All other salts are double the price of Instant Ocean. Is it really worth it?

[ReefRxSWFL]

I have not cleaned out my salt water mixing barrel in I think 4 years. The last time was when I upgraded tanks to the Reefer350 so everything was being "renewed" or examined.

I have no schedule regimen to clean my Instant Ocean salt water mixing barrel in the future.

They are just precipitates. There are probably precipitates all over your tank in some corner, on some rock, a little on the heater, a little on the overflow. Do you clean all the precipitates squeaky clean in your tank? If not, why would anyone feel the need to clean out the precipitates in your salt mixing barrel?

I guess I'd clean precipitates out squeaky clean in my tank if I wanted to take a ToTM photo or if Walt Smith was a guest at my house for aesthetics, but no need for my salt water mixing barrel.

Keep in mind….. EVERYTHING IS IN THE OCEAN!

So contaminants in your salt, just mimics nature.

So dont sweat if you need to use Chemiclean. That cyanide they used to use to catch fish, or everything that comes down the Hudson River….. like Prego…… its in there!

 

[ReefRxSWFL]

I use the IORC. I buy the bucket over the box of bags simply because the price is identical and I get a free bucket out of the deal. Plus, the buckets keep the salt from clumping as easily as it does in a bag if you do not use it all at once.

I have never tried any other brand, and have no desire to. I see my own tank. See how beautiful it looks. See how my corals and fish look happy and healthy, and that is all that matters to me.

With all of the other avenues this hobby has for separating you from your hard earned money, I see no reason to add to it by using more expensive salt.

I bought a bucker, kept the bucket, and empty the bags from the box into the bucket.
Win-win

 

[ReefRxSWFL]

Has anyone mixed? So buy the sale IO and say red reef and combined? Best of both worlds?

Thats interesting, whats your ALK? Mine is good at 8 right after the mix.
Or is my Hanna ALK checker out of calibration...

I check once per box, and its almost always between 9 & 10.

 

[ReefRxSWFL]

No, his point was that it is a retailer and they have a bias behind the scenes for sales numbers.

Anyway, it is a waste of time, because they aren't even using other prices from amazon. As a consumer you need to check all vendors for the best cost for yourself. They restricted it to BRS prices. As consumers, we have no such limit, we can purchase anywhere for the best price which makes the comparative video useless to us.

Why do so many people view these “for profit” companies as these altruistic, unbiased humanitarians who would only tell the truth as if it came down from Mount Siani, written in Hebrew on stone tablets?

(the halo is under the ball cap)

 

[ReefRxSWFL]

Yes, I think I recall him saying that. Probably because BRS margins weren't good enough with IO.

I admit some BRS videos are very informative, but when it comes to "brand name shootouts" you have to be on your guard. They will promote whoever supports them via sponsorship or gives them the most profit margins.

Thats why we should form a collective! Like a union of reefer consumers! An independent third party committee made up of consumers and release our views and opinions. And I can be the Lord Chief Executive Presidential Prime Minister Chanceller of The Peoples Democratic Reefer Consumer Consortium Group. The Sovereign PDRCCG.

We can do sales strikes! "Lower your prices!" .. "The Aqua Equalizer is a piece of junk!" Protest in front of corporate headquarters of bad companies with signs that have pictures of a scared innocent baby clownfish surrounded by magnets from the Aqua Equalizer. We can all handcuff ourselves to the office door and chant "heck no, We won't Go! heck no, We won't go!" and "Free Willlly!"

LoL.

The point I believe he was trying to make was BRS posted the amount of gallons that you actually get out of the packaging when mixing to a SpG of 1.026

Just because salt A says it makes 200 gallons @ 1.022 doesn't mean that it makes 200 gallons at 1.026.

Using the numbers from the referenced video and wherever your cost comparing from will still give you a pretty accurate cost per gallon. You can use Amazon, LFS, brs, etc pricing it doesn't matter as the actual volume per mix will be constant.

For example:
If salt A cost 10 bucks to for a 50 gallon bag, and salt B cost 15 bucks for a 50 gallon bag.

Salt A when mixing to a SpG of 1.026 gives you 40 gallons

Salt B when mixing to a SpG of 1.026 gives you 45 gallons.

Using the math cost/total gallons (at required SpG) will give you the true cost. Which would work out to be $0.25 per gallon for salt A and $0.22 for salt B.

So while A may look cheaper on a cost per gallon for actual use B is the better deal.

Yeah, but around that time, i was switching from Red Sea back to IO, and put myself in the doghouse because I took my wifes kit hen scale and mixed the salts by their weights, and didn't get 1.026 on either salt.

I also have the same PAR meter they use, and my Kessils dont have as high PAR as theirs do, and my G4 XR30s have way more PAR than the ones they used.

so, mileage may varry

 

[ReefRxSWFL]

This is interesting too.... when on TM Pro, I had coraline all over the glass, consistently scraping it, ever since switching to RC, a bit has remained on the rockwork but I get nothing on the glass whatsoever. Thus I assume not enough coraline to chew up the alk. I've heard some seed it, on a really old system worthwhile to try?

Wonder whats the difference in iodine

 

[PeterEde]

I don't think Randy is stupid, but I've heard him say things that were clear indicators of mental deficiency. Such as: I would never use baking soda to raise alk and I would never use vinegar to clean pumps because it's not pure enough. Both of which are terribly unpure cooking and baking products, as we know.

OK, maybe that was a little mean but I doubt he'd voice half his opinions if Ryan proofed and approved them first.

A recent video I watched they did state lab grade

 

[nick0206]

I use salt from Tropic Marin Pro.
First, I have a tank for 75 gallons and I make a replacement of only 5 gallons per week, i.e. I have enough salt for 25 weeks. And it is almost six months.
Secondly, all the inspections and opinions of experts agree that salt from TM is the best.
Thirdly. Have you heard about the Balling system? This was developed by Dr. Balling, chief specialist in Marin Tropic. Salt mixtures, too, he developed.
Fourth. Tanks with dosing of carbonate, the level of alkalinity should not exceed 8 dkh (I have 7), so that salts with the level of alkalinity, 10-13 are clearly not suitable
So, I am for TM.

 

[ReefRxSWFL]

I use salt from Tropic Marin Pro.
First, I have a tank for 75 gallons and I make a replacement of only 5 gallons per week, i.e. I have enough salt for 25 weeks. And it is almost six months.
Secondly, all the inspections and opinions of experts agree that salt from TM is the best.
Thirdly. Have you heard about the Balling system? This was developed by Dr. Balling, chief specialist in Marin Tropic. Salt mixtures, too, he developed.
Fourth. Tanks with dosing of carbonate, the level of alkalinity should not exceed 8 dkh (I have 7), so that salts with the level of alkalinity, 10-13 are clearly not suitable
So, I am for TM.

Careful of who you consider “experts”. Youtuber does not equal expert. Jason Fox uses IO, Jake Adams uses 2lil fish, WWC used IO for years before switching to Brightwell, Tidal Gardens uses Reef Crystals, Julian Sprung uses Acura Sea, and i believe Sanjay still uses IO. They are experts.

If BRS are your experts, I havnt seen anything to support that. That 160 had more Aptasia than Ive had total in 24 years. They crashed it and killed all the fish, that XXL took a year to grow anything, and Ryans tank in his home never made it off the ground, and no one has ever seen results from all the recommendations from his parrot.

If you are not acheiving success, its has nothing to do with your salt brand.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Secondly, all the inspections and opinions of experts agree that salt from TM is the best.

They do?

If there's one thing that seems to me has about the widest divergence of opinion in reefing its which salt is "best".

I'd actually bet you'll find the most common opinion among highly experienced reefers is it doesn't matter. lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Fourth. Tanks with dosing of carbonate, the level of alkalinity should not exceed 8 dkh (I have 7), so that salts with the level of alkalinity, 10-13 are clearly not suitable

That's quite an extreme assertion. Why is 10 dKH not suitable?

 

[scchase]

Thank you! In general, BRS has done some good work.

Odd. I needed two things from the lab. Found the first immediately, but the Standard Methods isn't in the lab library, nor the other in the basement of the 4 in my office. I'll keep looking. This manual was written when collection of corals in American waters was still legal. I'll post those as well.

If I recall the formula is in Martin Moe's book, I will check tonight when I get home

 

[Cool tangs]

I don't think it matters all that much. I use natural sea water from the ocean, I'm too lazy to mix salt and don't like wasting my RODI filters

Not to mention it's a lot cheaper then buying bags of salt

 

[ReefRxSWFL]

That's quite an extreme assertion. Why is 10 dKH not suitable?

I havnt had a tank in at least a decade below 9-11 dkh. Before that, i just wasnt testing

 

[Cool tangs]

That's quite an extreme assertion. Why is 10 dKH not suitable?

Whilst I think there is many ways to reef and no one way is the correct way. I've definitely noticed corals bleach easier at higher DKH vs lower, but that's just my experience. There could be more factors then just DKH

 

[ReefRxSWFL]

Whilst I think there is many ways to reef and no one way is the correct way. I've definitely noticed corals bleach easier at higher DKH vs lower, but that's just my experience. There could be more factors then just DKH

Alk burn is more than just having high dkh.

 

[The Farmer]

When are we going to start comparing what ppl drive these days? Really doesn’t it matter what salt we choose to use? I’m sure everyone compared prices and parameters, and choose which ever one that works for them with pricing and the parameters needed for there systems.
If I’m not mistaken IO is mass produced and widely distributed across the country if not the world, they can afford to sell a 50g bag for $12

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

I’ve been buying Reef Crystals in the 200 gallon box from Walmart, delivered right to my door. Cheaper than I.O. from any aquarium store. A bottle of Kent Iodine, and Magnesium is super cheap. Just add per bottle to the mixing container before starting the water change. IMO, Saltwater quality has more to do with adding part of the salt and giving it time to dissolve before adding more.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Whilst I think there is many ways to reef and no one way is the correct way. I've definitely noticed corals bleach easier at higher DKH vs lower, but that's just my experience. There could be more factors then just DKH

Reef tanks operate perfectly fine at 10 dKH. Many hard corals grow faster. You do need to make sure you have adequate nutrients in the water to not grow skeletons faster than the tissue can keep up (which is a likely explanation of burnt tips).

 

[scchase]

Make your own:
Sodium Chloride 23.477 grams
Magnesium Chloride 4.981
Sodium sulphate 3.917
Calcium chloride 1.102
Potassium chloride 0.664
Sodium bicarbonate 0.192
Potassium bromide 0.096
Boric acid 0.026
Strontium chloride 0.024
Sodium flouride 0.003
water to a total of 1000 grams
this makes a total of one liter of saltwater
Lyman and James, The Composition of Sea water, 1940 Journal of Marine Research No3, Vol 134