job.

 

[bertoni]

I doubt that the KZ product contains Kalk. Kalk would raise the pH, and might cause calcium carbonate precipitation. Precipitating phosphate won't make the water clearer, nor is there much evidence that Kalk will cause such precipitation. I agree that calcium carbonate can act as a flocculant, although we don't know what's in the KZ product. Calcium carbonate will fizz when vinegar is added, and most clays likely won't, which might help as a first-order check.

Interestingly, the calcium carbonate product might adsorb phosphate along with causing some calcium carbonate precipitation. I think people have noticed this effect, anyway, although I have forgotten any numbers.

 

[jason2459]

In fact, very first post shows kz coral snow dissolves in acetic acid as would CaCO3.

I was wondering what KZ Coral Snow is made of. It seems that it is pure natural chalk and water. I've made few simple tests and I'm pretty sure that it is chalk - it vigorously dissolves in acetic acid without residue, and after dehydration it looks exactly like chalk. I have natural chalk in hand and it is hard to find difference when compare with dehydrated Coral Snow. You can judge by yourself - on the picture attached - left is natural chalk and right is dehydrated Coral Snow, the stone is chalk.
Since chalk is almost pure calcite - Calcium carbonate with traces of Magnesium carbonate, silicates, ferric oxides,inorganic phosphates etc, I decide to give a try to pure calcium carbonate (analytical grade) instead Coral Snow - and it works like charm - it has the same effect, and I'm sure that there is no unwanted impurities like phosphates, silicates and ferric salts. The pure calcium carbonate is bright white, while chalk and Coral Snow have yellowish color, because of other salts.
I really like Coral snow because is helps a lot especially when new corals are added into the tank - the chalk reduces the mucus secretion from one side and coagulate organic compounds make them easily removed by skimmer or consumed by bacteria.
There are about 4 grams chalk in 10 ml of CoralSnow.

And a few posts after that giving a bit more info

Could you please provide some arguments? I don't think it is a clay because the clay is hydrous aluminium phyllosilicate with various alkaline metals. Both aluminium oxides and silicates do not react with acetic acid, but CoralSnow dissolves completely with no residue even in 5% acetic acid, exactly like calcium carbonate.

 

[jason2459]

And further information. Clacium hydroxide has a pH of around 12.

Did't compare it with Milk of Magnesia, but since Milk of Magnesia is Magnesium hydroxide with pH 10.35 I don't think this is the case, because I've measured the pH of CoraLSnow and it was 9 something (I have to check).

 

[jason2459]

...not toy spectrocolorimeter we use in the hobby)....

No spectometers were used.


FYI, biom who started this thread works at a laboratory.

 

[bertoni]

I agree that the KZ product might be calcium carbonate, and probably is, but we'd need to use some lab equipment to be sure.

 

[2smokes]

To be sure what it contains ,needs checked with a mass spectrometer.Looks like this and i doubt its used in the hobby by even most fanatic chemist reefer.

In the hobby we rely more on assumptions and on tools that look like this toy.

 

[jason2459]

I agree that the KZ product might be calcium carbonate, and probably is, but we'd need to use some lab equipment to be sure.

But it's certainly not Ca(OH)2 which is what I guess I was highlighting as it was questioned that it could be.

 

[Reefer PT]

2smokes, what exactly is your point? Don't use kz products because we don't know exactly what's in them? If that's it, well we know what's in 97% pure calcium carbonate. And people here have been arguing that it has good effect on water clarity. No one claims it's a phosphate binder, no one claims it's a food. No one claims it's a buffer, alkalinity or calcium additive.


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[rtparty]

2smokes, what exactly is your point? Don't use kz products because we don't know exactly what's in them? If that's it, well we know what's in 97% pure calcium carbonate. And people here have been arguing that it has good effect on water clarity. No one claims it's a phosphate binder, no one claims it's a food. No one claims it's a buffer, alkalinity or calcium additive.


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Sadly, he has no point. Most posts are him just trying to argue for the sake of arguing. Even when people back up their posts, he says they're wrong

 

[bertoni]

But it's certainly not Ca(OH)2 which is what I guess I was highlighting as it was questioned that it could be.

Yes, I agree. It's not Kalk.

 

[EvMiBo]

1/8 tsp to 100 mL rodi,
then 5mL/25g, correct?

 

[jedimasterben]

1/8 tsp to 100 mL rodi,
then 5mL/25g, correct?

Doesn't particularly matter. Just an estimate will do the job?

 

[jason2459]

1/8 tsp to 100 mL rodi,
then 5mL/25g, correct?

I'm not sure exact amounts mater to much like jedimasterben mentioned.

I used this recommendation someone gave me and marked off that water bottle I posted earlier just to maintain consistency.

230 ml RODI and 20 ml calcium crbonate. Mix it up but it won't disolve. Add 1 ml per 20 gal of the solution you just made

 

[EvMiBo]

Alright great thanks