LET'S GET SALTY: What's a FAIR price for salt and what are you using in 2020?

What is a fair price to pay for a 160g - 200g bucket of salt?

  • $50 or less

    Votes: 267 37.8%
  • $75 or less

    Votes: 339 48.0%
  • $100 or less

    Votes: 85 12.0%
  • Other and you better explain in the thread! :)

    Votes: 15 2.1%

  • Total voters
    706

nereefpat

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 20, 2018
Messages
7,929
Reaction score
8,687
Location
Central Nebraska
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That said - It doesnt have all of the elements needed for a 'reef aquarium' - other wise - there wouldn't be a choice for 'the reef version'

You're kidding, right? Lots of tanks of the month on different sites use IO. Many zoos and aquariums use IO. What elements do you think it's missing?
 

MnFish1

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
22,561
Reaction score
21,791
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
I get my IO regular for $30 on sale. And TONS of people I know have been using IO exclusively for decades.
Yeah -its interesting never new it - and dont see IO on sale anywhere for anything near 30$ but its certainly possible. Do ou have a reef tank? A Fowler? Use other additives? Curious - why do you think others pay 3x as much?
 

MnFish1

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
22,561
Reaction score
21,791
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
You're kidding, right? Lots of tanks of the month on different sites use IO. Many zoos and aquariums use IO. What elements do you think it's missing?
Don't know - I was asking - whats the difference between the 'reef version' of instant ocean and 'regular' instant ocean?
 

afuel

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 26, 2018
Messages
144
Reaction score
242
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Tropic Marin pro for me it matches the levels I run in my tank. BRS did a test recently and showed the real cost of all the salt mixes available wasn’t very different in price per gallon to get 35 ppt
 

ZoWhat

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Messages
9,897
Reaction score
17,531
Location
Cincinnati Ohio
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Worked part time in a coral chop shop. LFS mainly buy their salt from distributors in pallets.

Avg wholesale cost of 200g box is roughly $35 shipped via pallet. Most LFSs then mark it up to around $55-$66.... making $20/$30.per box.

That markup is not going to pay the rent.....

The price to the customer is kept down and really there for impulse buys of "oh crap...I need salt! " while in the LFS for other reasons..

In my area fish/coral are sold 3x what the LFS bought it for....sometimes 4x.

Real money is made buying a rather large coral piece and fragging it up. $200 piece if fragged properly can fetch 20 frag about around $40/50 a frag..... so that $200 colony fragged up will fetch $800 in frag sales

Super real money is SERVICE. Monthly servicing a tank about $100 per visit. If you have 50 clients regionally that all need monthly maintenance....theres the real $

.
 

redfishbluefish

Stay Positive, Stay Productive
View Badges
Joined
Mar 22, 2012
Messages
11,701
Reaction score
25,694
Location
Sayreville, NJ
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am an Instant Ocean (purple box), salt user because of the history and quality of the salt...and the parameters I'm looking for in my tank. I am fortunate in that we have an LFS in NJ that sells a 200 gallon box for $35/box. Can't beat that...and I buy in quantity:

jD8K_9Jt49WPIbpxRLgO23z3Li0aH7hiILj6PYcJqdKrVCc_tIX4H5ai8ZL9M38cpqySmklYCJczhaMuNDYmSxegI31jPyEcZYcdZkOPFkSB-RFYfl4ibpCxCT37-k0k6hd_z0TohFSKGYZt8KWryMdG0POwvoRN_KuEWeag-cH1lm7CodWIuAAHyKxPEix6fiP0WrSPyJk6Ix-AZJwISxSiWouVLdB1hfZ8-vXaz4fP8FLH9fSuL6nPNz7X-D2z7CAqlgxBbZ3SfHbRKMr6osaflPYmEYNhq7UsJ2lnyN8BKOcId9Juc5VnQwWaIjg6WXB0JBc69iN8cI0HEG0NEz5Hpm-nVAkFcHwwCXCSuKyweJjy2zHlr0Ua69tgX7Ka-TmfXO8eLcgGVjOMmAg_GD8K3ODsaNiPwfFJs5sPV8hrbCybKxUZwMS5LrpdlA1q-d5yFz6wMwE1pvLf7OvxI3ZdOyU7fKsy8MAhrWhZ_o9auUVs_aHpDz4ScfaiUcbw750vYMcPJecurzN3blond6MUNb4pUGjmeiqt-xDkc2XhbpfopAMKAc2fjcnOccC5mA7pCXwHcPNkNfMaaI-j8ee83v-dWeo0zi4yudzuKOPwh_WRqSPBvs5YGTv8gw3q73NfG7Wvk3HSxJjKWFzuRZ3x1tdYCLIaNqEaNSzd0TEcQAYTrrxzKuM=w679-h923-no
 

zalick

A cup of water and a dash of salt
View Badges
Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
1,572
Reaction score
1,853
Location
Portland
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Yeah -its interesting never new it - and dont see IO on sale anywhere for anything near 30$ but its certainly possible. Do ou have a reef tank? A Fowler? Use other additives? Curious - why do you think others pay 3x as much?
I bought 8- 200g boxes last time, so definitely possible. :). Took me awhile to go through it! I've been keeping my eye out since I need more and haven't seen it go on sale in last 6 mo.

I have a Reef tank. Been using IO for 20yrs. No other additives except calcium. Not sure why some prefer RC to regular. I've never seen a compelling reason to pay more for it.
 

zalick

A cup of water and a dash of salt
View Badges
Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
1,572
Reaction score
1,853
Location
Portland
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I just bought two 200g boxes of IO on chewy using the auto ship & save 30% deal. Total was $82 with free shipping. I feel like I got gouged! Most I've ever paid for salt. :p already cancelled the auto ship portion. Bides me some time to find another sale!
 

Beth Villmow

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 12, 2018
Messages
147
Reaction score
142
Location
Delmont, SD
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
OPTIONS! In this hobby we have options! There are so many ways to run and maintain a tank and with that comes many options for equipment, additives, livestock etc. There are so many cool gadgets that we can utilize that gives us the options to pick and choose whether we use them or not.

BUT one thing we all must use and can't reef without is salt! Not only do we need it but we need it often for water changes, emergencies, quarantine and more! So for the QOTD I wanted to talk about SALT and ask you a couple of questions!

1. What is a fair price to pay for a 160g - 200g bucket of salt?

2. As of 2020 what salt mix are you using?


get salty.jpg
I really don't know a fair price for salt, I bought my bucket of Instant Ocean already opened for$75. I normally buy water from my fish store. It's about an hour and a half away so it's not really local:)
 

zalick

A cup of water and a dash of salt
View Badges
Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
1,572
Reaction score
1,853
Location
Portland
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Reef crystals is $42 for a 200g box on Amazon right now. With free shipping.

I will still take regular IO for the same price. Don't need the elevated alk.
 

jacksin

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
May 28, 2019
Messages
153
Reaction score
103
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Embarrassed to say that I use Accurasea 1 from TLF. Guess I'm the only customer they have.
No one else seems to use this salt, Is there something I need to know?
 

MnFish1

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
22,561
Reaction score
21,791
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
The issue to me on this thread - is if there is a salt - to use - and thats it - all good - but if you have to use various trace elements, etc to add - a 'system' - then the cost of the salt seems irreverent. Right? The salt I use - requires nothing but the salt
 

zalick

A cup of water and a dash of salt
View Badges
Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
1,572
Reaction score
1,853
Location
Portland
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The issue to me on this thread - is if there is a salt - to use - and thats it - all good - but if you have to use various trace elements, etc to add - a 'system' - then the cost of the salt seems irreverent. Right? The salt I use - requires nothing but the salt
Agreed. And regular IO provides everything you need to run a successful reef, without trace additives. I'm in no way advocating that everyone should use IO. Just that it works for me and many others. :) And mixes clean which is maybe my #1 criteria!
 

MnFish1

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 28, 2016
Messages
22,561
Reaction score
21,791
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Agreed. And regular IO provides everything you need to run a successful reef, without trace additives. I'm in no way advocating that everyone should use IO. Just that it works for me and many others. :) And mixes clean which is maybe my #1 criteria!
I might try it - perhaps the next poll will be 'why do salt manufacturers market their salts to suggest theirs is best - when others are more expensive'
 

skyline99nissan

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 18, 2020
Messages
23
Reaction score
105
Location
Ogdensburg
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have never purchased a bucket of salt only the bags. I have always used instant ocean sea salt or reef crystals since day one. The 60g bags I buy run about $20 at my area pet store.
 

Nohatch

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 2, 2019
Messages
47
Reaction score
50
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Reef crystals here. I always stock up when my lfs has a sale.
 

Icylder

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 10, 2019
Messages
201
Reaction score
180
Location
New York
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
If only wholesale clubs like a Costco would get into the aquarium industry.
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to buy Tropic Marin Pro at its ~$50 wholesale price?
 
Back
Top