Ca reactor and aragonite

[capel]

Aragonite dissolve easily in a Ca reactor but gives also a significant amount of phosphate in the effluent. What do you think about this side effect present in coral sands. Some commercial fossile materials contains absolutely no phosphate but they are hard to dissolve.

Bernard.

 

[randy holmes-farley]

Some of the aragonite media claim low phosphate (like ARM). ARM media does appear lower in P than some, but not as low as they claim.

I think that you are best off, however, using aragonite even if it carries some phosphate with it, because the pH necessary to dissolve calcite might result in a tank pH that is too low.

I'd suggest dealing with any phosphate issues in other ways.

Here's an article on phosphorus in reef tanks:

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/ ... 2/chem.htm