RedSea Blue Bucket

[Artzevo]

Do ya ever get lower parameters than what’s on the batch report? The dKH on the batch says 8.4 but I tested 7.6 on mine. Maybe I’m mixing incorrectly?

2.5 cups of salt into 5 gallons of RODI. Stir for 1 hour with pump. Then continue to stir but add in heater for another hour.

 

[slingfox]

What are you using to measure salinity?

 

[Jamie814]

Do ya ever get lower parameters than what’s on the batch report? The dKH on the batch says 8.4 but I tested 7.6 on mine. Maybe I’m mixing incorrectly?

2.5 cups of salt into 5 gallons of RODI. Stir for 1 hour with pump. Then continue to stir but add in heater for another hour.

Lower salinity will equal lower alk.

Advertised numbers are at 35ppt or 1.026 salinity.

 

[Artzevo]

What are you using to measure salinity?

I use a refractometer. I measure to 1.025

 

[Artzevo]

Lower salinity will equal lower alk.

Advertised numbers are at 35ppt or 1.026 salinity.

ohhhhh then that's the issue lol, I measure to 1.025. I'll make a new mix at higher salinity, see what happens.

 

[Artzevo]

Do ya trust digital salinity testers?

 

[Fish Fan]

Double check your refractometer using Randy Holmes-Farley’s DIY 35 ppt standard solution that can be made easily from table salt and a decent kitchen scale. Don’t trust fluid you purchase to be right at 35 ppt.

 

[Uncle99]

Do ya trust digital salinity testers?

Digital……Mine lies.
Calibrated refractometer for me.

 

[Jamie814]

Do ya trust digital salinity testers?

I use a vee-gee true seawater refractometer, never used a digital tester. That being said, your salinity could be low, your alk tester could be off or the salt may be low in alk. or all of the above. Hard to say,

 

[slingfox]

What are you using to measure salinity?

I use a refractometer. I measure to 1.025

If you use a cheapo refractometer cannot be trusted unless it is properly calibrated. Even then I would not trust it unless you are recalibrating consistently. The only refractometer I would trust is the VeeGee STX-3. Unfortunately that instrument is not cheap but is worth every penny since it holds calibration flawlessly. The Tropic Marine Hydrometer is therefore a popular option for those paranoid about salinity.

You can calibrate your refractometer as follows:

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/reef-aquarium-salinity-diy-calibration-standards.956/

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Between salinity and alk test variability, that fairly small alk difference can easily be explained without requiring an off batch, but salt mixes also have some variability. I would not agonize over an alk difference less than 1 dKH. :)

 

[Artzevo]

Ooof! thank you all for the info, I'm going to attempt to calibrate it or acquiring a different method of testing. Although all my corals are doing well so I'm not highly stressed about it for the moment. I just like to have accuracy like us all in this hobby lol.

For the first time in my tank, SPS are staying healthy and alive.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ooof! thank you all for the info, I'm going to attempt to calibrate it or acquiring a different method of testing. Although all my corals are doing well so I'm not highly stressed about it for the moment. I just like to have accuracy like us all in this hobby lol.

For the first time in my tank, SPS are staying healthy and alive.

Sounds appropriate. The hobby should be fun and not overly stressful. :)

Save the stress response for more pressing problems. lol

 

[get-salty]

I've been using the Blue Bucket for 5yrs.
2.5 cups/5gal mix for 1hr45min with pump and heater.
Very consistent. Very happy with it.

But not very happy with the price increase ; p

 

[Artzevo]

Sounds appropriate. The hobby should be fun and not overly stressful. :)

Save the stress response for more pressing problems. lol

Got that right! My tank turned a new leaf lol Hopefully my first SPS begin to grow soon. My goal is to keep everything steady right now.

 

[Artzevo]

I've been using the Blue Bucket for 5yrs.
2.5 cups/5gal mix for 1hr45min with pump and heater.
Very consistent. Very happy with it.

But not very happy with the price increase ; p

Ooof! I didnt know they price increased! I just changed from instant ocean lol.

 

[rtparty]

My 10 year old "cheap" refractometer from BRS has been spot on and never needed recalibration. I have checked it dozens of times over the years with Randy's solution and it never moves. It matches up with my Tropic Marin glass hydrometer perfectly every time.

Maybe I'm lucky in that regard

 

[get-salty]

Ooof! I didnt know they price increased! I just changed from instant ocean lol.

The 175g bucket used to be 85 bucks. Now it is 98.