Nanomano, you should be adding some calcium to the freshly mixed saltwater to get it up to 400-420 ppm before you use it. Technically, you should do the same with Mg. Alkalinity is fine in IO.

If a person is trying to keep parameters within reason without dosing then IO is not the best choice as the parameters are low to begin with so waterchanges won't fix anything. You're better off using Reef Crystals or H2Ocean or many of the other higher priced salts.

Really? I didn't know that, that's cool. Isn't it like $95 a bucket though? :eek:

yup, they print a sticker for each batch.....and yes it is a fairly pricey salt

I checked the params with salinity at 1.026, temp at 26'C, using red sea and salifert kits and came up with 420ca, 10dkh, and 1350 mag. I know it sounds too good but that's what I got from both kits, well close enough. Last batch I checked was a few months ago and it was low in calcium, it was around 380 and the only thing I changed was instead of buying buckets I started to buy 200 gallon boxes. Weird?! I guess I better start to testing every batch again.

Anybody else recently test a bucket of IO?

I tried it once, I gave the bucket away. It mixed terrible, and my corals freaked out.
Crap, I'm hijacking, sorry...

From what I was told a while back that the buckets of Reef Crystals is better then the boxes for there levels of Calcium & Mag. The boxes are more intended for store use but it seems they are starting to produce more boxes rather then the boxes, I personally think that it might be simply because the buckets are more expensive to produce & harder to get rid of.

I have not tested mine lately but I really should, when I do I will post my results.

How can you trust values on salt that has been documented to drop KH IN 3 hrs if you dont dump it into the tank? How does that even make sense?

IO is still some of the best if you dose chemicals.

the bags in teh 200 gallons boxes make for easy mixing instead of looking like donkey kong tossing barrels.

why go to all the work of adjusting each batch of IO when you can spend a few bucks more and get RC thats already pretty much where you need it. you have to consider the time saved not to mention a 200 gallon box of RC is $40-45 around Christmas.

I found the same thing brad. When I talked to Seachem they said to slowly add salt over an hour or 2 to properly mix salt.

My IO mixes in 30 minutes with a K4 in a 5 gal pail. At $40 a pail its hard to beat.

Because they are way over charging you for those extra elements.