Purple Up
- Thread starter jakesgvr4
- Start date
babyblues71
New member
There's so many opinions on this stuff it's not even funny. Some experts and long-time reef owners say it's snake oil, but is that due to it really being as such or because they just don't want to try a different way because what they're doing is working? Then others, having not tried the more advanced methods, either try it and love it, swearing by it, or try it and not see the results that they want. So, what I can do is tell you what I have learned, both by reading and trial/error.
Pros:
For me, I have noticed an increase in coralline. And I even dose Kalkwasser in addition to it. But is this because of the supposed magnesium in it? Doubtful if the magnesium comes from a source of crushed aragonite, since that, from my understanding takes a while to dissolve in saltwater. Or is it because of the "flash" liquid calcium source that it also has in it (Listed as ionic calcium)? I honestly don't know.
Cons:
Part of its contents (The non-sea calcium/crushed aragonite part of it) is listed as ionic calcium. I still don't have a definitive answer what this is. If it's Calcium chloride, then that will eventually cause a loss of alkalinity and, in the long run, present the tank with a potentially lethal dose of chlorine. (See the following link
http://www.aquariacentral.com/articles/calcium.shtml
However, if it's Polygluconate Calcium:
I have found several mentions on the web that, for some reason, coralline species seem to love this type of calcium. But, it has also been mentioned "by some" that this form of calcium (Form of sugar?) can cause fuel for some types of algaes or potentially some forms of bacteria. I actually have a small patch of cyano that developed in the back of my tank--but what exactly is causing this hasn't been narrowed down yet. My coralline is great, my corals are doing great, and that's the only area where I have a little cyano--but due to the purple-up? Not sure. I did find on the Internet that iodine is something cyanobacteria really likes, and if that's also what purple-up has in it, perhaps there's a reason for my small cyano outbreak.....
Here's a brief statement....
"For more than two billion years there was no oxygen in the atmosphere until a new kind of bacteria, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), began producing oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Cyanobacteria also developed an affinity for iodine. The most likely reason is that these organisms used iodine as an antioxidant to protect themselves against the free radicals that oxygen breeds (superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radical)."
Found on...
http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller20.html
So, I think the jury is still out on this one.....
Another interesting note is that Magnesium seems to work hand in hand with Calcium levels. Since dosing kalkwasser doesn't seem to help with magnesium levels, perhaps a mix of Kalkwasser and purple-up (It'd have to be very low levels of Purple-up since it also has a quick-fix ionic calcium in it) might help to balance things out. Just out of curiosity, what would happen to RO water if mixed with purple up and used as a top off or, better yet, RO water mixed with kalkwasser "and" purple up? Sounds like a great experiment, but one I'm unwilling to try since the dosages would have to be pre-determined by an expert. I do know that it has been shown that aragonite crystals can help to remineralize RO water somewhat, so I'm pretty sure I know what would happen with "some" of Purple-up's ingredients, but what effects polygluconate (If that's the other ingredient in Purple up) calcium can have on RO water is unknown to me....
So....the jury is still out.......
Anyway, I know this doesn't exactly help to answer your question. All I know is that it does seem to have some advantages, but also some "potential" (Neither proven nor disproven right now for the bottle of purple-up "as a whole") disadvantages. If someone is willing to experiement with some mini tanks in a side-by-side comparison, same setups, and even trying purple-up as RO and/or RO/Kalk additions, that might help to prove or disprove the issues, but until then.....it's up to you to decide whether you want to give it a go...
Brent
Pros:
For me, I have noticed an increase in coralline. And I even dose Kalkwasser in addition to it. But is this because of the supposed magnesium in it? Doubtful if the magnesium comes from a source of crushed aragonite, since that, from my understanding takes a while to dissolve in saltwater. Or is it because of the "flash" liquid calcium source that it also has in it (Listed as ionic calcium)? I honestly don't know.
Cons:
Part of its contents (The non-sea calcium/crushed aragonite part of it) is listed as ionic calcium. I still don't have a definitive answer what this is. If it's Calcium chloride, then that will eventually cause a loss of alkalinity and, in the long run, present the tank with a potentially lethal dose of chlorine. (See the following link
http://www.aquariacentral.com/articles/calcium.shtml
However, if it's Polygluconate Calcium:
I have found several mentions on the web that, for some reason, coralline species seem to love this type of calcium. But, it has also been mentioned "by some" that this form of calcium (Form of sugar?) can cause fuel for some types of algaes or potentially some forms of bacteria. I actually have a small patch of cyano that developed in the back of my tank--but what exactly is causing this hasn't been narrowed down yet. My coralline is great, my corals are doing great, and that's the only area where I have a little cyano--but due to the purple-up? Not sure. I did find on the Internet that iodine is something cyanobacteria really likes, and if that's also what purple-up has in it, perhaps there's a reason for my small cyano outbreak.....
Here's a brief statement....
"For more than two billion years there was no oxygen in the atmosphere until a new kind of bacteria, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), began producing oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Cyanobacteria also developed an affinity for iodine. The most likely reason is that these organisms used iodine as an antioxidant to protect themselves against the free radicals that oxygen breeds (superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radical)."
Found on...
http://www.lewrockwell.com/miller/miller20.html
So, I think the jury is still out on this one.....
Another interesting note is that Magnesium seems to work hand in hand with Calcium levels. Since dosing kalkwasser doesn't seem to help with magnesium levels, perhaps a mix of Kalkwasser and purple-up (It'd have to be very low levels of Purple-up since it also has a quick-fix ionic calcium in it) might help to balance things out. Just out of curiosity, what would happen to RO water if mixed with purple up and used as a top off or, better yet, RO water mixed with kalkwasser "and" purple up? Sounds like a great experiment, but one I'm unwilling to try since the dosages would have to be pre-determined by an expert. I do know that it has been shown that aragonite crystals can help to remineralize RO water somewhat, so I'm pretty sure I know what would happen with "some" of Purple-up's ingredients, but what effects polygluconate (If that's the other ingredient in Purple up) calcium can have on RO water is unknown to me....
So....the jury is still out.......
Anyway, I know this doesn't exactly help to answer your question. All I know is that it does seem to have some advantages, but also some "potential" (Neither proven nor disproven right now for the bottle of purple-up "as a whole") disadvantages. If someone is willing to experiement with some mini tanks in a side-by-side comparison, same setups, and even trying purple-up as RO and/or RO/Kalk additions, that might help to prove or disprove the issues, but until then.....it's up to you to decide whether you want to give it a go...
Brent
If you post in the chemistry forum you will get a chemist's point of view on purple up. It has been discussed there before.
skimmerman100
In Memoriam
that stuff is great. i use it. my son emptied a whole bottle of that in my tank and nothing died. it does encourages growth of coraline. the LFS uses it too and they're #1 in nj.
