Bulk soda ash discontinued?

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TaylorPilot

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All this back and fourth and i still have not seen anyone show the difference between the old pharmaceutical grade and the new pharmaceutical grade. This is the reason why most are upset about the change I bet if brs had just raised the price and did not say this is better than that we would not be going through this.

I was thinking the same thing. If they had just said prices are rising, and were not making any money on that product anymore. Everyone would have said ok and gone about their days....LOL
 

Shawn Dahl

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Yes we would, people love to complain instead of sucking it up, moving on and pay for the new product or use a different product. I am happy with the new product, so I'll keep using it and continue to support a company that has done and continues to do so many things to advance the hobby, making it better for all the reefers out there. Even the ones that want to turn around and complain about the good deal they got on a quality product just because they want more. Here's an idea, buy 5 of the 7 pound bags, because you can buy them in BULK, put into your old 5 gallon bucket, and get over it. Heck, i bet they might even let you buy 10 of the 7 pound bags since they're BULK REEF SUPPLY. Have a good day, happy reefing!
 
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LobsterOfJustice

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So great to see they have posted up 5g buckets of the new stuff.

Some of you guys might not know this, but BRS was started as “twopartsolution.com” and was exclusively a place to get BULK CHEAP raw materials for making two part. Those of you who have only been around a few years might see this as just a small side of what they do (which is probably true now) but this is really how they got started and they really did change the landscape of reefing by making these bulk materials affordable. I go through several pounds of two part components every month and without BRS offering these components cheap and in bulk I would probably have to switch away from using 2-part. I mix up my own stronger concentrations so pre-portioned packets that only make up a gallon or two at a time aren’t useful to me.

I don’t think the switch to higher quality ingredients was necessary since thousands of people have been using the current ingredients for years without issue. But, we don’t know the whole story as far as sourcing, overhead, suppliers, etc. so I can deal with the product line change.

I just want to keep the “Bulk” in Bulk Reef Supply.
 

LobsterOfJustice

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So great to see they have posted up 5g buckets of the new stuff.

Some of you guys might not know this, but BRS was started as “twopartsolution.com” and was exclusively a place to get BULK CHEAP raw materials for making two part. Those of you who have only been around a few years might see this as just a small side of what they do (which is probably true now) but this is really how they got started and they really did change the landscape of reefing by making these bulk materials affordable. I go through several pounds of two part components every month and without BRS offering these components cheap and in bulk I would probably have to switch away from using 2-part. I mix up my own stronger concentrations so pre-portioned packets that only make up a gallon or two at a time aren’t useful to me.

I don’t think the switch to higher quality ingredients was necessary since thousands of people have been using the current ingredients for years without issue. But, we don’t know the whole story as far as sourcing, overhead, suppliers, etc. so I can deal with the product line change.

I just want to keep the “Bulk” in Bulk Reef Supply.
 

Ryanbrs

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For what it is worth I told the team to bring back the five-gallon buckets with the new materials. Even though we never sold that many of these it does seem like something everyone would like to see available :)

I am also going to work on a BRSTV investigates on the impurities between various options in the marketplace. I can guarantee there will be distinct differences we can all debate the value of :) However, the current experiments and the ULM series has got me working weekends as it is so I would expect to see something late summer or fall.

Just to give you a window into what you can expect to see with our USP Kalkwasser. I fully acknowledge that many of the contaminants will precipitate out in the high pH lime water but not all of them and it also assumes none of what settles out is ever added to the tank. There is a very real difference between the materials based on their intended use. Each individual can make their own value determination on if the up to 10 ppm lead or 0.02 ppm is worth the added expense. I look forward to working on the investigates episode. It will be interesting at the very least.

A standard food grade many people use
Assay Ca(OH)2 95 – 100.5%
Magnesium and Alkali Salts Less than 4.8%
Fluoride Less than 50 ppm
Lead Less than 10 ppm
Arsenic Less than 3 ppm
Acid Insoluble Substances Less than 0.5%


The BRS USP kalkwasser has the following based on a manufacturer COA
Assay Ca(OH)2 100%
Magnesium and Alkali Salts Less than 0.00%
Fluoride 0.00%
Aluminum 0.48 ppm
Lead 0.02 PPM
Arsenic 0.10
Acid Insoluble Substances Less than 0.00%
 
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Ryanbrs

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Just wanted to thank everyone for asking the hard questions and motivating us to get this series done. I agree reefers should know the quality of what they are buying, in a manner that goes beyond a marketing pitch. This series pretty clearly demonstrates the differences you can expect with the new pharma line between other common options in the market. At the same time for those of you who want to use the cheapest available option, the data reinforces the viability of some off the shelf chems which are very solid values.

In fact, if using the highest quality available isn't a priority, I think we showed some options which are an even better value than the old BRS chems. Even though our finance guy will kill me for saying that, I think reefers should use what they find to be most valuable to their specific needs or desires for their tanks. Really comes down to how each person values that buck or two a month. The answer will be different for each reefer.

BTW, we didn't bother testing the discontinued chems, mostly just because we don't have many of them here. Many are sourced in shipping containers from Europe and they all change from one production run to the next so it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend thousands testing product that doesn't exist any longer and wouldn't be the same as some of the discontinued product anyways. May have been interesting but not a ton of value.



 

Mickeyt1reef

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Ju
I get where you are going with the investigates opportunity, and that's maybe something we can get to after everything that's already in the works. However, it is a pretty low priority in relation to other testing opportunities. I think most of us would rather see the results of how flow, spectrum, pH and coral foods affect coral coloration and growth rather than the effects of saving a few bucks a month on kalkwasser :)

End of the day all of these additives are just nutritional supplements for animals we care for. Similar to any pet food or nutritional supplement for our dogs, cats or birds. The likelihood that most of us would be able to identify if the quality of the raw materials going into Science Diet or some organic grain free diet is really better than Meow Mix is pretty low no matter how long you watch your cat. The presumption is we just do the best we can for them, research what we think is best for our pets and fits within a reasonable budget.

In this case, even though BRS chems have been the best value retail offering, they have never been the cheapest option out there. Buying industrial chemicals produced for industrial purposes like ice melting or pool chemistry and taking the time to bake baking soda has and always will always be the cheapest option out there. Similar to the lowest cost pet food out there it will very likely keep your pets alive, in reasonable health and in most cases won't be so toxic that anyone would notice health differences with the naked eye or be able to attribute them to the food in the long term. The difficulty is when you run into some form of tank issue down the road it's really impossible to know what caused it so one of the best approaches as always been to eliminate as many potential causes as we can, to begin with. The value proposition of industrial chemicals is just the most affordable solution possible. I don't think anyone has ever claimed it is the best option and those using it are probably not in search of the better or best option, just acceptable quality at the lowest cost.

Part of transitioning to a full line of chems that use pharmaceutical grade raw materials is to make it easier for those researching what they want to put in their tanks. Anyone can say they are "better" or the "best," but that really has no meaning. The independently graded material has definable quality standards. As you can imagine there is a fairly dramatic difference in the manufacturing processes, facilities, cross contamination standards and raw materials used between products between something designed to be an affordable method of melting ice and something designed to be used for human dialysis, baby formula or pharmaceuticals. We can all debate if our tanks need this standard of quality but considering the pretty low overall cost, I think a lot of what reefers are buying here is peace of mind and the ability to skip a debate that will likely never have a universally agreed upon answer.

End of the day I don't think there is "one product to rule them all" but I'd certainly like to think we offer the best value mix of quality and price out there. I can only hope others share this view.
Just get stocked up please so it’s available for my new build. I’ll pay a few bucks extra NOT to deal with the sucky zip locks. I ***** every time I close the things.
 

Addicted2ACRO's

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For what it is worth I told the team to bring back the five-gallon buckets with the new materials. Even though we never sold that many of these it does seem like something everyone would like to see available :)

I am also going to work on a BRSTV investigates on the impurities between various options in the marketplace. I can guarantee there will be distinct differences we can all debate the value of :) However, the current experiments and the ULM series has got me working weekends as it is so I would expect to see something late summer or fall.

Just to give you a window into what you can expect to see with our USP Kalkwasser. I fully acknowledge that many of the contaminants will precipitate out in the high pH lime water but not all of them and it also assumes none of what settles out is ever added to the tank. There is a very real difference between the materials based on their intended use. Each individual can make their own value determination on if the up to 10 ppm lead or 0.02 ppm is worth the added expense. I look forward to working on the investigates episode. It will be interesting at the very least.

A standard food grade many people use
Assay Ca(OH)2 95 – 100.5%
Magnesium and Alkali Salts Less than 4.8%
Fluoride Less than 50 ppm
Lead Less than 10 ppm
Arsenic Less than 3 ppm
Acid Insoluble Substances Less than 0.5%


The BRS USP kalkwasser has the following based on a manufacturer COA
Assay Ca(OH)2 100%
Magnesium and Alkali Salts Less than 0.00%
Fluoride 0.00%
Aluminum 0.48 ppm
Lead 0.02 PPM
Arsenic 0.10
Acid Insoluble Substances Less than 0.00%

IMHO...I think those people, like myself, that have long established systems that very much enjoy the hobby appreciate the 5 gallon buckets. That's all I purchase when I need a supply of A, C & M. It's less expensive in the long run and lasts a long time. The only thing that I request is to manufacture and supply Lab Grade materials.
 

JonJ

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Just get stocked up please so it’s available for my new build. I’ll pay a few bucks extra NOT to deal with the sucky zip locks. I ***** every time I close the things.

Omg those ziplocks are capable of causing fits of rage. They have been out of the 7lb bags so I stocked up on the 1 gallon bags. More expensive but the silver lining is that I don’t have to seal the bag after use, lol.
 

Bulk Reef Supply

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Looks like this old thread got bumped up to the top, so I just wanted to pop in and say that there are no plans to discontinue any of the BRS two part products. Availability may be affected during the current Covid-19 situation, but they're here to stay :)
 

Bryn

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While this has bumped up, let me ask a question. I still having some pinch bottles, and as expected the bottles of Magnesium Chloride are hard as a rock. I was going to spend a few hours of my life and break up the "rock" using a food processor to make it into a grain, and mixing up a big batch of Magnesium to finish out the old pinch bottle supply.

Question is the shelf life of this new mixture, as I do not use a lot of it on a total 100G with small up take? Expect it to sit around for 1-1.5 years.

Thanks
 

Bulk Reef Supply

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There really isn't a shelf life on any of our two part products, but the longer they sit, the higher chance that moisture will become an issue. This is especially true with magnesium. As long as you can find a way to accurately measure, I don't see your plan being an issue.

Since you're not using much magnesium, next time you're ready to buy magnesium mix, I'd suggest the pre-portioned bag. It makes 1 gallon of magnesium solution so no need to store it/deal with the moisture issues :)
 
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