MarinePure: Anybody use it?

[hillegom]

There always seems to be a new biological media available.
As mentioned in another thread, MarinePure seems to be receiving some traction in other forums
I am intrigued by this product, but would like to know from others what their thoughts are.
BRS sells it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByTzKjqYA2U
It comes in a variety of different sizes/shapes
http://www.cermedia.com/marinepure-products.php

[Aquattro]

To me it sounds as though the spheres are replacements for bio balls. If you use bioballs, maybe a good product.
The rock/blocks are replacements for live rock. If you prefer to not use rock, probably a good alternative.

If you have a reef with rock and no bioballs, I'm not sure they have a purpose?

I could see the blocks being good for those that want a very minimal rock scape where you could toss a couple in the sump.

[wokaid]

I picked some up after watching the BRS video comparing
their surface area to different types of rock. I placed them in my sump and
removed the live rock. Live rock will be reused as I aquascape my build. Sump looks cleaner and is easier to clean.


Wokaid

[Bblinks]

I picked some up after watching the BRS video comparing
their surface area to different types of rock. I placed them in my sump and
removed the live rock. Live rock will be reused as I aquascape my build. Sump looks cleaner and is easier to clean.


Wokaid

Think you can post a picture of your tank and sump please?

[hillegom]

Thanks for the thoughts.
Anyone else?
I have a lot of LR. Most very porous and light. When it was put in the tank at least. But I also have one piece that I really like the shape of. Unfortunately it is very dense, and heavy. I imagine if I had a sump, that a few pieces of this MarinePure, in the sump would counteract this dense piece of LR.

[Aquattro]

Thanks for the thoughts.
Anyone else?
I have a lot of LR. Most very porous and light. When it was put in the tank at least. But I also have one piece that I really like the shape of. Unfortunately it is very dense, and heavy. I imagine if I had a sump, that a few pieces of this MarinePure, in the sump would counteract this dense piece of LR.

Are you currently having troubles with your tank that you believe is caused by lack of bacteria?

[wokaid]

http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z382/wokaid/P1010017.jpg[/URL]

http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z382/wokaid/P1010014.jpg[/URL]

http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z382/wokaid/Prere/DSC_0101.jpg[/URL]


Wokaid

[hillegom]

Are you currently having troubles with your tank that you believe is caused by lack of bacteria?

Nope
Just like looking into advances of scientific improvements.
Don't have boiballs, nor a sump, but when I do put a sump into the system, I want to plan for whats best.

Sorry Wokaid, thought that was for me.

[hillegom]

I think I need less coffee.
This is my thread.
Thanks for posting in here Wokaid

[Aquattro]

Nope
Just like looking into advances of scientific improvements.
Don't have boiballs, nor a sump, but when I do put a sump into the system, I want to plan for whats best.



Not sure it's a scientific improvement, it's just a large foam block made from stone. I do think that with current trends in minimalism, it has a place in the sump (or otherwise hidden) to allow bacterial bonding sites in the absence of rock and sand. Easy to stack multiples in a flow through chamber, etc. allowing someone to use maybe 1 large center piece rock in the display.

As an addition to a functioning reef though, I'm not sure it's needed or would help.

[Aquattro]

Also, keeping one in the sump as a backup filter for QT setup would be handy!

[Aquattro]

More also, I think the thick slab could conceivably be used as a substitute to a remote DSB. Maybe.

[Bblinks]

http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z382/wokaid/P1010017.jpg[/URL]

http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z382/wokaid/P1010014.jpg[/URL]

http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/z382/wokaid/Prere/DSC_0101.jpg[/URL]


Wokaid

Very cool, that stand musta cost an arm and a leg. Thanks for sharing.

[Bblinks]

I think I need less coffee.
This is my thread.
Thanks for posting in here Wokaid

sorry to derail.

[hillegom]

NP at all Rich
I actually thought that I was posting in Wokaid's thread

[wokaid]

Photos from my build.

[hillegom]

Wokaid:
Where did you buy that nice extruded aluminium?

[wokaid]

I went through 80/20s nearest Canadian distributor which was Rocky Mountain
Machining in BC. Basically you deal with a Salesperson that then send your plans to 80/20 designers who come up with a drawing. Designers are not Engineers so can not guaranty if the stand will hold your tank. This little tidbit I only found out after a few emails. This caused me to add the 45 degree braces.
Definitely not the cheapest option.

Wokaid

[hillegom]

Looks sturdy enough.
And cool

[albert_dao]

IMO, the pursuit of ever increasing surface areas in reef tanks is an overblown distraction.

[Aquattro]

IMO, the pursuit of ever increasing surface areas in reef tanks is an overblown distraction.

Agreed. I think this product offers options in the design phase, but adding it to a functioning reef is redundant.

[Wretch]

Is this basically the same as hydroton? I know people were using it as well.

[Myka]

MarinePure is just live rock replacement. This is handy for people using artificial reef structures or for other types of systems with no live rock like breeding setups and commercial setups. A tank needs very little live rock in order to process the ammonia produced by the fish. Nitrifying bacteria is very efficient. I wouldn't put this stuff in my reef tank.

[ReEf BoSs]

IMO, the pursuit of ever increasing surface areas in reef tanks is an overblown distraction.

I agree which is why I could see using the stuff, if one didn't want a display of live rock. :biggrin:
Just comes down to aesthetics mostly.

[gmann]

just wondering if anyone that uses marine pure has noticed any ill affects to their corals? I read online that it leaked aluminum which made some users corals die.

looking at this option vs the xport bio plate simply because I wont have to saw the minepure in half to fit my sump.

[hillegom]

It seems the Brightwell block is getting better reviews on line.
Rich (Bblinks) really likes his, but he didn't have to cut it.
Does it not come in a brick, plate or cubes?

[gmann]

it does, but even with the plate I would have to cut it in half to fit between the baffles

[hillegom]

I see your point now. It would be hard to cut it in half if you need it thinner.
Certainly not by hand. And you would need a concrete saw, not a hacksaw, used for steel

[gmann]

hmm

back to the drawing board. maybe i'll just buy the bring then and put it under my filter socks or something.

[davej]

Pretty sure you could cut it with a hacksaw. It's fairly soft.

[hillegom]

Oh thats good. I guess I got blinded by the term "brick"

[gmann]

Pretty sure you could cut it with a hacksaw. It's fairly soft.

thanks i'll have to check it out when it comes in stock

[Tankboy]

I ran an 8x8x4 block in my sump for about 2.5 months. No real changes to the tank as far as feeding,livestock or maintenance goes during that time. I had a very large spike in Nitrates. Started to dose the tank with NOPOX and just last week pulled the MarinePure block. Nitrates have started to drop finally. Could be the NOPOX making them drop....maybe it was the block generating NO3. I am not sure. I have read others that claim that the blocks can become nitrate factories if not put in a high flow area. Mine was in a low flow area of my sump.
Others love the block and swear by it.
Mine is out of the tank and now sits in a bucket awaiting its fate!

[gmann]

I ran an 8x8x4 block in my sump for about 2.5 months. No real changes to the tank as far as feeding,livestock or maintenance goes during that time. I had a very large spike in Nitrates. Started to dose the tank with NOPOX and just last week pulled the MarinePure block. Nitrates have started to drop finally. Could be the NOPOX making them drop....maybe it was the block generating NO3. I am not sure. I have read others that claim that the blocks can become nitrate factories if not put in a high flow area. Mine was in a low flow area of my sump.
Others love the block and swear by it.
Mine is out of the tank and now sits in a bucket awaiting its fate!

no ill affects on your corals?

[Tankboy]

No ill effects on the fish and inverts, SPS have great color but crappy polyp extension and seem to have stagnated in their growth. LPS are still doing well. Not sure what the NO3 spike was from as the tank is now 2 years old and feeding and maintenance is consistent. The block was added, then about a month or so after adding, my Nitrate went up. thought it was a faulty test kit as I was always close to Zero testing with API. To be sure I bought another API and a Salifert. Both API test kits are now binned as my results were all over the map between the two API kits. I personally think it was the block that caused the NO3 swing...only because it was in a very low flow spot in the sump. I believe it needs to be in a high flow area so it can get good flow through the whole block.

[IronChefItaly]

I scoured the internet for information on MarinePure and ended up purchasing both the brick and spheres from reefsupplies.ca. To answer your question, the material itself is so porous that it will crumble if you apply too much force with your grip. You can very easily cut it with a steak or bread knife but I would recommend using a hacksaw – this is something that can be done and cleaned up in 10 minutes.

As for aluminum leaching, there are too many reports in my opinion to call it coincidence. That being said, the dose makes the poison with anything and so long as a person minimizes their risk I still believe it's a relatively safe product. I rinsed and soaked it for a week in prime before adding it slowly to my sump and haven't observed any detrimental effects.

I have yet to find any real quantified data for the effectiveness of MarinePure. I don't believe it is a miracle product but should rather be thought as a supplement to liverock. Where I think a lot of people overlook its value is in the bricks' potential to host denitrifying bacteria. My reasoning goes something like this… We all know that larger tanks offer more stability and capacity for bioload. The larger water volume itself, doesn't really offer much other than the principle of concentration/dilution. So it seems fair to think that a significant portion of the stability comes from having more surface area in sand or liverock. Now, the issue with maximizing surface area is that for the first stages of the nitrogen cycle, carbon is often the limiting factor – this is where carbon dosing intervenes. But for the later stages, where nitrate is finally converted into nitrogen gas it is theorized that anaerobic sites are the limiting factor – this is where large bricks like the 8x8x4" MarinePure blocks are thought to intervene. All that put in short terms, I bought the MarinePure block for an area of low flow in my sump in hopes that it will aid in controlling nitrates and I bought the spheres for the chamber of my sump where I dose my carbon source in hope that the bacteria will grow on their surface then spill downstream into my skimmer – thus aid in controlling phosphates. I've had this all in place for about 2 weeks and I'll post a picture once I'm home. What do you guys think? is this a reasonable thought process or a far stretch where I've fallen victim to marketing?

[davej]

I fought high nitrates for over a year. In the 20-25 range no matter what I did. Tried bio pellets tried vinegar dosing. Still in the 20's. Finally tried a marine pure block in my sump.
Now 2-3 months later nitrates are below 5 for the first time ever. Still dosing vinegar but it's the block that has made a difference. When I first placed block in my sump, my scans were ****ed off for 3-4 days, shrunk down and stayed closed up. But then slowly expanded and seem none the worse for wear. I am convinced that it has made a positive difference in my tank.


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