Suitable for calcium supplement?
- Thread starter Bilk
- Start date
Sorry, we cannot tell if it is adequately pure or not. It may be fine.
Bilk
New member
The info in the MSDS doesn't provide enough information to make that determination?
disc1
-RT * ln(k)
MSDS are designed to tell you what you need to know to keep humans safe. They're not really worried about what would happen in a fish tank. They're not going to have in there anything about trace impurities or anything like that unless it creates a health risk to humans working with the product.
I think you need info like this - click on specs - not MSDS
Looks a bit expensive, but eh .... the corals in my tank cost a lot more
As you can see, lots of "stuf" which could get toxic.
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To determine that Dowflake was OK to use, I did significant (not DIY) testing of it and compared it to several hobby brands at the time, which I show here:
Purity of Calcium Chloride
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2004/chem.htm
Purity of Calcium Chloride
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/mar2004/chem.htm
At least back when I did the study (and all I tested is in the study), folks were able to show that Prestone Driveway Heat was sourced by Dow (by the MSDS, I think). Whether that or any other products now are, or whether other suppliers have come, I do not know. Also, Dow is now leaving more bromide in the product. That is probabyl OK, but it shows how products change over time and such changes certainly wouldn't always be be communicated to deicer or pool customers.
Bilk
New member
Thanks for the reply Randy. Have yet to set up my CA reactor, so I was looking for something suitable and convenient. I'll look for another option until I get the opportunity to work with the reactor. I'm sure that will present it's own issues
:thumbsup:
Good luck.
Good luck.
dkeller_nc
New member
I'm curious as to why you'd want to take a chance on the product you mentioned. While there's nothing particularly inexpensive about reef-keeping, it seems to me that purchasing calcium chloride and sodium bicarbonate from a reliable supplier like BRS is extremely cheap. For example, a 5 gallon pail of Calcium Chloride is about $85. Given a density of 1.8 g/cm3 for calcium chloride dihydrate, that works out to be 80 pounds of calcium chloride, or about 25 pounds of Calcium as an ion.
That's a boatload of calcium; if you had a 200 gallon system volume, and your tank consumed calcium at the rate of 20 ppm per day, I calculate that you'd use roughly half of that 5 gallon pail in a year. My guess is that a 200 gallon reef tank would use about that much money in just electricity every couple of months.
Given that BRS and other suppliers do apparently use analyzed bulk pharmaceutical chemicals for their products, I'd personally much rather pay a small pittance in extra $ rather than use a technical-grade product that may or may not be consistently low in contaminants from lot-to-lot.
That's a boatload of calcium; if you had a 200 gallon system volume, and your tank consumed calcium at the rate of 20 ppm per day, I calculate that you'd use roughly half of that 5 gallon pail in a year. My guess is that a 200 gallon reef tank would use about that much money in just electricity every couple of months.
Given that BRS and other suppliers do apparently use analyzed bulk pharmaceutical chemicals for their products, I'd personally much rather pay a small pittance in extra $ rather than use a technical-grade product that may or may not be consistently low in contaminants from lot-to-lot.
Bilk
New member
You're correct on all counts. I asked a question and got a few meaningful answers
dkeller_nc
New member
You're correct on all counts. I asked a question and got a few meaningful answers
Please don't take offense, I wasn't picking on you, just genuinely curious.
Bilk
New member
Please don't take offense, I wasn't picking on you, just genuinely curious.
No offense taken
I order a lot of stuff from Amazon. Prime free shipping is the reason Search there and came across the product I posted. I ended up ordering this. Have been using ESV 2 part, but I don't like the quantity and how they ship. They send a premixed concentrate in gallon containers. I'd just rather have a larger quantity stored in dry form and mix as I need it.
dkeller_nc
New member
Oops. I guess I should've mentioned my experience with the Seachem "advantage" products. I used Reef Builder and Reef Advantage Calcium for a couple of months in what I'd characterize as "medium Ca/Alk demand" tanks.
When I tested magnesium levels after those 2 months, I found 2100 ppm in one tank and 2300 ppm in another. That's partly my fault, of course, for not being more diligent about Mg testing and not fully reading the labels for what the products contain.
That said, I personally prefer to use only single-component chemicals (except for salt mix, of course).
When I tested magnesium levels after those 2 months, I found 2100 ppm in one tank and 2300 ppm in another. That's partly my fault, of course, for not being more diligent about Mg testing and not fully reading the labels for what the products contain.
That said, I personally prefer to use only single-component chemicals (except for salt mix, of course).
So is the Bromide going to be an issue with the newer Dow Flake or not that big of a deal ???
Assuming you do normal water changes, it does not seem to be a concern. If you do little or no water changes, I'd look for something else.
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