Do we foresee Instant Ocean supply chain issues?

[animateash]

Keeping tabs on the news related to U.S. supply chain and imports, I wondered whether there's any risk that aquarists will encounter shortages of essential supplies like Instant Ocean and Reef Crystals. I looked up where Instant Ocean is made and it appears the company is in Virginia, but it was unclear whether they produce the salt there or import it from elsewhere and do the cleaning/filtering/packaging in the U.S.
Anyone have first hand knowledge from being in the shipping or aquarium product industries? Asking the question in case we all better go buy the giant buckets of salt sooner than later.

 

[bubbgee]

I'm more worried about the premium stuff like Nyos, Tropic Marin and RedSea. I am switching to IO in my next water change in preparation. Also invest in trace elements to correct what's missing in IO.

 

[exnisstech]

I'm more worried about the premium stuff like Nyos, Tropic Marin and RedSea. I am switching to IO in my next water change in preparation. Also invest in trace elements to correct what's missing in IO.

What trace elements are missing from IO ? Curious because it's what I've used for for 8 years and I've never added any trace elements.

 

[bubbgee]

What trace elements are missing from IO ? Curious because it's what I've used for for 8 years and I've never added any trace elements.

No idea what's missing, but cheap salt means.. well.. yeah..
Isn't that the reason why the premium salts are dosed with trace?

Plus there are other source of trace like fish food, fish poop and such. Chris Sabella (Pieces of the Ocean) does not dose trace and relies only on fish poop and Instant Ocean

 

[exnisstech]

No idea what's missing, but cheap salt means.. well.. yeah..
Isn't that the reason why the premium salts are dosed with trace?

Plus there are other source of trace like fish food, fish poop and such. Chris Sabella (Pieces of the Ocean) does not dose trace and relies only on fish poop and Instant Ocean

I was just curious about your statement because my tanks do very well on IO and fish poop lol.
The info I see often is that trace elements seem to be a bit of mystery as far as what elements and how much is even needed or useful.
Just because something is cheaper doesn't always mean it's inferior.
I think IO is one if the most used salts in public aquariums or so I've read . Randy HF is an expert and its the salt he used for years.

 

[CoralNewb]

I’ll bet It’s only cheap because of distribution costs…IO is expensive in England…in terms of ingredients, I’ll hedge my bets with IO being just as good as the rest.

 

[Ryan - Serious Reefs]

IO is probably best positioned to maintain stock. Thing is it could be as simple as buckets or, bucket handles that get some companies. There will be a lot of new pressure on the US made components. Luckily there are boxes :)

 

[Ryan - Serious Reefs]

I’ll bet It’s only cheap because of distribution costs…IO is expensive in England…in terms of ingredients, I’ll hedge my bets with IO being just as good as the rest.

I’m not sure if this is still the case, but I’m fairly certain that European IO was made in Europe using different, locally available raw materials.

In my experience, salt cost is influenced by six factors:

1. Production and Freight: As you mentioned, where the salt is made and the cost of freight play a big role.
2. Distribution: The number of intermediaries involved in getting the salt to you and taking a cut impacts the price.
3. Raw Materials: Source of Sodium chloride is the primary difference, followed by magnesium chloride. Clean, affordable magnesium is a challenge, as sources and purification methods vary significantly between global regions.
4. Quality of Equipment and Mixing: "Bad batches" are often the result of insufficient mixing or using inferior methods.
5. Actual Salt Content: Some brands claim to make 160 gallons at 35 PPT but fall short, using it as a sales gimmick, while others genuinely meet that volume
6. MAP: Some brands control the price to build in a few points of profit for the LFS. Others don't care and let everyone sell it as a loss leader to get people in the door or customer acquisition.

How does this translate to better or worse for your tank? That's a much bigger debate :)

 

[SnowyFox]

I'm more worried about the premium stuff like Nyos, Tropic Marin and RedSea. I am switching to IO in my next water change in preparation. Also invest in trace elements to correct what's missing in IO.

I recently grabbed 4 buckets of the Nyos salt during the last sale at BRS a few weeks ago just in case. Should be set for the next year or two now :grinning-face-with-sweat:

 

[SlowAndStupid]

IO is probably best positioned to maintain stock. Thing is it could be as simple as buckets or, bucket handles that get some companies. There will be a lot of new pressure on the US made components. Luckily there are boxes :)

I have an autoship set up for 2 boxes monthly and they were out of stock this month through chewy. I checked elsewhere and they were out too. I was able to get buckets but it does have me concerned.

 

[cilyjr]

I recently grabbed 4 buckets of the Nyos salt during the last sale at BRS a few weeks ago just in case. Should be set for the next year or two now :grinning-face-with-sweat:

I would not keep it until used for 2 years. About 6 months is the most I would go. Especially with some of the less popular brands because you don't know how long they've been sitting in the supply chain.

If it is not an anhydrous mix, there is a small amount of water in with the salt. If it sits a long time then there will be some precipitation in the bucket. It may not be much depending, but it could be significant.

 

[Ryan - Serious Reefs]

I have an autoship set up for 2 boxes monthly and they were out of stock this month through chewy. I checked elsewhere and they were out too. I was able to get buckets but it does have me concerned.

Interesting. One thing that I didn't contemplate is people planning for this. The existence of this thread is proof enough that many people are going to start buying an abnormal amount. That effect often scales rapidly and overwhelms the supply chain.

 

[rtparty]

There won’t be real issues. Just a bunch of FUD and the issues will come from people buying 10 buckets that only need 1 per year

 

[bubbgee]

I recently grabbed 4 buckets of the Nyos salt during the last sale at BRS a few weeks ago just in case. Should be set for the next year or two now :grinning-face-with-sweat:

Moonshiners and no water change is always an option lol
Imagine a generation of reefers became moonshiners in a year because Instant Ocean was $100 for a 25lb bag

 

[dcal1985]

There won’t be real issues. Just a bunch of FUD and the issues will come from people buying 10 buckets that only need 1 per year

Flashbacks to Covid toilet paper...

 

[BZOFIQ]

There won’t be real issues. Just a bunch of FUD and the issues will come from people buying 10 buckets that only need 1 per year

I did exactly that... when they were coming out at little over $20 per.

I do a bucket per water change.

 

[SnowyFox]

Moonshiners and no water change is always an option lol
Imagine a generation of reefers became moonshiners in a year because Instant Ocean was $100 for a 25lb bag

I'm already using Triton Core7 for my 2 part on my tank, so going without water changes is theoretically doable down the road if needed, though I prefer the regular water change route with it for the extra safety factor that provides

 

[BZOFIQ]

I have an autoship set up for 2 boxes monthly and they were out of stock this month through chewy. I checked elsewhere and they were out too. I was able to get buckets but it does have me concerned.

Chewy has the item in stock, just ordered a bucket for ~$39 with shipping and taxes. After it ships they will also give me a $20 gift certificate (use code WELCOME) that I can use to purchase fish food for free.

You can do it too - use your head.

 

[IceNein]

I was just curious about your statement because my tanks do very well on IO and fish poop lol.
The info I see often is that trace elements seem to be a bit of mystery as far as what elements and how much is even needed or useful.
Just because something is cheaper doesn't always mean it's inferior.
I think IO is one if the most used salts in public aquariums or so I've read . Randy HF is an expert and its the salt he used for years.

Honestly when I was deciding what salt to use at first, I was having a whole lot of analysis paralysis, but searching through these forums for advice, I kept seeing people who have tanks that I think are amazing using IO salts. I kept hearing old timers say they've been using it for 20 years.

So given that it's the cheapest, it's widely available at your local pet store, many people run successful tanks with it, I will take all criticisms of it with a grain of salt (see what I did there) until there is some proof that it is substandard.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Honestly when I was deciding what salt to use at first, I was having a whole lot of analysis paralysis, but searching through these forums for advice, I kept seeing people who have tanks that I think are amazing using IO salts. I kept hearing old timers say they've been using it for 20 years.

So given that it's the cheapest, it's widely available at your local pet store, many people run successful tanks with it, I will take all criticisms of it with a grain of salt (see what I did there) until there is some proof that it is substandard.

Nearly every public aquarium uses it....enough said!