@ all
Ok, let me say something.
I have the same opinion that a lot of trace element products are wasted money, because the best way is to make often water changes with a high quality seasalt and offer proper Ca and Alk-levels. That's the fact. Because to add trace supplements without testing the water could be dangerous - especially the metal elements (Mn, Co, Cu, Ni etc.)
But there are some products wich might be usefull.
To increase calcium and carbonat in a middle sized or big tank with SPS corals, it is impossible to increase it with Purple Up.
You should take a calciumreactor or use ionic calcium products.
But the usage of the ionic calcium products expects a lot of experience and chemical knowledge from the user.
So Purple Up is much easier to use, because it contains only natural calciumcarbonat in the form of soluble aragonit, wich is mostly soluble at night. It works a little bit like a DSB or a natural calciumreactor in your tank.
In my opinion it is recommanded better for smaller tanks (smaller than 300 litres) or tanks with softcorals and without heavy skimming.
And this is exact the problem of Purple Up.
Most of the users, who tested the Purple Up in a "Berliner System Aquarium", reduced their concentration of aragonit by the skimmer before its solution. So they didn't see any positive effects of increasing calcium.
The concept behind Purple Up is to offer these typical calcium sediments of the natural reef, wich is easy to use by a lot of reef organizms. And these sediments are soluble by the time, especially at night, when the pH-concentration becomes low.
The Purple Up has following idea. It is very fine sized calciumcarbonat wich goes after dosing to the surface of the live-rock and the livesand in your tank. There (on that surface) the pH-level is lower because of the filter-bacterias (they produce CO2 and other acids), wich lives there. So the aragonit is soluble there.
The positive effect is a little bit another than with ionic calcium dosing.
For increasing the Ca-level very fast iin a big tank it isn't possible with Purple Up. But to hold the level it is possible and more softer way for the corals than with the often aggressiv calciumchlorid and natriumhydrogencarbonat.
The Purple Up is like a natural liquid calciumreactor.
My corals loves the dosing of Purple Up and especially the red corallin algae (Halimeda) becomes more and more.
After the dosing Purple Up my SPS corals look great. So I dose it sometimes together with the ionic calcium methods.
I use Purple Up to stabilize the Ca- and Alk-Levels between the time of dosing the other main ionic calcium products.
The result is a constant calcium-level at everytime and a very stabil pH.
And I use it to offer my animals in tank these "typical reef sediments", wich are used by a lot of fan worms, clams, snails and especially corallin algae. It speeds up the growing of Halimedas rapidly.
I have an DSB-System combined with a Berliner-System, but my skimmer is 4-5 hours off at night (because I dose other products like oyster eggs, aminos and phyto at night and to have better calcification-rates)
So it's not a must to use Purple Up, but Purple Up simulates with these calcium-sediments a part of the "natural reef system".
Because of some positive effects and to simulate the typical calcium-sediments of reef habitats, Purple Up became very popular in Germany.
Sudad
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