Tropic Marin Pro salt.

[Reef.]

Just to follow up, got my hydrometer today and on first use it seems to suggest my salinity in my mixing tub is 36ppt! Double checking it now, need to bring the water to temp so not replying on temp correction tables.

 

[Reef.]

Can someone check my temp correction figure for me, The hydrometer measured 1.0291 at 15.9c, the hydrometer is calibrated at 25c.?

 

[RMS18]

Really? Looks pretty spot on to me

I could of sworn they tested differently. This current batch I'm on tested alk at 7.6 on bottom. Top tested at 7.2. I use a mixer on a drill to mix it up a bit, then I consistently get 7.4.

 

[Reef.]

Well it wasn’t the salinity.

Rechecked calcium today, I emptied the full 1ml into the sample, still pink! Can’t see how it can now be a testing error?

 

[Reefinmike]

My very first batch had 485 cal and 1680 mag. I forget the alk but it was high 8 low 9’s. I was confident in the two test kits used to test each value and confident salinity was spot on as I weighed out 147 grams of salt for every 3785g water. I made several batches to confirm beyond any doubt before calling TM. Lou was pretty confident my salinity was off or kits bad. He didn’t dismiss me entirely, I explained the efforts made to ensure salinity was on and tests were valid(and compared to icp). He started talking about how a slightly off salinity will skew numbers and the tolerance range for their parameters could explain my test numbers. To humor me, he sent me their ca/mag test as well as their precision glass hydrometer. Their test kits were identical to my readings with salifert and red sea. I did discover my refractometer was off by 1-1.5ppt but the water I mixed was spot on at 35/1.0264.

it was a long process but TM was great about everything and eventually replaced all my buckets. We found out it was a very old batch but it had no notes of issues. In the end I learned just how great their glass hydrometer is. I got brs to start carrying it and now it’s really starting to catch on. It really makes everything else look like a toy.

 

[rtparty]

I could of sworn they tested differently. This current batch I'm on tested alk at 7.6 on bottom. Top tested at 7.2. I use a mixer on a drill to mix it up a bit, then I consistently get 7.4.

Truth is, unless you are doing a 90% water change, it doesn't make a difference. A 10% change at 7.2 or 7.6 won't change the tank enough to even bother. Most of our test kits can't even accurately test that.

 

[Reef.]

My very first batch had 485 cal and 1680 mag. I forget the alk but it was high 8 low 9’s. I was confident in the two test kits used to test each value and confident salinity was spot on as I weighed out 147 grams of salt for every 3785g water. I made several batches to confirm beyond any doubt before calling TM. Lou was pretty confident my salinity was off or kits bad. He didn’t dismiss me entirely, I explained the efforts made to ensure salinity was on and tests were valid(and compared to icp). He started talking about how a slightly off salinity will skew numbers and the tolerance range for their parameters could explain my test numbers. To humor me, he sent me their ca/mag test as well as their precision glass hydrometer. Their test kits were identical to my readings with salifert and red sea. I did discover my refractometer was off by 1-1.5ppt but the water I mixed was spot on at 35/1.0264.

it was a long process but TM was great about everything and eventually replaced all my buckets. We found out it was a very old batch but it had no notes of issues. In the end I learned just how great their glass hydrometer is. I got brs to start carrying it and now it’s really starting to catch on. It really makes everything else look like a toy.

Great service there.

I just bought the Tropic Marin hydrometer today, at first I thought my salinity was off, I tested the water at 15c as I had just made it, then used a chart to convert the reading to 25c, this gave me a high salinity so seemed the issue was solved but just to double check I heated the 25 litre tub to 25c, the salinity was 1.0266 so doesn’t account for the test readings I was getting.

I’ve now retested a few times and I am now getting slightly better results, still on the high side but at least now I’m not emptying the full 1ml into the vial.

Could be the Salifert test, as I see on the BRS video it was one of the test kits that gave varied results, some low and some much higher, think I’ll buy their recommend test, the Red Sea as that was more consistent, I went for the salifert as I know I can follow a test well but I need a test that is a little more consistent (that if this turns out to be the test kits fault?)

 

[Aero]

My batches of tropic Marin salt also typical ran high in mag

 

[Reefinmike]

Be careful, I've seen a conversion chart floating around in google search results that's way, way off. This website is a bit archaic but EXTREMELY handy for everything salinity. There's many more salinity calculators for any imaginable situation. https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/SalinityCorrection.php Weighing your salt and precisely measuring water makes the whole process nearly flawless. TM has a water impurity of about 2.5 and Instant ocean 5. The hydrometer and calculators are great for fine tuning your new saltwater and reef. I made a handy chart to tape on the box showing what the hydrometer should read for every temp assuming you start with 1.0264sg water at 25c/77f

The BRS best of test kit series was an absolute joke. They've done a lot for the hobby but recently it's all about sales. With multiple reefs and maintenance accounts I burn through about 5X as many kits as the average user. I've tested multiple kits/refills of every kit pictured and compared results to a few icp tests. The only one I'd say is plain ol bad is the red sea magnesium. It's very imprecise. hanna colorimeters are nice if you're colorblind or hard at seeing but otherwise WAY overrated by their #1 salesman. Hanna phosphate is extremely tedious and the hanna alk reagent drifts within 45 days of opening. Also many bad batches reading 1-2dkh off. Salifert alk is actually faster and more precise if you know how to use it. Red sea pro phosphate fantastic accuracy and precision; especially at ultra low levels under 0.08. If you have a decent set of eyes you can detect po4 under 0.01 yet still above dead nuts 0.00. I call it 0.005. same for their nitrate test below 0.25- I call it 0.125ppm. Nothing else too egregious about the rest of the kits; The TM kit requires EXCELLENT eyesight so I wouldn't recommend it though it is very precise and accuarate. The nyos nitrate is expensive, doesn't measure well in low ranges and the dropper bottles were horrible in 2/3 kits. The red sea calcium kit leaves a precipitate that needs acid washed after every test and the color change-back is annoying. It can change back and require another drop for up to 20 seconds after turning blue.

I narrowed my kits down to a nice little compact tray to hold the tests I trust most. I'll periodically buy a new kit to try out and verify but I've pretty much set in stone, the kits I'll trust the rest of my life. Salifert for Cal, Alk and Mag. red sea pro(algae control kit) nitrate and phosphate. I gave away my refractometer and bought a second TM hydrometer for backup. I also started using the Salifert Potassium test. It's expensive, the sample size is smaller than I'd like and it leaves a very nasty precipitate. I started doing double test volumes and use a mag stirrer for higher precision. I've almost used up my first kit and established a reliable trend after switching salts- I was at 410ppm and dropped to a pretty consistent 370. I sent an icp test out and it came back 375. I started dosing potassium and watched it rise accordingly with what I dosed. I just got my second kit yesterday so I'll be able to give it my stamp of approval in a bit.

 

[Reef.]

Be careful, I've seen a conversion chart floating around in google search results that's way, way off. This website is a bit archaic but EXTREMELY handy for everything salinity. There's many more salinity calculators for any imaginable situation. https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/SalinityCorrection.php Weighing your salt and precisely measuring water makes the whole process nearly flawless. TM has a water impurity of about 2.5 and Instant ocean 5. The hydrometer and calculators are great for fine tuning your new saltwater and reef. I made a handy chart to tape on the box showing what the hydrometer should read for every temp assuming you start with 1.0264sg water at 25c/77f

The BRS best of test kit series was an absolute joke. They've done a lot for the hobby but recently it's all about sales. With multiple reefs and maintenance accounts I burn through about 5X as many kits as the average user. I've tested multiple kits/refills of every kit pictured and compared results to a few icp tests. The only one I'd say is plain ol bad is the red sea magnesium. It's very imprecise. hanna colorimeters are nice if you're colorblind or hard at seeing but otherwise WAY overrated by their #1 salesman. Hanna phosphate is extremely tedious and the hanna alk reagent drifts within 45 days of opening. Also many bad batches reading 1-2dkh off. Salifert alk is actually faster and more precise if you know how to use it. Red sea pro phosphate fantastic accuracy and precision; especially at ultra low levels under 0.08. If you have a decent set of eyes you can detect po4 under 0.01 yet still above dead nuts 0.00. I call it 0.005. same for their nitrate test below 0.25- I call it 0.125ppm. Nothing else too egregious about the rest of the kits; The TM kit requires EXCELLENT eyesight so I wouldn't recommend it though it is very precise and accuarate. The nyos nitrate is expensive, doesn't measure well in low ranges and the dropper bottles were horrible in 2/3 kits. The red sea calcium kit leaves a precipitate that needs acid washed after every test and the color change-back is annoying. It can change back and require another drop for up to 20 seconds after turning blue.

I narrowed my kits down to a nice little compact tray to hold the tests I trust most. I'll periodically buy a new kit to try out and verify but I've pretty much set in stone, the kits I'll trust the rest of my life. Salifert for Cal, Alk and Mag. red sea pro(algae control kit) nitrate and phosphate. I gave away my refractometer and bought a second TM hydrometer for backup. I also started using the Salifert Potassium test. It's expensive, the sample size is smaller than I'd like and it leaves a very nasty precipitate. I started doing double test volumes and use a mag stirrer for higher precision. I've almost used up my first kit and established a reliable trend after switching salts- I was at 410ppm and dropped to a pretty consistent 370. I sent an icp test out and it came back 375. I started dosing potassium and watched it rise accordingly with what I dosed. I just got my second kit yesterday so I'll be able to give it my stamp of approval in a bit.

wow very useful info, will definitely give your test recommendations a try, to be fair I’m not far off where you are, I use Elos for PO4, good but once past .1 becomes hard to read, and you get less than a third the number of tests in the box as they say! Salifert for nitrate and tried Nyos but will now try Red Sea for PO4 and nitrate, Salifert for both calcium and mag.

Yeah I had trouble finding a chart that goes low enough, most start at 23c but mine can get as low as 15c, only found one that would go that low, turns out it’s about .005 out, got my salt correct now so when it cools I can check what reading to look for in future.
Loving the hydrometer though, hand blown glass got to love that, but have to say my D-D refractometer has never been calibrated, now about a year old and was only something like .002 out.

 

[Reefinmike]

wow very useful info, will definitely give your test recommendations a try, to be fair I’m not far off where you are, I use Elos for PO4, good but once past .1 becomes hard to read, and you get less than a third the number of tests in the box as they say! Salifert for nitrate and tried Nyos but will now try Red Sea for PO4 and nitrate, Salifert for both calcium and mag.

Yeah I had trouble finding a chart that goes low enough, most start at 23c but mine can get as low as 15c, only found one that would go that low, turns out it’s about .005 out, got my salt correct now so when it cools I can check what reading to look for in future.
Loving the hydrometer though, hand blown glass got to love that, but have to say my D-D refractometer has never been calibrated, now about a year old and was only something like .002 out.

I haven't used elos but I hear they're pretty good. You'll love the red sea phosphate, 100 tests per kit and you get to use every one. just draw up a 17ml sample, 10 drops of reagent A, stir 10 seconds, 4 drops reagent B and set a timer for 15 minutes. the nitrate is admittedly more difficult but very accurate. 16ml, 5 drops A, stir 10 seconds, 1 scoop of powder B, shake/stir one minute, 1 scoop of powder C, shake 15 seconds and set a nine minute timer.

I found a nice order of testing so I can do cal, alk, mag, no3, po4 and cleanup in 20 minutes. start with phosphate, then salifert alk, nitrate, calcium and magnesium. i'm usually able to have the salifert kits cleaned up before the first red sea timer goes off. Be sure to use a toothbrush to scrub the red sea po4 vial. it can stain the glass green. I also try to keep my vials and lids seperate. keep a spare vial full of rodi in the reference slot

 

[Reef.]

I haven't used elos but I hear they're pretty good. You'll love the red sea phosphate, 100 tests per kit and you get to use every one. just draw up a 17ml sample, 10 drops of reagent A, stir 10 seconds, 4 drops reagent B and set a timer for 15 minutes. the nitrate is admittedly more difficult but very accurate. 16ml, 5 drops A, stir 10 seconds, 1 scoop of powder B, shake/stir one minute, 1 scoop of powder C, shake 15 seconds and set a nine minute timer.

I found a nice order of testing so I can do cal, alk, mag, no3, po4 and cleanup in 20 minutes. start with phosphate, then salifert alk, nitrate, calcium and magnesium. i'm usually able to have the salifert kits cleaned up before the first red sea timer goes off. Be sure to use a toothbrush to scrub the red sea po4 vial. it can stain the glass green. I also try to keep my vials and lids seperate. keep a spare vial full of rodi in the reference slot

Just been pricing them, the algae set looks good value.

Yeah the Elos is good but very expensive, they claim a pack does 120 tests when it’s only 30! So need an alternative as I’m not paying that. Hanna works out cheaper than that lol

You discribing how the tests work reminds me of the BRS videos, If I remember rightly BRS knocked the Red Sea for the time it takes, they did tend to throw out silly reasons for marking a test down, as you say you can be doing other tests whilst waiting, one example I remember was the instructions are on the box not on a leaflet was one such reason for marking a test down, as long as it’s accurate then I don’t care how long it takes, or what it’s written on.

Thanks for the tips, I do have to take better care of my vials, I normally just rinse in tap water after use, then rinse in tank water 3 times before use, I’ve started noticing some test chemicals are sometimes still present so I need to work on that aspect.

 

[LOVEROCK]

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