Aragonite Sand And Phosphate Adsorption

[Garf]

Very interesting!

Another interesting observation is that the sand had clumped under the dosing line from the Kalkwasser. I noticed this before, so moved the dosing line. Once again clumped under the dosing line, which was surprising considering the flow was quite vigorous. I’m guessing the circumstance at that point were ideal for precipitation. I tried to recover the clumps but my wife is highly efficient and getting rid of rubbish. My guess is that this precipitation is high in phosphate. No problem, I can induce this precipitation with a bag of sand, I reckon.

 

[Dan_P]

Another interesting observation is that the sand had clumped under the dosing line from the Kalkwasser. I noticed this before, so moved the dosing line. Once again clumped under the dosing line, which was surprising considering the flow was quite vigorous. I’m guessing the circumstance at that point were ideal for precipitation. I tried to recover the clumps but my wife is highly efficient and getting rid of rubbish. My guess is that this precipitation is high in phosphate. No problem, I can induce this precipitation with a bag of sand, I reckon.

My dad used to kid about my mother’s efficiency with the story that whenever he got up to pee at night, the bed would be made by the time he got back

 

[Garf]

My dad used to kid about my mother’s efficiency with the story that whenever he got up to pee at night, the bed would be made by the time he got back

Sunrise;
Bubbly thing active, 8.37pH

 

[Garf]

Think I’m gonna get a Hanna, which one do folks suggest?. Checked some sand from a 30 month undisturbed sandbed to see if it leaked anything thus;

1) Obtained a sample from approximately 1.5 inch depth
2) Rinsed the sample (2.5 grammes ish) twice in 0ppm new saltwater.
3) Added 10mls new saltwater
4) left the sample covered in a wide container for 12hrs, but gently stirred it every 3 ish hours.
5) Filtered and tested the sample.

The result was about 0.1ppm (salifert). This just so happens to be the concentration of the running tank. However this tank has been From zero to 1ppm back down to 0.1 in its lifetime.
pH of the saltwater removed from the same location of the sand was 7.9. Overlying pH of the tank 8.2.

I discarded the water from this sample and replaced it with 0 phos 20mls new salt water, waited 48 hrs with the occasional swirl. Tested at near 0.25 ppm ish, certainly higher than 0.1 on salifert.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

My dad used to kid about my mother’s efficiency with the story that whenever he got up to pee at night, the bed would be made by the time he got back

Lol

I had a women chemist who worked for me years ago who cleaned up the lab so much that she often put things away while I was still using them.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Another interesting observation is that the sand had clumped under the dosing line from the Kalkwasser. I noticed this before, so moved the dosing line. Once again clumped under the dosing line, which was surprising considering the flow was quite vigorous. I’m guessing the circumstance at that point were ideal for precipitation. I tried to recover the clumps but my wife is highly efficient and getting rid of rubbish. My guess is that this precipitation is high in phosphate. No problem, I can induce this precipitation with a bag of sand, I reckon.

what is being dosed?

 

[Dan_P]

Lol

I had a women chemist who worked for me years ago who cleaned up the lab so much that she often put things away while I was still using them.

HaHa! My lab tended to be on the neat-freak side of things, so, I totally appreciate her effort.

 

[Garf]

what is being dosed?

Settled saturated calcium hydroxide. It’s only a small chamber in the sump, over a three inch detritus filled sandbed, since removed.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Settled saturated calcium hydroxide. It’s only a small chamber in the sump, over a three inch detritus filled sandbed, since removed.

It certainly can cause local precipitation if not mixed in or swept away fast enough.

 

[Dan_P]

I just tell people that I got like 50+ ppm of po4 down to .16 ppm water level in 10g of water with a pound of aragonite calcium reactor chunks in a reactor with active flow (if I remembered all of that right).

Where or from what vendor did the calcium reactor chunks come from? Did they look like mined aragonite or something removed from the ocean bottom? I am interested because the CaribSea Rubble that I have does nor seem to be adsorbing much phosphate. By the way, it looks like mined aragonite because of the occasional crystal found in some chunks.

 

[Miami Reef]

I rinsed a beaker in my tank five times before making a final fill of about 250mL tank water. I put the beaker on my magnetic stir plate and mixed it for a few minutes.

The initial reading was 0.15ppm PO4 (tested with Hanna Phosphate ULR).

I allowed the magnetic stir machine to mix for about 6 hours. After, I took my nylon .22 um filter and rinsed the Hanna cuvet vial and lid with filtered calcium carbonate tank water three times.

I tested the phosphates with the checker, and the phosphates dropped to 0.09ppm.

I will continue this experiment and do a follow-up 24 hours after the initial calcium carbonate addition.

 

[Dan_P]

I rinsed a beaker in my tank five times before making a final fill of about 250mL tank water. I put the beaker on my magnetic stir plate and mixed it for a few minutes.

The initial reading was 0.15ppm PO4 (tested with Hanna Phosphate ULR).

I allowed the magnetic stir machine to mix for about 6 hours. After, I took my nylon .22 um filter and rinsed the Hanna cuvet vial and lid with filtered calcium carbonate tank water three times.

I tested the phosphates with the checker, and the phosphates dropped to 0.09ppm.

I will continue this experiment and do a follow-up 24 hours after the initial calcium carbonate addition.

How much calcium carbonate did you add?

 

[Miami Reef]

How much calcium carbonate did you add?

Oops, I thought I mentioned this above.

1tsp

 

[Dan_P]

Oops, I thought I mentioned this above.

1tsp

Thanks!

 

[Dan_P]

I rinsed a beaker in my tank five times before making a final fill of about 250mL tank water. I put the beaker on my magnetic stir plate and mixed it for a few minutes.

The initial reading was 0.15ppm PO4 (tested with Hanna Phosphate ULR).

I allowed the magnetic stir machine to mix for about 6 hours. After, I took my nylon .22 um filter and rinsed the Hanna cuvet vial and lid with filtered calcium carbonate tank water three times.

I tested the phosphates with the checker, and the phosphates dropped to 0.09ppm.

I will continue this experiment and do a follow-up 24 hours after the initial calcium carbonate addition.

This set up is beyond the lowest values studied by Millero but your result, which translates to 0.06 micro mole of phosphate per gram of calcium carbonate equilibrated at 0.95 micro molar phosphate, seems to be (big margin of error at this concentration) in the ballpark of the expected value for both calcite and aragonite. Equilibration might only take 1-2 hours with a small uptake between 2 and 24 hours. I guess that I am predicting little change by tomorrow.

 

[Miami Reef]

This set up is beyond the lowest values studied by Millero but your result, which translates to 0.06 micro mole of phosphate per gram of calcium carbonate equilibrated at 0.95 micro molar phosphate, seems to be (big margin of error at this concentration) in the ballpark of the expected value for both calcite and aragonite. Equilibration might only take 1-2 hours with a small uptake between 2 and 24 hours. I guess that I am predicting little change by tomorrow.

Well, I will certainly report the changes tomorrow.

If need be, I can redo this experiment and use larger samples of water + higher phosphate levels, and more calcium carbonate.

 

[Dan_P]

Well, I will certainly report the changes tomorrow.

If need be, I can redo this experiment and use larger samples of water + higher phosphate levels, and more calcium carbonate.

Is the calcium carbonate sold as a phosphate remover?

 

[Miami Reef]

Is the calcium carbonate sold as a phosphate remover?

Nope.

This is what I purchased: Nutricost Calcium Carbonate Powder 500 Grams

 

[Dan_P]

Nope.

This is what I purchased: Nutricost Calcium Carbonate Powder 500 Grams

One of the reviews,

Helps our dog
I have a dog with kidney issues and so we add this to her food to reduce phosphorus. It seems to be working as her phosphorus levels have dropped and she seems happier and healthier.

 

[Miami Reef]

One of the reviews,

Helps our dog
I have a dog with kidney issues and so we add this to her food to reduce phosphorus. It seems to be working as her phosphorus levels have dropped and she seems happier and healthier.

How can I use this product to lower phosphates in my aquarium? Would I need a fine filter sock (1 micron?) to export the phosphate-saturated calcium carbonate?