My Instant Ocean parameters tested today

[BriDroid]

My first question to myself, why have I been spending so much money on salt? The alk is a little higher than I like, but the ca and mg are right inline. I plan on using sodium bisulfate to lower the dKH down to 8 (that’s where I like it) and running this in my AWC. I only mixed up a gallon today, but it mixed clean and fairly quickly.

I figured someone would be able to use this info. With Petco rewards, I picked up a 50 gallon bag for just over $18 out the door.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I use normal IO as is. Since like you, I use it in an AWC (me, 1% daily), there's no reason it needs to match the tank in alk (which is currently about 8 dKH).

That said, if there is any reason to want the new salt water alk lower, your plan is a fine one. :)

 

[BriDroid]

I use normal IO as is. Since like you, I use it in an AWC (me, 1% daily), there's no reason it needs to match the tank in alk (which is currently about 8 dKH).

That said, if there is any reason to want the new salt water alk lower, your plan is a fine one. :)

I just assumed that I needed them to match. I've been using Pro-Reef and it mixed up between 7.5-8.0dKH. I just assumed that the IO needed to be 8dKH too. I guess it's such a low volume at 1%, that it must not matter?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I just assumed that I needed them to match. I've been using Pro-Reef and it mixed up between 7.5-8.0dKH. I just assumed that the IO needed to be 8dKH too. I guess it's such a low volume at 1%, that it must not matter?

Right. At 1% daily, if the salt mix is 11 dKH and the tank is 8 dKH, it just means the AWC is adding 0.03 dKH of alk per day. Assuming the tank has more daily demand for alk than that, it just gets substracted from the daily demand when you are otherwise dosing alk.

If you were to do that same 30% per month, but all at once, then there would be a more significant boost on water change day (about 1 dKH).

 

[BeanAnimal]

It won’t matter. Use it as is.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Drat, Randy was faster and more precise. I feel like a bad test kit.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

lol

Happy Reefing. :)

 

[TheNative192]

My first question to myself, why have I been spending so much money on salt? The alk is a little higher than I like, but the ca and mg are right inline. I plan on using sodium bisulfate to lower the dKH down to 8 (that’s where I like it) and running this in my AWC. I only mixed up a gallon today, but it mixed clean and fairly quickly.

I figured someone would be able to use this info. With Petco rewards, I picked up a 50 gallon bag for just over $18 out the door.

My only problem and why I switched was it does not mix the same consistently and I think a lot of people had similar experiences with it. I would do one batch and the alk would be 10 and I would do another batch and the alk would be 9. I would do another batch and the alk would be 11 (salinity identical as well). With my Aqua forest reef salt its within the margin of error every time. I have no idea why it is the way it is but it makes it very difficult to monitor consumption and plan accordingly. I also found some crazy good deals on Aqua forest reef salt which I took advantage of. I think it was close to $.37 a gallon at one point so a cent more than your deal. Maybe I got a bad batch with IO salt but other than that its fine.

 

[mcarroll]

My only problem and why I switched was it does not mix the same consistently and I think a lot of people had similar experiences with it. I would do one batch and the alk would be 10 and I would do another batch and the alk would be 9. I would do another batch and the alk would be 11 (salinity identical as well). With my Aqua forest reef salt its within the margin of error every time. I have no idea why it is the way it is but it makes it very difficult to monitor consumption and plan accordingly. I also found some crazy good deals on Aqua forest reef salt which I took advantage of. I think it was close to $.37 a gallon at one point so a cent more than your deal. Maybe I got a bad batch with IO salt but other than that its fine.

You just made me think of that skiiing strategy "focus on the snow, not the trees" for some reason.

 

[BriDroid]

My only problem and why I switched was it does not mix the same consistently and I think a lot of people had similar experiences with it. I would do one batch and the alk would be 10 and I would do another batch and the alk would be 9. I would do another batch and the alk would be 11 (salinity identical as well). With my Aqua forest reef salt its within the margin of error every time. I have no idea why it is the way it is but it makes it very difficult to monitor consumption and plan accordingly. I also found some crazy good deals on Aqua forest reef salt which I took advantage of. I think it was close to $.37 a gallon at one point so a cent more than your deal. Maybe I got a bad batch with IO salt but other than that its fine.

I still have 50 pounds or so of Pro-Reef. I just had some rewards that were getting ready to expire so I thought, why not. I was shocked at what it mixed to. I mixed the bag really well before making this batch. I’ll keep an eye on it, but for my daily AWC, it should be fine. That’s where Pro-Reef was getting expensive!

 

[BriDroid]

Someone on FB asked what the P was, like it was going to be crazy high being that it’s a cheap salt. Well I tested it this morning and 0ppb!

I think me and Instant Ocean are going to get along just fine

 

[rtparty]

The question isn’t does IO salt “work”? The question is how comfortable are you with inconsistency? Because there is no doubt that IO salts are extremely inconsistent over time. For the last 6 months or so ICP testing is showing very low potassium and almost zero molybdenum in IO salt. Like they forgot to add it somehow.

 

[mcarroll]

A whole lot of people have used and continue using IO without apparent problems.

Maybe we need to downgrade this from "potential issue" to "interesting variation" and maybe still keep track of it but not worry as much? Maybe "does it work?" really is the question.