What is this white stuff
- Thread starter peaceablegarden
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Dano01
Aquarium Advice Regular
Calcium build up from hard water may be??
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peaceablegarden
Aquarium Advice Freak
I don't have it anywhere else, but you may be right. I dug up a magnifying glass and it sure looks like that's what it could be. I was hesitant to touch it in case disturbing it might upset some balance in the force. If that's what it is, should I clean it off?
jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
It sure looks like hard water deposits. It is just CaCO3, either from the carbonates precipitating out with heating water, or possibly from certain plants that can extract carbon from the bicarbonates. (Biogenic decalcification)
I don't think you would disturb things too much if you remove it. OTOH, having CaCO3 in the tank is just like people adding crushed coral, it provides a source of buffer in case you are using up KH. It doesn't do any harm to leave it.
I don't think you would disturb things too much if you remove it. OTOH, having CaCO3 in the tank is just like people adding crushed coral, it provides a source of buffer in case you are using up KH. It doesn't do any harm to leave it.
miniflea84
Aquarium Advice Regular
Yep, hard water. My water's hard as a rock and I've got this too. You can remove it if you really want, but it'd just be back soon enough.
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peaceablegarden
Aquarium Advice Freak
Interesting. It's only in this particular tank. Nothing like it in the other tank. Does calcium build up only like to attach itself to a particular material? I have a different, but similar heater in the second tank. Both bottom parts are rubber, but then again so are the suction cups they uses.
jsoong
Aquarium Advice Addict
It might have to do with the heater. CaCO3 precipitates out of hard water with heat. A small heater might not heat too much so less comes out. A big heater might be quite hot around it unless you have good water circulation so more will precipitate out.
Roberz00
Aquarium Advice Activist
Do you have any stray electrical current in the water??? That can/will speed up calcification on things. I forgot how you can check for stray voltage in tank water but I believe there is a post somewhere on this site about it.
Just stick your hand in, if it shocks you then you have stray current in the water column! Just kidding. 
You could just use a multimeter, ground one end and stick the other in the water. Set the multimeter to VAC to test this.
Here's a good article, the text is white and so is the background so just highlight the text to read it... you'll see what I mean:
Untitled Document
The guy who wrote this, Bruce, had 44 VAC in a 120 gallon tank and still didn't feel a shock when he put his hand in. Pretty cool stuff, its worth the read.
You could just use a multimeter, ground one end and stick the other in the water. Set the multimeter to VAC to test this.
Here's a good article, the text is white and so is the background so just highlight the text to read it... you'll see what I mean:
Untitled Document
The guy who wrote this, Bruce, had 44 VAC in a 120 gallon tank and still didn't feel a shock when he put his hand in. Pretty cool stuff, its worth the read.
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peaceablegarden
Aquarium Advice Freak
How shocking! I had no idea.
miniflea84
Aquarium Advice Regular
Interesting. I should check my tank to see if there's any stray voltage. I don't see where it could be coming from, unless there's a leak in the filter motor casing.
Roberz00
Aquarium Advice Activist
The stray voltage could come from anywhere and any item that is electrical and in or near the water, not just in the display part but the filter housing and such.
