Lofty
Member
Hi... new to the forum.... I need help trimming back my GSP... any suggestions?
GSP maintenance... need to trim
- Thread starter Lofty
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Peppie
Well-known member
Should be able to peel the purple matting it grows out of right off the rock, cut it back were you desire.
NanaReefer
Well-known member
Kalk paste! Pealing it off the rock really doesn't work at all. It breaks up and releases a very white smokey substance. Personal experience speaking. The GSP mat is not as thick as it looks. Covering a small area at a time with Kalk paste works great!
Lofty
Member
How is the kalk paste kept in place? It seems that it would dissolve fairly quickly.
NanaReefer
Well-known member
A very thick paste will stay in place by weight and tackiness. Yes it will dissolve but not before it burns whatever it's coming into contact with. This is why I say *small* bits at a time.
Lofty
Member
What do you use for kalk? I dose with Mrs Wages... but not sure if I want to use that in sludge form... Otherwise... it works extremely well for calcium and alk buffer. Thanks for the response
NanaReefer
Well-known member
I personally use BRS but I'm sure in paste form the results will pretty much be the same.
trout
Active member
You can also try H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide 6%). I would apply it outside the tank if it is practical to do so.
Lofty
Member
Not possible as I would need to disassemble the main rock structure. I want to try kalk paste, but I need to confirm I can use Mrs Wages and not a "made for reef" solution.
kevinpo
Expert
Hello,
Mrs Wages is a food grade calcium hydroxide which is equal to or more pure than products labeled kalkwasser, hydrated lime, builders lime, slack lime, or lime water. These are all calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2 none of which is more powerful/concentrated than another. The only difference would be the purity (read allowable levels of contamination, bugs, dirt, etc.). Note that it has a PH of slightly above 12 so too much added to a small system can raise PH levels quickly and become toxic.
Cheers,
Kevin
Mrs Wages is a food grade calcium hydroxide which is equal to or more pure than products labeled kalkwasser, hydrated lime, builders lime, slack lime, or lime water. These are all calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)2 none of which is more powerful/concentrated than another. The only difference would be the purity (read allowable levels of contamination, bugs, dirt, etc.). Note that it has a PH of slightly above 12 so too much added to a small system can raise PH levels quickly and become toxic.
Cheers,
Kevin
Lofty
Member
Thank you Kevin!!! Exactly the response I was looking for. I have a 90 gallon display and 20 gallon sump... Probably running about 100g in volume, so it seems that it will not affect my system too much. My plan then is to mix a very thick paste, turn off all the pumps and apply it to one area at a time, maybe on an every other day basis. I have my eye on one area that I will start with. Probably about 4-5 inches long by 2 inches wide....maybe I'll only to 1 inch wide at a time. I will test my PH before and after to see if there is any spike, but it does not seem like it should spike much, if any.... do you think this would rais my calcium levels as well?
Lofty
Member
"which is equal to or more pure than products labeled kalkwasser, hydrated lime, builders lime, slack lime, or lime water"
Funny how folks are duped into paying premium prices for an inferior Product... Mrs Wages cost about $4 at Wal Mart.... and I have barley put a dent in it in a year LMAO!
Funny how folks are duped into paying premium prices for an inferior Product... Mrs Wages cost about $4 at Wal Mart.... and I have barley put a dent in it in a year LMAO!
vlangel
Well-known member
I like GSP so the way I keep them under control is only let the grow on the substrate. That way you can cut the purple mat anywhere you like. I have a sand bed so I just use old scissors to cut them. They look like a tall grass field in the tank and its attractive.
in my new tank build a 20L im going to glue the gsp and psp to the back wall and let it take over the pane of glass. a gsp and psp background! then just trim it with a razor when it trys to spread to the side panes. ive seen this done with only gsp and looks killer.
vlangel
Well-known member
I'm sure that will be awesome when it grows out and matures!
pandora32
Well-known member
Ive seen it done to. Looks great. Ive placed xenia on one overflow and anthelia on the other. Hid the overflows and have the tank extra movement. Been removing the bits and pieces of xenia that i see. Got all the anthelia out. It just grew to fast for me...lol
