Question about using Black Powder

[SeaLover]

Hello. My question tonight is does anyone know if using black powder every night is safe? Also, my husband bought some new green star frags tonight an the man at the pet store tol him to just place them anywhere in the tank. He said, "They can grow any where you place them in the tank." Is this right or does anyone have a suggestion as to where I shoul put them? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[BigAl07]

Black powder? As in "Carbon"?

Green Star Polyps are fairly robust and do grow just about anywhere that gets the light they like.

 

[SeaLover]

Black Powder as in the powder that you can sprinkle in your tank and it promotes coraline growth and feeds stuff.

 

[Dentoid]

The only "Black Powder" I know of is gun powder. What is this mysterious substance you speak of?

 

[Burbs]

Marc Weiss Black-Powder: Premium Aquatics

 

[SeaLover]

Yes its that Burbs. Except I meant to call it Combo Vital. Same effect tho.

 

[missionsix66]

Did you read the reviews at the bottom of the page in that link?

 

[Dentoid]

Not familiar with this product, however, the customer reviews are negative.

Customer Reviews
1 Do not buy this crap. 11/08/2007 - by Earl Kleckner from Danville, KY US
Worthless product.

1 buyer beware! 09/15/2006 - by experienced aquarist from san diego, CA US
this stuff is fertiler! believe me you don't need to add fertiler unless you want to grow undesirable algae!!!

there are no magic potions and elixirs which can substitute for knowledge, patience and experience

buyer beware!

1 Yuck!!!!!!!!! 04/27/2006 - by anonymous from unspecified
Too bad there is not a negative scale. Watch ingredient list---animal by products plus yeast equals red slime. To top that off the corals will not be able to digest this. Stopped using this almost a week ago and nearly all of the red slime in my tank is gone. Would not recommend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have also heard negative criticisms of Mark Weiss products in general.

 

[missionsix66]

What are you trying to achieve using the powder stuff? And placement of your gsp's depends on lighting/current. What have you got for those?

 

[naperenterprise]

IMO... Don't buy nothing from the LFS...LOL
90% of the crap the pet industry sells us is worthless crap...

10% is needed however...

 

[SeaLover]

WHat is LFO and IMO?

 

[BigAl07]

IMO In My Opinion
LFS Local Fish Store

 

[SeaLover]

Yea I am figuring this out quickly! lol When I bought the Combo Vital I was under the impression it was used to help get ur coraline to grow and be very vibrant in color. Next question do u guys like purple up?

 

[Dentoid]

Purple-Up is not recommended by most serious reefers. It has been implicated in increasing phosphate levels that lead to undesirable algae growth.

FYI, it's best to let the coraline algae bloom naturally. You can help it along by scraping it off the live rock (LR) and allowing the spores to become free floating thereby colonizing everywhere! Believe me, it will happen, then you will be cursing its very existence. Remember, nothing good happens fast in a reef tank. Take it slow for the best results.

 

[SeaLover]

Ok. Great thanks! What are the major tests kits I should have would you suggest in order to keep my tank healthy and growing?

 

[Dentoid]

Initally (for cycle):
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate.

Infant reef (first 6 months-1 year):
Nitrate
Calcium
Magnesium
Alkalinity
Phosphate
pH (Either test kit or by some electronic device)

Mature tank: (After 1 year)
Nitrate (periodically)
Calcium
Magnesium
Alkalinity
Phosphate
pH (same as above)
Iodine, Strontium, Boron (if you get into fancy dosing) not recommended.

 

[missionsix66]

Ok. Great thanks! What are the major tests kits I should have would you suggest in order to keep my tank healthy and growing?

I would add a phosphate and magnesium test kit to your existing list. I'm assuming you have test kits for all the parameters you have listed. If you are going to be dosing iodine then you will need a kit for that. And I agree with dentoid on the "purple up". I don't use it and never have. Keep proper levels of Magnesium, Calcium and, alkalinity....... and you will be cursing the coralline that grows back to the front of the tank within 2 days:hammerhea
Also, you should have a test kit for anything you plan on dosing........

EDIT: Dentoid beat me to it and made it much easier to understand.

 

[Frankie]

Good old Mark Wise snake oils That one has been around a long time. He no longer owns the company I am told, his wife took it from him in a nasty divorce and is still putting out that garbage.

 

[SeaLover]

Ok great my tank is 5 years old. I o have most of those test kits. However I dont have one for Iodine or Magnesium. I am starting to wonder about my light...I have a coralife. I have to get the box an look at the specs. But I do know it has 3 blue moon lights. 2 actinic bulbs and a couple 10000's maybe or maybe daylights. Have to check. Do you guys think this sounds like good lighting to you for housing some shrooms, frogspawn, and pom pom xenias and pulsating zenias. I am trying to figure out why they havent spread. I am on a mission now tho. Tonight did a 15 gallon water change. With RO water salt at .25 using tropic marin. I am not adding anything else chem wise until I get those 3 remaining test kits I need.

 

[Dentoid]

That sounds like adequate light. I'm assuming what you mean by 10000 are metal halide (MH). How old are your bulbs? The spectrum on these bulbs changes over time and could be the reason why your soft corals are surviving instead of growing. Moreover, soft corals don't require as intense lighting as the hard corals and may be stunting them as well. Some hard core reefers will change their bulbs every 6-9 months, but it's probably not that important, at that frequency, with soft corals. At any rate , if your bulbs are greater than 1-1.5 years, you may want to consider changing them. Just remember to light acclimate the tank with new bulbs.

I would recommend experimenting with the MHs:actinics (ie, increase the duration of actinic lighting and decrease the duration of MH lighting).

You don't need the iodine test kit unless you are dosing iodine which is controversial and probably not necessary with frequent WCs.

With respect to magnesium (Mg). It will be easier to keep your calcium (Ca) stable for a longer period of time by keeping your Mg between 1280-1350 ppm.