What's the REAL cost of your salt mix and how many gallons does it make? | BRStv Investigates

[Venzzla]

Newbie question;Does it make a difference when you are trying to grow coralline algae if you use reef crystals or regular IO?

 

[Venzzla]

Newbie question;Does it make a difference when you are trying to grow coralline algae if you use reef crystals or regular IO?

I should add that my tank atm is FO, but I do want to go to a few corals in about 6 months

 

[madweazl]

Newbie question;Does it make a difference when you are trying to grow coralline algae if you use reef crystals or regular IO?

No

 

[Frogger]

Stopped using IO and Reef Crystals because it mixes up with a brown sludge, started noticing this several years ago.. The guy from IO said it is clay from the quarries where they dig the stuff up.

I do not want to be adding clay to my tank.

 

[madweazl]

Stopped using IO and Reef Crystals because it mixes up with a brown sludge, started noticing this several years ago.. The guy from IO said it is clay from the quarries where they dig the stuff up.

I do not want to be adding clay to my tank.

@Randy Holmes-Farley wrote an article that addresses the subject.

 

[Big E]

@Randy Holmes-Farley wrote an article that addresses the subject.

I was going to post that same article and you beat me to it

I always mix my IO the day before so it's mixed well. I would do that for any salt on the market no matter how it looks during the first moments or hours.

This is always how it goes with IO in forums.............once it's established it's the most cost effective salt the bashing starts.

More info--

Instant Ocean® Sea Salt is the most carefully formulated and universally preferred sea salt in the world. The #1 choice of hobbyists, public aquariums, and scientific research facilities, Instant Ocean Sea Salt has set the industry standard for quality, consistency, and value for more than 50 years.

Over 75 aquariums, zoos and other facilities
in North America use Instant Ocean® Sea Salt---

John G. Shedd Aquarium
Georgia Aquarium
California Academy of Sciences
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
MGM Resorts – Mandalay Bay
Indianapolis Zoo
Columbus Zoo
Dallas Zoo
Parc Aquarium du Quebec
The Dallas World Aquarium
Oklahoma Aquarium
Wildlife World Zoo
Sustainable Aquatics
Pittsburgh Zoo
Ville de Montreal – Biodome
Living Exhibits
Tennessee Aquarium
West Edmonton Mall
SeaWorld Orlando
Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace
Riverbanks Zoo & Garden
John Ball Zoological Garden
The Living Planet Aquarium
Discovery World, LTD
Mystic Marinelife Aquarium
Minnesota Zoological
Underwater Adventure
Southwatch Seahorse Farm
Chicago Zoological Society
McWane Science Center
Mote Marine Laboratory
Silverton Casino
Toledo Zoological Society
Tropicorium
Houston Zoo
Arizona Zoological Society
Discovery Place
Aquarium of Niagara
Fisher Scientific
Fresno’s Chaffee Zoo Corporation
Denver Zoo
Georgia Sea Turtle Center
University of Wisconsin – Superior
Liberty Science Center
Oklahoma City Zoological Park
Museum of Discovery & Science
Akron Zoo
Walt Disney World
Aqua Green
Catawba Science Ctr. Aquarium
National Zoological Park
MGM Resorts – The Mirage
Harrah’s Caesar’s Palace
Milwaukee County Zoo
Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park
Wonders of Wildlife Museum
The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies
National Aquarium
Great Lakes Aquarium
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Maritime Aquarium
North Carolina Aquarium
Seacoast Science Center
Blank Park Zoo
Tulsa Zoo
Yale University
Northern Illinois University
Aquarium of the Bay at Pier 39
Columbia Biosciences Corp.
Save the Bay
The Cafaro Company
Coral Sea Aquarium
Berkshire Museum
Flint RiverQuarium
Henry Doorly Zoo
Las Vegas Natural History Museum
Lauren Farms
St. Mary’s College
University of Oklahoma
Audubon Nature Institute

 

[Edp251]

Thanks @randyBRS. Great video and magical timing as I needed to replenish. Order placed this morning. Cheers!

 

[Venzzla]

I think it looks like we all have a personal favorite for salt. I like IO Reef Crystals myself and it is a little cheaper when 200 gallon is purchased than some of the others. It works for me!

 

[jdthomas]

I did a water change this morning with IO. It always reminds me of my love/hate relationship with IO. I love it for being cheap and available. I hate it because it won't mix clean. There's always a brown scum on top and unmixed garbage in the bottom.

The best mixing salt I've used to date was red sea coral pro.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Other than io i havent used any of these salts, but price and the closeness to my own tanks parameters has been my primary selection tool.

Hence switched from ddh20cean to live aquaria salt, as as similar parameters but at $30 less per bucket. But would be interesting know the number of gallons made per bucket. Maybe ill think about weighting my next LA bucket like this test.

 

[lbacha]

I just switched from RC to brightwell neomarine myself. Is mixes up nice and it’s parameters are close to what I keep my tank.

 

[Frogger]

@Randy Holmes-Farley wrote an article that addresses the subject.

I am not talking about the calcium carbonate buildup that has always been there, I am talking about the brown scum that floats on the surface and coats everything. I only started noticing it in the past few years. It appears to me their source of salt is not as pure as it used to be.

Having to filter my salt before I use it is another step I am just not prepared to make.

 

[Frogger]

Instant Ocean® Sea Salt is the most carefully formulated and universally preferred sea salt in the world. The #1 choice of hobbyists, public aquariums, and scientific research facilities, Instant Ocean Sea Salt has set the industry standard for quality, consistency, and value for more than 50 years.

Sounds like you have a vested financial interest in this product. Who uses it is irrelevant as there is a lot more involved in the choice of salt for these institutions then the quality of the salt.

 

[Frogger]

At the Instant Ocean booth at last years Macna the sales rep told me the sludge/scum was likely clay from the quarries. So either he was misinformed or telling the truth.

 

[lbacha]

Sounds like you have a vested financial interest in this product. Who uses it is irrelevant as there is a lot more involved in the choice of salt for these institutions then the quality of the salt.

Also very few of their tanks are reef grade. Comparing what large institutions use to what a hobbiest uses isn’t a great comparison.

 

[Dustin A.]

At the Instant Ocean booth at last years Macna the sales rep told me the sludge/scum was likely clay from the quarries. So either he was misinformed or telling the truth.

I've wondered what that stuff is after I've mixed a couple of batches of water. Regardless, it seems to work for my predator tank using the purple box, so I'll think I'll stick with it since it's so cheap. However, I'm waiting to see to BRS follow up on how stable the water is after mixing, that to me is what is more worthwhile. I know I'll spend extra on salt that consistent and stable for prolonged periods of time, especially for my reef tank.

 

[xaflatoonx]

Marine depot confirmed IO are on MAP now.

I haven't seen a MAP anywhere but that doesnt mean it hasnt happened.

I was just looking at the BRS site and the 160g and 200g box are the same price; guess that would change the total cost just a wee bit too.

 

[madweazl]

Marine depot confirmed IO are on MAP now.

Well nobody told Petco LOL. Just ordered the two buckets, tough to beat $60.34 for 320g of salt

Edit: correction, 279g...

 

[Sleepydoc]

Stopped using IO and Reef Crystals because it mixes up with a brown sludge, started noticing this several years ago.. The guy from IO said it is clay from the quarries where they dig the stuff up.

I do not want to be adding clay to my tank.

Ditto!
IO has been used by many, so it clearly is a fine product to use, I just got tired of having to take a hammer and chisel to clean out my mixing reservoir! As this study shows, there's not a huge difference, so for me it is worth paying a few cents per gallon more for a cleaner salt mix.

Edit - I read through Randy Holmes Farley's article, and while CaCO3 may be a portion of the residue, CaCO3 precipitation should be white; this is a dark brown, so there is clearly another component to it. Also, when I changed salts, my mixing technique didn't change but the residue did, so there is clearly something besides CaCO3 precipitation at play.


@randyBRS - great video! I would note that the differences between some of the mixes are within measurement error. I highly doubt your scale is accurate to within a half gram when you measure 25056.5g! Regardless it's great information to have.

You should post the actual number of gallons each mix makes at 35 ppt on your web site so it's easier to find and compare.

 

[xaflatoonx]

Lol. Please tell me if you used any coupons. I wanna get some too

Well nobody told Petco LOL. Just ordered the two buckets, tough to beat $60.34 for 320g of salt

Edit: correction, 279g...