Instant Ocean Reef Crystals - Low Calcium

[rtparty]

Thanks! I did another mix today after dumping the salt bucket and mixing it into another larger container thinking it might be the solution, but nope....Ca: 350 Mg: 1185.

I hate having to spend more $$ to boost up the Ca and Mg as a result that this salt have lower than advertised values.

What is the alkalinity? Have you made Randy’s salinity solution just to double check all salinity testing devices?

Calcium and magnesium both low sounds much more like a salinity issue and if alkalinity is low, that basically confirms it

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

Thanks! I did another mix today after dumping the salt bucket and mixing it into another larger container thinking it might be the solution, but nope....Ca: 350 Mg: 1185.

I hate having to spend more $$ to boost up the Ca and Mg as a result that this salt have lower than advertised values.

Do you have lot information?

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

What is the alkalinity? Have you made Randy’s salinity solution just to double check all salinity testing devices?

Calcium and magnesium both low sounds much more like a salinity issue and if alkalinity is low, that basically confirms it

I did for my TM hydrometer a couple of months ago. It came up +0.3 ppt, <1% error from theoretical and well within the stated accuracy of +/-0.001 SpG @ 77°F.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks! I did another mix today after dumping the salt bucket and mixing it into another larger container thinking it might be the solution, but nope....Ca: 350 Mg: 1185.

I hate having to spend more $$ to boost up the Ca and Mg as a result that this salt have lower than advertised values.

Long ago, when normal IO had a specification that listed it as having 350 ppm calcium, I determined that it was actually cheaper to add Dowflake calcium chloride to it to boost calcium than to use just salt mix. The reasoning was that the Dowflake was cheaper than salt mix, per gram, so adding it actually reduces costs to attain constant salinity.

I’m not sure what you use to boost calcium,,but that may still be the case if it is inexpensive enough.

 

[mook1178]

How are you mixing your salt? Could be precipitation as well, but if multiple parameters that are conservative with salinity are low, then most likely your salinity is low.

 

[trmiv]

FWIW I had an issue with multiple batches of instant ocean (regular purple lid not reef crystals) lately having low magnesium. Calcium around 400, but magnesium around 1000-1100. Yes I know home magnesium tests aren’t great, but I had three buckets I purchased from chewy, petco and petsmart. Two of the three had the super low magnesium, but the other tested fine at just over 1300. I didn’t really notice until I saw my magnesium going down way too fast on my Trident, which didn’t make much sense to me so I started testing the salt.

This and an issue I had in the past with a box having sky high alkalinity have really put me off IO. It seems QT can be a little spotty. Plus the price without playing auto ship games is no longer cheap enough to justify using it over more quality salts IMO.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I get normal IO from chewy and Petco, and ICP showed plenty of magnesium in the tank. Only molybdate and nickel were low, and I add those and do not need to buy expensive salt mixes to get good tank values of most everything.