Purple Up

[Enigma]

I have two partial bottles of Purple Up: one that I purchased months ago and one that I was given.

I can't find any information with regards to its chemical makeup. The bottle indicates that there is ionic calcium in it. Anyone know how much and what type (if there are different types)?

Since I have this on hand, I'd ideally like to use it to raise the calcium in my system, which is horrifyingly low (signature chart may not have updated yet . . . It is 325).

I recently switched to a new calcium test (and I've confirmed that it is accurate). The low calcium is a bit jarring, since it constantly tested high with the former test.

Can I add the Purple Up to my top up water? I have a power head in the reservoir. I'm thinking that doing it that way would prevent the tank from getting cloudy when the Purple Up was added.

[Nano]

I have a power head in ky ato reservoir, and add some ca/mag in the water.

[Spyd]

Purple Up is simply a calcium additive so you can definitely use it to raise your calcium levels. I would just dose some everyday until you reach your 400 + level that you desire. You can raise your calcium levels fairly quick without causing any tank issues.

[NU-2reef]

I would look into mag and alk first. You can add all the calcium additives you want but it will have little effect and may precipitate if your mag and alk aren't where they need to be.

[Enigma]

Thanks, folks!

Originally Posted by NU-2reef

I would look into mag and alk first. You can add all the calcium additives you want but it will have little effect and may precipitate if your mag and alk aren't where they need to be.

Alk is 9. Mag is 1450 (I was dosing Tech-M to battle algae, so that is abnormally high right now). The sig chart will update with the new values sometime in the next 24 hours.

[NU-2reef]

In that case you are good to go! Any idea what is sucking up all your calcium?

[Enigma]

I'm pretty sure this hasn't happened overnight. I don't have anything that is a huge calcium pig.

The API test consistently returned results around 500. I figured it was my salt, as even newly mixed water tested high. I even spoke to Kevin at Red Coral about it, but as my test was new and not expired it never occurred to anyone that the results would be horrifically out (maybe a bit, but not by 200ppm!). We figured it was probably as result of not rolling my salt bucket well enough.

I stopped doing water changes in an attempt to let the calcium fall naturally, and I started dosing trace elements and a few other things. The calcium never fell. Now, I'm a pretty smart woman (despite looking like a dumb @$$ right now), and It still never occurred to me at my test was faulty (I'm in engineering, but I'm no chemist ).

The new Seachem Calcium test is bang on (based on testing it against reference solution). I wish I still had some of the API test left so I could test that against the reference solution. It would probably indicate that the reference solution was 700.


Two of my SPS are growing nicely, despite my huge blunder.

I'm going to throw out every API test I have.

[reefwars]

api is great for amonia so keep that one its the better of the tests available , nitrate aint bad either.


i use elos for calcium and it works bang on.


i doubt not rolling your bucket had anything to do with it, ive never rolled a bucket in my life once and my calcium stays consistent.

the reason yor calcium is low is because youve been adding for alk and mg.

if you were to add a calcium suppliment your other parameters are going to change slightly:P

[reefwars]

api is def the worst for calcium they dont do much for the big3 , just the basics nitrate,nitrite and amonia....anything else and i would use a different test cheers


carefull with the purple up it can increase your calcium by up to 40ppm per dosing , and its possible to over dose so stick with the guidelines

i use purple up with iron and iodine as a suppliment. i use it very rarely though:P