Reef Endurance Calcium Chloride - Brown Tinge

[BigMax]

I'm using Reef Endurance Calcium Chloride for the first time and a 1 gallon mix has a definite brown tinge to it. Maybe its acceptable, but it bothers me. I've used BRS for years and it's always crystal clear. Reef Endurance claims to be Pharmaceutical Grade, but it makes you wonder if it actually would meet FDA standards of approval?

Anyone have similar observations? (questioning if I just got a bad batch).

Might be an easy case of you get what you pay for?.... (it's less than half the cost of the BRS equivalent)

 

[BigMax]

A picture just for fun.....

Light diffraction likely makes the empty part of the jug look a little brown as well, but both jugs are crystal clear.. (I had just dumped the last 2.0l of BRS calcium chloride into my dosing reservoir).

Would you like this?

 

[BigMax]

Ok, the string dies after this

I reached out to the store where I had purchased Reef Endurance calcium chloride, and they were very helpful. Let me paraphrase their response:

They have seen the exact same thing. They contacted the manufacturer and they said it was to be expected based on the 'what' they use. The store questioned it slightly so they used it on specific tanks with absolutely no ill effects. They however did notice that the dosing reservoirs became 'dirtier' over time.

To that I say; BRS two part here I come! It's not worth the aggravation.

 

[BigMax]

@Randy Holmes-Farley

Randy, a quick question. I was considering doing the DIY Soda Ash and Calcium Chloride recipes, but I assume I should expect a similar discoloration of the water, just like Reef Endurance? I would also assume BRS is placing higher purity standards on their mixes?

I believe you'll agree that it is nothing to be concerned about, but based on the marginal cost differences annually. I would heavily lean toward the 'cleanest'.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Color is not generally a good way to judge purity. Just a bit of iron, which is no concern, can darken a solution.

Many folks have used Prestone Driveway Heat in the past, when it could be connected to Dow manufacturing and purity measures, and it too was slightly brown.. That said, there’s nothing wrong with going with a material with a specific purity grade.

 

[BigMax]

Thanks for the reply Randy.

I'm going to go out on limb here (obviously I'm not a chemist), but I enjoy the discussion. According to the University of Illinois from an article below :

However, as little as 0.3 mg/l can cause water to turn a reddish brown color.

0.3 mg/l = 300 ug/l and ATI Labs recommends an Iron content of 0.45ug/l in our aquariums. So, assuming the calcium chloride does not influence the 'visible iron' the mix is likely at least 600 times the ideal content. I understand we're dosing in small amount over a long period where it will be consumed and filtered out through carbon etc. So, again I'm sure it's not an issue, but I may as well use my non-chlorinated well tap water in the calcium chloride mix? We strive to use RODI and distilled water in many applications...to what purpose? as we turn around and dump all kinds of pollutants into our tanks. (My tap water is through RO and is only is 6.0 ppm TDS).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks for the reply Randy.

I'm going to go out on limb here (obviously I'm not a chemist), but I enjoy the discussion. According to the University of Illinois from an article below :

However, as little as 0.3 mg/l can cause water to turn a reddish brown color.

0.3 mg/l = 300 ug/l and ATI Labs recommends an Iron content of 0.45ug/l in our aquariums. So, assuming the calcium chloride does not influence the 'visible iron' the mix is likely at least 600 times the ideal content. I understand we're dosing in small amount over a long period where it will be consumed and filtered out through carbon etc. So, again I'm sure it's not an issue, but I may as well use my non-chlorinated well tap water in the calcium chloride mix? We strive to use RODI and distilled water in many applications...to what purpose? as we turn around and dump all kinds of pollutants into our tanks. (My tap water is through RO and is only is 6.0 ppm TDS).

You are missing several things:

1. Dilution.

2. It may not even be dissolved iron as opposed to particulate iron

3. The wide allowed variability of trace element levels. Red Sea recommends 100 ppb (100 ug/L) iron. That seems unnecessarily high to me, and I think they recommend it just to allow use of their test kit, but it shows there's no magic number for trace elements that is singularly best.

iron does not need to be at tank concentration in an additive. It needs to be at tank concentration in the tank.

Let's suppose iron is 300 ppb (300 ug/L) in your additive.

You then use it to add 10 ppm of calcium, you are adding 27 mL of my DIY to 100 L of tank water, or a dilution factor of 27 mL/100,000 mL, or 0.00027.

That drops that 300 ug/L of iron to 0.081 ug/L. Seems like zero concern if that is what is being added, even if it is all dissolved and available to organisms. It may be desirable, IMO.

 

[BigMax]

You are missing several things:

1. Dilution.

2. It may not even be dissolved iron as opposed to particulate iron

3. The wide allowed variability of trace element levels. Red Sea recommends 100 ppb (100 ug/L) iron. That seems unnecessarily high to me, and I think they recommend it just to allow use of their test kit, but it shows there's no magic number for trace elements that is singularly best.

iron does not need to be at tank concentration in an additive. It needs to be at tank concentration in the tank.

Let's suppose iron is 300 ppb (300 ug/L) in your additive.

You then use it to add 10 ppm of calcium, you are adding 27 mL of my DIY to 100 L of tank water, or a dilution factor of 27 mL/100,000 mL, or 0.00027.

That drops that 300 ug/L of iron to 0.081 ug/L. Seems like zero concern if that is what is being added, even if it is all dissolved and available to organisms. It may be desirable, IMO.

Randy, thanks very much for taking the time to respond! I appreciate your insight, and the thought process.

The dilution I had considered (dosing in small amounts daily), the dissolved vs particulate is something I would not have considered. Again, your feedback is greatly appreciated.