Ice.......

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bigspizz

bigspizz

Polypterus
MFK Member
Apr 20, 2007
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This is something that I have been thinking about for a while now...Earlier this summer, I noticed the ice in my ice tray was really white and broke up real easy....Just a few moments ago I went to get some ice and it was absolutely crystal clear, and hard as a rock...It looked like the clear ice they use for sculptures.....


My question is this...What can we assume about different textures of ice in your freezer. It must be indicative as to what is in the water. When it was white and "crumbly" in the early summer, I noticed my nitrates stayed at like 30 ppm even after a water change...Now most of my tanks are at, near, or around 10 ppm....



My preliminary guess would be gasses in the water, but I am truly in the dark, and not a chemist...I live in E. Washington state, and it is a desert/basin if that helps....
 
That's a good question. My guess is that it is the rate at which the water freezes. Any other thoughts?
 
You get clear ice for 2 reasons...

#1
purity. The purer the water, the more transparent it will be. Microscopic particles, minerals, or anything of the sort will lead to darker ice
#2
The longer it takes to form ice, the clearer. When you stick a tray of water in the fridge, it will quickly freeze, resulting in air bubbles being trapped in the ice. This is why our fridge ice has that typical, translucent look in the middle. Water that takes longer to freeze, or freezes in layers like icicles, allow gases to escape, resulting in clearer ice.
 
That makes sense...So like if it takes a while, it can "gas out" before it freezes?...One thing I must add is that the water tasted horrible when it was white and crumbly...Now it tastes as good as water can taste here.
 
i have no idea, but ive always wondered how the resturants get their ice crystal clear. ours is always white. i hope someone can shed some light on this.
 
Onion01;2133530; said:
You get clear ice for 2 reasons...

#1
purity. The purer the water, the more transparent it will be. Microscopic particles, minerals, or anything of the sort will lead to darker ice
#2
The longer it takes to form ice, the clearer. When you stick a tray of water in the fridge, it will quickly freeze, resulting in air bubbles being trapped in the ice. This is why our fridge ice has that typical, translucent look in the middle. Water that takes longer to freeze, or freezes in layers like icicles, allow gases to escape, resulting in clearer ice.
Click to expand...


oh thanks. sorry for my post, check the post time. we were all in sink:nilly:
 
Onion01;2133530; said:
You get clear ice for 2 reasons...

#1
purity. The purer the water, the more transparent it will be. Microscopic particles of any sort will lead to darker ice
#2
The longer it takes to form ice, the clearer. When you stick a tray of water in the fridge, it will quickly freeze, resulting in air bubbles being trapped in the ice. This is why our fridge ice has that typical, translucent look in the middle. Water that takes longer to freeze, or freezes in layers like icicles, allow gases to escape, resulting in clearer ice.
Click to expand...




What are those particles, and how do they affect aquaria? And what is the cause of them being there at times, but not all the time?



Thanks for the replies guys.
 
if you boil water before freezing it, you'll get clear ice. Boiling eliminates dissolved gases, and filtering removes minerals and particles. Distilled water will work as well I believe
 
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