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Re: Aragonite



>From: "A. Inniss" <andrewi at u_washington.edu>
>Date: Sat, 1 Mar 1997 13:55:12 -0800 (PST)
>Subject: Thanks&Qs re:Aragonite/applying Monokote
>
>	Now I have two new questions:  What can people tell me about
>Aragonite?  I'm curious about its chemical composition, its buffering
>capacity, and its possible use(s) and bendfits in a planted aquarium.
>This is more intellectual curiousity than anything else, since I ass-
>ume its possible benefits do not add up to its cost.

Don't be fooled by the name.  Aragonite is just calcium carbonate.  It is
the orthorhombic crystal form which forms at temps above 30 C.  The other
commercially important form is calcite.  Calcite is hexagonal-rhombohedral
and is formed at temps below 30 C.  Aragonite has a lower melting point and
is slightly more dense than calcite.  However, chemically speaking, calcium
carbonate is calcium carbonate.

Bill