Tropic Marin Bio-Calcium

[fsn77]

When I went to dose last night (attempting to complete the dose I started in the morning), I noticed something that may be important. When I mix the Bio-Calcium in the RO/DI water it clouds the water (the other brands of calcium I've used tend to stay clear when mixed). After adding only 3 teaspoons (each mixed into a cupful of RO/DI water), the entire 250g tank began to mildly cloud. Again, at this point I stopped dosing and had an idea. I walked away from the tank for roughly 30 minutes and came back to the tank having cleared most of the way. I decided to go against what my typical thinking is and tried adding a single teaspoon to the overflow to see what would happen. One teaspoon in, no clouding of any of the water in the overflow... Two teaspoons in, no clouding... Three, four, five teaspoons in, no couding. I added a total of 7 teaspoons (with less than 30 seconds between each teaspoon) to the overflow and there wasn't a single bit of clouding of any of the water in the overflow, the sump, or the tank itself. The powder is so fine that none of it settled to the bottom of the overflow.

It would seem that trying to dissolve the Bio-Calcium in RO/DI water first might be counterproductive? Is the fact that the RO/DI water is so poorly buffered that creates the cloudiness and/or precipitate, and the buffered state of the tank water itself prevents this from happening?

 

[Amphiprion]

It would seem, chemically speaking, more likely to precipitate in your tank, not the RO/DI water. It may be more reactive in RO/DI water, though, but still not exactly sure what would cause the clouding. At this point, I guess just dose it in your tank to avoid the clouding and see if that still works .

 

[fsn77]

Thanks, Amphi... For whatever reason and regardless of how against my thinking it goes to add it that way, adding it dry to the overflow seems to work. I guess not all label directions are bad.