Purple up

[mray]

Another way to use Purple up

I don't know how well it actually helps with coralline algae but I know for a fact that it not only kills flatworms, it dissolves them. I found out accidentally when I sucking them out with a dropper and squirting them into a small plastic cup with some purple up in it. They started dissolving and I wasn't sure if it was the purple up so I tried it in a seperate cup and I saw that they really are dissolving in it.
So here is my question: Are there any side effects of overdosing purple up?

 

[Deanos]

Precipitation.

 

[mray]

Precipitation wouldn't matter much since a large water change is necessary from the dying of flatworms, right?

 

[reefkprZ]

Are there any side effects of overdosing purple up?

Oding purple up would be cranking your calcium too high as well as iodine. not a good thing. ODing Iodine is very dangerous.

 

[mray]

The question I asked sounds stupid which is why you guys are probably telling about problems with calcium. What I was trying to find out was what else is in Purple up.

Reefkprz - I think it may be the iodine that's killing the flatworms.

 

[NYreefNoob]

http://www.caribsea.com/pages/pop_up_window/additives/faq/faq_Purple_up.html

 

[reefkprZ]

Reefkprz - I think it may be the iodine that's killing the flatworms.

that would be my guess too, but In your tank there are many polycheate worms and such that may not take to an OD very well, you could really dmage your tanks microfauna by Oding purple up to kill flatworms. not to mention your other inverts like shrimp snails crabs etcetera. invertabretes are fairly sensitive to high levels of iodine.

 

[tunicata]

(sorry slight off topic...but reefkprz your siggy is hilarious)

I wouldn't OD on anything that killed my inverts. There are other ways of nuking flatwooms, even if they take longer/more frustrating.

 

[mray]

Yeah, I know. I found it interesting that one drop of purple up in a 10 ml solution was able to dissolve flatworms. I was only asking to see if anyone knew why or how purple up can do what it does for flatworms. There is no way I would dose my tank with any medication FWE included without removing my livestock.