would Desicant grade anhydrous calcium chloride be okay to use to dose calcium?

[mudskipper1]

what the title said...

 

[layer3switchguy]

It's food grade, so I would think its fine? Having said that, I'm not a chemistry expert.

 

[bertoni]

Maybe. It's likely safe, but it takes a lot of expensive testing to be sure.

 

[mudskipper1]

testing that I could probably have done for free, since i work in a small analytical chemistry lab, and that is where the Calcium Chloride is from. They have a small SW tank, but ironically enough...they can never seem to keep their params in check...

 

[bertoni]

Well, then, I'm jealous. I would test for copper and zinc, at the least. What kind of tests can you run, and what are the detection limits? I am not a chemist, so I can't help much in this area, though.

 

[franklypre]

I use pool calcium, don't know if that helps but 15$ last a very very long time.

 

[mudskipper1]

My mom runs both an ICP and an ICP-MS (Mass Spectrometer) with both fresh and sw samples. So she can test for pretty much any element. It isn't likely i will actually use the stuff i guess, but i was just curious what grade is commonly used. The ICP-MS can actually detect down to the ppt (parts per trillion...yes with a t) although realistically, not being in a clean room, that doesn't particularly mean much, but definitely low enough for these needs...I think it would be really cool to test a bunch of salt mixes, I know there have been studies done on that already though.

 

[bertoni]

Okay, if you want to do some reading, you could look at these articles as a starting point:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2003/feature.htm
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/rhf/feature/index.php

They cover a few trace elements and some possible issues with them, which might be useful.

I guess I'd add lead and aluminum to the list, if that's not too much, but lots of elements can be toxic.

 

[mudskipper1]

yea, it seems like everything has something in it that could be harmful...I will propose the idea to my mom, but it will only happen if she has a slow day or something like that. I will let you know if i find out anything. Thanks for the very interesting reads.

 

[bertoni]

You're welcome! Have fun!