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Mined / harvested supplements

Browsing around on a local web page, I found a new product (for me) with potential use as a pH buffer in aquaponics. It is called "Red Sea Reef success marine base". This substrate for marine aquariums is high in aragonite - highly soluble calcium carbonate. It has CITES accreditation as follows:

"These quality substrates come from a CITES approved location on the exotic shores of Southeast Asia. The procurement and preparation does not involve the destruction of beaches, reef ecosystems, or cause any other damage to the environment."

Can this be a source of pH buffer for people that have no access to coral sand and have been looking for a more sustainable source of pH buffer other than chemically prepared or mined mineral rock material?

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Permalink Reply by Sylvia Bernstein on May 10, 2011 at 6:36am

Sounds interesting, Kobus. I just searched for it here and found this link - http://www.marinedepot.com/Red_Sea_Success_Reef_Base_Substrate_11lb.... They are only talking about use in saltwater and marine aquariums...is there a chance that there is a bunch of sodium in it that could be harmful to the plants?

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Permalink Reply by Kobus Jooste on May 10, 2011 at 6:56am

I'm not sure - from what is on the web page I can see, it is mostly safe stuff -

The spheres are highly porous calcareous shells of simple protozoa (foraminifers) and bring many benefits to all marine aquariums. Reef Base substrate contains natural aragonite (the most dissolvable from of calcium carbonate) that maintains natural levels of pH with its high buffering capacity. Furthermore the porosity of the spheres provides an excellent media for both aerobic (nitrifying) and anaerobic (denitrifying) biological filtration.

One will have to get hold of a bag or the distributor to determine how much, if any, sodium chloride is in there.

Sylvia Bernstein said:

Sounds interesting, Kobus. I just searched for it here and found this link - http://www.marinedepot.com/Red_Sea_Success_Reef_Base_Substrate_11lb.... They are only talking about use in saltwater and marine aquariums...is there a chance that there is a bunch of sodium in it that could be harmful to the plants?