Crushed frags?

[Adequate]

I added a couple pieces of acro the other day and noticed my calcium dropped to about 380. It occurred to me that I still have some dead acro frags and old dry rock lying around, what happens if I grind them up into a powder and add to the tank? Would it boost the calcium a bit, or maybe even the KH?

 

[Kai K]

Probably not. In order for the calcium carbonate coral skeletons to dissolve, an acidic environment is required. Your tankwater is hopefully not acidic.

 

[Adequate]

What if dissolved in neutral/acidic freshwater (e.g. RO) first?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I added a couple pieces of acro the other day and noticed my calcium dropped to about 380. It occurred to me that I still have some dead acro frags and old dry rock lying around, what happens if I grind them up into a powder and add to the tank? Would it boost the calcium a bit, or maybe even the KH?

Not, it is not useful to directly add calcium carbonate.

If you dissolve it in hydrochloric acid, it just becomes calcium chloride solution. No alk.

I discuss the possibilities here:

Chemistry And The Aquarium: Calcium Carbonate As A Supplement

Randy discusses the importance of calcium supplementation using a variety of techniques .

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