Salt - Page 3

steveweast · 07-14-2006, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tashier

If good salt is more expensive to make, how can you be using Oceanpure

You are misinterpreting what I'm saying. I don't care what a salt costs....I'm more concerned with ocean values of the major components. There are several salts that meet this criteria. I chose Oceanpure because I could get it in bulk at a low price...that may not be the case next time....next time it could be seachem or tropic marin. I go through at least two 200gal boxes a month.

tashier · 07-14-2006, 11:01 PM

Sooooooooo...... if there is such a problem with the quality of IO salt, why isn't anyone calling IO and complaining. I mean normal price on that stuff is around $50 a bucket. Not cheap. I'm going to mix up a batch tomorrow and test it just out of my own curiosity, although I don't have the greatest test kits.

steveweast · 07-14-2006, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tashier

Sooooooooo...... if there is such a problem with the quality of IO salt, why isn't anyone calling IO and complaining. I mean normal price on that stuff is around $50 a bucket. Not cheap. I'm going to mix up a batch tomorrow and test it just out of my own curiosity, although I don't have the greatest test kits.

There are no complaints because it is not harmful or toxic to our tanks....it just has poor values in Ca and Mg (and sometimes a too high alk)....which should be 420 an 1300. Stony coral keepers work hard to keep those values up to ocean levels with reactors or two part additives....why defeat those hard efforts with a salt low in those elements ?

steveweast · 07-14-2006, 11:10 PM

I've imparted all that I have to say on this subject. Your salt choice is your business....I was just trying to broaden your horizons.

SULLY · 07-14-2006, 11:28 PM

I agree with Steve. I do not like I.O. salt myself for the tanks with SPS in them. I have had numerous occassions with bad results from using that salt and not testing the mix before i put it into the system. They had a problem for awhile with the salt compounds settling out in the buckets and when you would scoop the salt out of the bucket, you would get really screwed up mixes because some of the important compounds settled to the bottom of the bucket and obviously you would scoop from the top. Anyways, make sure you test and salt mix you use before you dump into your system and that way you should know exactly what your levels will be when you are done.

Sully

tashier · 07-15-2006, 02:31 AM

Well, all interesting information. I don't know why it seems I find out the BAD information AFTER I've already bought something for the tank. Not that I'm saying IO is bad, but I never heard one negative thing before I just bought a brand new bucket.

tashier · 07-15-2006, 02:33 AM

I think everything I've bought, which I was originally told would be good or adequate, turns out it aint. Red Sea test kits, now I find out they suck. My skimmer, now I find out it's too small. IO salt, etc. etc. I'd love to get my money back from all the people that sold me this crap.

steveweast · 07-15-2006, 09:30 AM

There's nothing wrong with the IO salt....it's just low in Ca and Mg. If you read that thread that I linked to above, you'll see several people who mix their IO 50/50 with Oceanic (since Oceanic is high in Ca and Mg). You could either augment your current bucket....or get a bucket of Oceanic and mix the two......or sell it to the several folks around here who are just starting up a new tank and don't have any stony corals yet....lots of options...it's not poison after all.

steveweast · 07-15-2006, 09:33 AM

As for test kits....you can never go wrong with Sailfert. They are cheap, locally available, easy to use, and accurate. You should, at a minimum have a Ca, Mg, pH, PO4, NO3, alk......and NH4 and NO2 if just starting a new tank.

steveweast · 07-15-2006, 09:37 AM

As for your skimmer....I'm awaiting a larger Deltec skimmer for my cold water tank....when it comes (maybe a couple of weeks), I'll be selling my Deltec ap600....which is a top rated skimmer with a capacity up to 200gal.

http://www.deltecusa.us/proteinskimmers/ap600.php

Twitterbait · 07-16-2006, 05:58 PM

Good information Steve and i do appreciate the time and candor you put into it. I will state that i have never had a problem with ALK or Calcium levels with IO either at the top or bottom of the bucket. i have always been dead center (yes i run a calcium reactor). and have had all my SPS spawn twice now and have had phenominal growth on all SPS Clams etc...

It comes down to what you prefer in the end. I have to agree with steve that you should test yourself and forget about what everyone else is saying... in the end though just do what work for you and don't worry about what the critics are saying... and there are critics for every kind of salt.

thanks for playing nice guys

, i have seen salt threads really blow up before.

HowardX · 07-18-2006, 09:00 AM

<<< Seachem salt is currently under fire. The salt normally has good values right out of the box.....but....they just had a bad batch that is wrecking havoc on some very high end reefs. >>>

This was months ago, and all of the bad buckets should have long been off the market by now. I use Seachem Reef Salt and am consistently very happy with it's parameters.

steveweast · 07-18-2006, 11:09 AM

The production may have been months ago....but, folks are having problems today....as is evident by the thread that I linked above. Seachem representative's comments are only few days old. Some salt can sit in a LFS for many, many months before being sold.....so, this problem will be relevant for many months to come.

But, the real message here is ....that no matter how high quality a salt may be....test every batch....mistakes can happen to the best of companies.

Twitterbait · 07-18-2006, 03:43 PM

good point, i'll have to start.

tashier · 07-18-2006, 04:16 PM

So...

I purchased a bucket of seachem reef salt. Mixed up a gallon of seachem and IO to a SG of ~1.024. Since I'm at work and I don't remember the specific numbers I can't list them but the Seachem seemed good on CA but very low on Magnesium. The IO tested good on Mg but slightly low on CA. So I guess I should mix the two together for a good mix.