Additive Block in Sump

[Razor]

I was looking at a setup at a friend's house and the sump had a big white block in the sump. He says that it's instead of dosing calcium etc., but because he gets the tank serviced doesn't know what it's called. Supposedly, the block dissolves over time.

Does anyone have any experience with this or know what it's called?

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

i've had occasion to come across quite afew of the 'block' type additives for aquaria, and i'd advise strongly against them

you have no control over the dosage rate of whatever may or may not be in the block, and its release rate will not be the same over any given time period

fluctuations in pH, hardness, etc., all will affect the dissolve rate of the block

this holds true for the 'vacation feeder' blocks on the market, as well

i know of no block type additives that are of any value at all for a sw tank

 

[taikonaut]

Keep you money. It is better to use it on a lottery ticket and something good *may* came out of it for you.

 

[shr00m]

this reminds me of the well known tale of a monkey and a potato... since the potato didnt gather nuts in the summer he froze all winter long. the monkey was able to play leisurely in the snow because he sold insurance.

 

[Razor]

if the blocks are so bad, why are so many people using them?

Do you guys know what they're are called, so i can research them?

Also, the lottery ticket comment would be crazy except that since my friend won $40 million I tend to take the lottery a little more serious (true story).

 

[taikonaut]

>... if the blocks are so bad, why are so many people using them? ...

I don't want to be offensive (I am a bit nasty today, but I try to only keep it somewhere else on the Forums), but I am sure you can name several things that many people do that are not good thing to do.

 

[Newts]

Who's so many people? i've never seen, or know of anyone using them.

 

[Razor]

Maybe it's not common where you're from, but around here I have seen several tanks with the blocks in the sumps. I found out they are made by Sea-lab and the blocks are formula #28. They supposedly are not time released, but simply dissolve as needed. In the beginning they dissolve quickly and as the tank has reached the peak, they slow down and last a much longer time,; therefore, keeping the levels at a constant rate. Other than that, I don't know much about them. But for someone who travels a lot, like myself, it seemed like an alternative to leaving my tank untouched while I'm away.

 

[Anonymous]

i have used them and they seem to work fine.

i am leery for the potential of overdosing though.

i had posted a thread here some time ago about them but didn't get much response. Sealab #28 was in the title.

from what i have heard from the local guys here that swear by them, if the blocks are in high flow they can dissolve too quickly. most people are keeping them in mesh bags to minimize flow across the surface.

i will say this for the product, they really are a convenient way to go and i have never had coralline growth at the rate i did when i was using them.
i don't like mixed cocktails though so i stopped.

 

[shr00m]

it would be hard for me to trust them, if there was any variance in manufacturing it would be different ... i dunno the one time it did overdose would really suck.

 

[DOGMAI]

So where can you buy them? It would not be too bad to add the block for a few days and then take it out for a few days. Don’t know if that is possible or not. It is a great concept if it works. I would like to look into them so if anybody know where I can find them let everybody know.

Thanks,
Shane

 

[Anonymous]

So where can you buy them? It would not be too bad to add the block for a few days and then take it out for a few days. Don’t know if that is possible or not. It is a great concept if it works. I would like to look into them so if anybody know where I can find them let everybody know.

Thanks,
Shane

i think all my local shops are carrying it now... it's been a bit of hit here.

http://www.ecorals.tv/



http://www.upscales.com/

neither site has it listed but i can tell you first hand that they both have it in thier shop.

 

[tangir1]

>... It is a great concept if it works....

Yeah, but people who understand how chemicals work in seawater never buy them.

 

[Anonymous]

They were all the rage in the 80's. A couple of times a year someone asks about them and a few people get excited and we don't hear about them for a while.
I would be very uncomfortable having an uncontrolled dosing of anything into my system.

 

[Razor]

I can see both sides of the debate.

For those who have the time to dose their tank and make sure everything is perfect, this would not be the right option.

But for those who have other/better things to do, the blocks are simply a solution to not dosing at all.

Also, several people have said "I'm afraid of overdosing", but nobody has said "I used them and they overdosed my tank". So maybe the product actually works and if we stop being so paranoid about overdosing we could enjoy our lives instead of being elbow deep in seawater all the time.

 

[Anonymous]

has anyone here used those blocks (i've always recommended customers away from them) and then monitored their tank to see if any of the measureable parameters were being corrected properly, or staying w/in their bounds?

if anything, the 'block method' will require a more rigorous testing/monitoring regimen, since YOU NEVER KNOW AT WHAT RATE,OR WHEN, the block is releasing its constituents into your system

minerals elements also mix more evenly in a liquid, assuming the block even disssolved at a standard desired rate, the input of each component may still be uneven, if more of one or the other is concentrated in the center of the block

i think they're a method that begets a dangerous attitude for those newer in the hobby, for they 'discourage' the mentality of proper testing and dosage procedure

 

[tangir1]

>... But for those who have other/better things to do, the blocks are simply a solution to not dosing at all.

I like the pun on "solution"

PremiumAquatics has it on their web page:
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant ... ode=Sealab

SeaLab Concentrations (ppm)
Aluminum 0.01
Boron 4.6
Calcium 400.0
Chromium 0.00005
Cobalt 0.0005
Copper 0.003
Fluorine 0.3
Iodine 0.06
Iron 0.01
Manganese 0.002
Molybdenum 0.01
Nickel 0.002
Selenium 0.004
Strontium 8.0
Tin 0.002
Vanadium 0.002
Zinc 0.014

Noticed that only 0.5% of the chemicals is listed, so what is that 99.5% of "stuff?" NaCl?

 

[Razor]

The listed chemical composition is not a percentage it's ppm.

I think...

 

[tangir1]

1% = 0.01 = 10 ppt = 10000ppm.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't think it is better than dosing nothing at all, I think it is worse. Any decent salt mix will give you the traces your tank actually needs, and adding the block, like vitz said, means you have no idea what is being added when.

We have also never heard of anyone actually testing peramaters over time with one of these blocks, so there is no telling if they actually help at all.

People get too caught up in additives, and they don't really need to. I think they get caught up because it feels like they are doing something to 'help', but it really just parts you from your money. The shiny ads say to add stuff, but if you look at experienced reefers, you will find they add very little in the way of trace elements - basically they maintain ca, alk, and sometimes mg.

A great rule of thumb is if you can't test for it, don't add it.