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LF: Cheap Instant Ocean Salt
Looking for the large pails 160g
J+L has them for 39 which isn't bad but I think I got them cheaper last year at a store on Kingsway in Burnaby. Any sales around? |
King Ed's will have them for $29.99 but not sure if there is currently a sale.
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Is 29.99 their regular price?
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That's a sale price I believe. I was there back in October and got that price. They wouldn't tell me over the phone what the price was, but said I should go there.
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I have been paying $29.99 for a 160 gallon pail from King Eds for over a year I would say
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I get a bucket once every two months I would say
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Ok good to know, thanks!
I just try and avoid going there unless there's a good reason. I received poor advice from them when starting out on several occasions... Saving 25% is a good reason :) |
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What I find particularly silly is the vast concern with USP grade Alk and Ca when the salts used for these cheap salt mixes are going to be tech grade if that. Now stepping down from the saltbox. |
Choosing salt brands is a confusing subject for me. I'm switching from H2Ocean back to IO now. Thanks to H2ocean my mixing bin is caked with clay or whatever they add to it, I can't get the crap off. And it had low mag anyway so what's the point in spending a lot if I have to add stuff...
I've had high alk with IO but only in the 10.5 range. I test new buckets and randomly throughout so if something's off I just dose it. Buying anything from king Ed worries me but the buckets are sealed from the factory that makes a tonne of salt without many reports of failures (from what I've read) I've seen advice from some very high post counts on here that use IO, up until it causes me a problem I'll prob just stick with it. I appreciate the advice though! What do you use Tim? Honestly if there's something better and consistent I'll consider it. I'm not as cheap as the title of this states, I just figure if I'm gonna have to add stuff then I'll just get cheap reliable salt and go from there |
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First off, please don't think I was insinuating your cheap as I was not. :)
I agree it is confusing with all the options, anecdotal internet info and marketing hype. I use the H2Ocean because I like the fact it is an evaporated seawater based salt, but this means it will have some organics in it. What do you mean by caked with clay? What colour is it? Does vinegar or bleach remove it? I usually clean my mixing tub every 6 months as it builds up a brownish residue. It is a Rubbermaid 300 gallon fiberglass tub. I also mix the salt in a 40 gallon glass aquarium and I do notice an organic build up but it wipes off with a wet cloth. I think that since you are testing the main parameters you will avoid a lot of potential issues. I would also test for ammonia and if the batch is cloudy after 24 hrs I would not use it. It should also not cause the tank to go cloudy. It's good logic that if you have to add stuff you might as well go with the cheap reliable salt, but there could be other deficiencies. In my search to replace IO I tried a new Reef Grade Salt from Thailand that was being introduced to the North American market. A friend recommended it so I tried it. I had a 10" tort rtn the next morning and all the acros looked horrible. This was after a 20% water change. Turns out they forgot to put potassium in the batch. I did over 600 gallons of water change in 24hrs before the system stabilized enough to put the acros back in. I learned my lesson from that experience and now stick with a high quality salt and test it before use. |
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fwiw
i dont know of a single salt that is consistent, problem free or perfect;) trust me there's not lol buyer beware that you need to test to be sure what your adding:) |
Hi Rich,
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Cheers, Tim |
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I didn't think you were insulting me Tim, all good. Just saying if it was truly worth the extra money for proper levels and rock solid consistency then I'm down. I'll post a pic of the clay in my mixing bin when I get home. It's tan in colour, and quite hard like baked clay. Vinegar or bleach may remove it, but haven't tried, then again another reason why it makes me think I'm spending the extra money for what? Cleaning my mixing bin once in a while like every few batches is easy with IO. It's only a 10 gallon rolling garbage bin luckily
Brad is really making me think twice about going to king Ed for salt, I dont like the idea of spending any money at a place I don't trust, was just thinking about saving which I'm a big fan of, 3 buckets at a time saves $30 However, compared to driving to Petsmart (3mins away) who will price match JL will also save some time. JL and King Ed are both about 25 mins away x2 plus shopping and paying = over an hour. I was literally walking out the door to drive to King Ed when I read Brads post and have taken a detour to Starbucks, hmmm and mmmm. Again the dilemmas in choosing salt, whatta topic. |
I'm just a fan of supporting the guy that helps me when I need it. I spend more for salt at my LFS than I could get it elsewhere, but all the times he rescued me gets my business. Nothing against KE, just the concept of supporting a place you're unhappy with. Most don't think that way, and now I'm out of a LFS to go to.
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Well, if I wanted, could probably find fault with every LFS that I have visited. People and staff are not perfect, and you have to give them some slack. I do stop into King Ed's when I am in that part of town, and is where I buy my IO salt at $30 a pail. Never had a problem with IO salt and use it all the time.
While my IO salt parameters are not always consistent they don't vary enough to affect my tank with the amount of water I change. I just check my parameters frequently and adjust my dosing as required. I actually like the higher alk, as it supplements my dosing. |
Been buying my IO from KE's pretty much from day 1. It's not a sale price but rather a continuing one
FWIW, my current bucket of IO is giving me 12.10, 470 and 1305, but only after a lot of rolling |
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And heres why i switched back from H2Ocean, it used to be worse but I've been slowly chipping away at it http://i.imgur.com/lFRB3Ll.jpg |
That looks like a calcium buildup. Save yourself the effort and use some vinegar or diluted muriatic acid.
Do you fill the bucket and circulate it then add salt mix? Are you using RO water? |
I pour the dry salt in first then add either one or two 5 gallon jugs of RODI. Koralia powerhead and heater for at least 12 hours and up to 5 days before I'll throw it out
Could be calcium, I'll muraitic acid bath it tonight |
Fill the bucket first with water and then add the salt to the water and you won't get that build up.
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Weird, not sure how 12 hours plus of mixing and heating wouldn't remedy that.
But will do from now on, thanks! |
Have to agree with those posting that you always should add salt to water & not the other way around. At least that's been my experience.
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IO works for me
Been using IO since I started in reefing 3 years ago, I can't really say I've had any issues with inconsistency of levels. Maybe slight differences but nothing major. I keep hearing people say they roll the barrels, I can't see how that could help unless the barrel is not full to the top, otherwise I think it's a waste of time and effort with a full new barrel.
When mixing for a water change I always add the salt to the RO water as well. I check the mixture for temp, salinity, ca & alk before adding to my system. I tune up the mg level manually every water change, and my ca & alk are pump dosed. :neutral: |
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Probably because of the low calcium, less likely to precipitate.
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whats your guys take on instant ocean reef crystals compared to the regular instant ocean. is it alot better? i use regular IO and i manually dose. would reef crystals reduce my doseing?
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What I find interesting is that two different people posted test results from testing their buckets of IO. I assume Rich and Greg most likely bought at JL or KE? Quote:
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Something else to consider is what Gregzz4 got from his last test. Quote:
Ideally you should be testing your parameters and then using an online calculator to figure out how much to add to get the proper levels. |
Okay thank you for the quick reply :)
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H20 salt
I have been using H20 salt for a few years and my 20 gal garbage can also has a coating but it's not very thick. I never thought it was a problem. I use to rinse briefly with fresh water but I don't even bother doing that any more.
If this is some kind of organic sludge, what stays in the water mix and ends up in the aquarium? I always have an algae problem and have to use Io nitrate reducer and also dose with Brightwell Reef Bio Fuel to keep it under control. Yes bio lode is low: 5 small fish, 1 medium in 100 gallons, 20 gal sump because nothing bigger will fit under a corner tank. AquaAddict |
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You missed it 'cause I edited ... I'm all for supporting my LFS and do so regularly, so I have no problems buying it cheaper elsewhere |
Like Tim, I've been using H2Ocean for several years now in my reef tanks for the same reason - it's derived from natural seasalt. I add Mg and K to H2Ocean and my testing has been very consistent with it. I used IO (and IO Reef Crystals) almost exclusively from 1993 to 2009 and I thought I was happy with it until I switched to H2Ocean. When I used IO I added Ca, Mg, and K. In my opinion, for the average reef aquarium IO is a perfectly fine salt to use. If your tank is PACKED with SPS corals (in particular), I think IO is sub-par. Having said that, I've seen AWESOME SPS tanks using almost every brand of salt out there. I don't think salt choice is the be all end all as long as you stick with one of the more major brands. In the end, I think it's more about parameters. If you want to keep alkalinity at 7-8 dKH, IO or IORC is a really poor choice because they have high alkalinity. If you want 9-10 dKH, then H2Ocean is not the best option.
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I started with regular IO, then moved to Kent marine salt from Dr foster and smith from the states as I added more corals. Now I'm onto reef crystal because I can get them locally if I need to.
How long do you guys store mixed salt water for water changes? I use a 50 gallon barrel and I'll mix it all and do about 15 gallon changes every 2 weeks. So the water is potentially in the barrel for 6 to 8 weeks. I run a powerhead and heater in there too. |
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