Aragamilk

[cprdnick]

Does anyone have an opinion of this product? I have a large bottle of it that came with my tank when I bought it from my friend. I was using it for a while, but my LFS told me to stop using it when my calcium tested high. I thought this stuff was supposed to buffer the calcium levels. When I hear buffer I hear "adjust the levels to acceptable.", is this the correct definition of buffer? I know that the aquarium has buffering capabilities that has something to do with the ph and calcium, but I'm still not sure.

 

[redawg]

here read this..
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2002/chem.htm
that should answer most of your cal questions..
as for aragamilk.. if you have a low demand for calcium in your tank then it'll be fine using it. you say your calcium is high.. but what's your alk at? and yes if your calcium is high u might wanna stop dosing for it and let it come down..

 

[cprdnick]

well, I'm not entirely sure that the girl that tested for it knew what she was doing anyway. However, the only alk test I have is one of those quick-strips. It never fails, anytime I use Instant ocean my test strips don't go high enough for me to measure it. Before I mix the salt into the RO it is fine. I know these aren't the most accurate tests but I didn't have money for a good one.

 

[cprdnick]

bumpy bumpy

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by cprdnick
I thought this stuff was supposed to buffer the calcium levels.
I've been hearing this term a lot lately. I've been in the hobby a while now and I don't have a clue what anyone means by "buffer the Calcium levels". Buffer to me means to make it resistant to change. You can buffer PH with Carbonate or Borate but I don't know of anything that buffers Calcium levels in sea water. I wish someone would explain it to me.
Aragamilk is fine to use if it's free but in my opinion there are much better products on the market to maintain Calcium and Carbonate.

 

[cprdnick]

Hey Bang, I don't necessarily want to use it cuz it's free, I'll gladly throw it out if someone tells me not to use it. I haven't dosed my tank in a month and a half and my readings were way over 550 when I had it tested this morning. They have the test kit where you put a drop in and you keep dripping until the solution turns purple and then multiply the number of drips by 2 or 10 or something like that. Anyway, they ran out of solution on my water sample and the water hadn't even come close to changing color.