Should I use marine pure plate?

[Gp!]

I am currently curing pukani dry rock in tubs for a new tank which will be bare bottom. I got the idea in my head a day or two ago I should use a couple of the largest Marine pure plates in my sump to make up for no sand.

I started reading about them and now I'm thinking it would be a bad idea because it seems that high amounts of aluminum can/will stay in the system. Also I read a few posts saying they become brittle and break into powder over time.

Is my paraphrase accurate? Should I skip the marine pure?

 

[Big G]

Yes, they are brittle and they do "shed" a bit onto the bottom of a sump.
The aluminum issue is still debated. Some say it is attributed to some boot leg Marine Pure and not the real stuff.
My own experience is that it does help with nutrient uptake (nitrates) and as a home for copepods.
And it does reduce nitrate levels. My own tank was testing at 15-20 ppm of nitrate. I did nothing else other than add a Marine Pure block into my sump and it lowered the nitrates to 0 over a period of about one month.
I still have it in my sump. Will I take it out? Maybe after my dry rock has matured after 12 months or so.
Hope this helps a bit. Cheers!

 

[ksfulk]

Ive been using marine pure blocks and orbs for several years now. The blocks do elevate aluminum in the tank (at least from my experience), but the levels were not elevated to a point of alarm (based on RHF's research and opinions) and it dropped off to undetectable levels within 12 months. Ive had the same block for over four years in my sump (in various tanks) and havent had it break apart to nothing. The key is to rinse the blocks really really well before you place them into the sump. Also, not smacking the block keeps it together better The blocks and plates are less dusty than the cubes, but I would recommend them unless you are keeping only leather corals, which seem to be impacted by elevated Aluminum.

 

[Gp!]

Is there an easy/effective way to deal with the excess aluminum that goes along with the no water change / dosing of the triton method?

 

[Daniel Waters]

I'm used marine pure blocks (not plates) for years. They are extremely porous and did help me lower nitrate levels in my tank. They are brittle and you may get a little bit come off, but they aren't going to crumble into pieces or deteriorate....very minor chafing is how I'd classify it and I just clean up any small bits whenever I clean my sump with my wet / dry vac once a year or so.

They do leach aluminum from my experience but does not seem to be toxic. I have tracked my results via 2 years of triton tests. My amounts stay elevated versus natural seawater but are stable. While they are elevated, it does not seem to be at such a level to cause any issues for any of my fish, invertebrates, or corals I've kept.

 

[ksfulk]

Is there an easy/effective way to deal with the excess aluminum that goes along with the no water change / dosing of the triton method?

Iron based phosphate removers (such as GFO) can bind Aluminum, and is recommended with the Triton method to run Aluminum based phosphate removers (Al99 I believe is their product) and then switch to Iron based phosphate removers (GFO) to remove either Al or Iron. I ran the Triton method while I was using the Marine Pure, and the Aluminum dropped over time. Thats my experience with it