ESV BIONIC seawater system salt
 

anyone use this stuff in Canada? I like the concept of mixing your own salt and adjusting certain components as needed.

Does anyone even carry this stuff up here? I called JL but they said they have no intentions on carrying it even though they have other ESV products.


I would prefer sticking to one salt but I dont want to go over the border every time i need the stuff.

I'm also interested in finding a Canadian dealer.

there isnt any and no one seems to be interested in shipping salt up from the US vs. importing it from all over the world :)

i just drove across the border and had premium aquatics deliver it to the border. I have yet to use it but i have heard nothing but good things about it.

I'm with you on this one, this stuff looks very interesting. Here's a good review http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2010/5/review

i'll post a video review when i mix my first batch. Supposidly its ready to use after thirty minutes of mixing.

only con i see so far is the really cheap boxes they use to package the stuff. comes packaged in two boxes - each box wieghs close to 50lbs (makes 200 gallons) and they look like they have been through hell and back.

I will need to source some of those pump heads they use on the "bleach style" jugs to make things a little easier in the measuring and mixing stage.

After reading about this salt my only question is wth are the LFS thinking not carrying this stuff it sounds like heaven in a bucket or in this case buckets lol I wanna use this stuff in my nano Sounds awesome

For the die-hards: premiumaquatics sells the 200 gallon package for about $160 with shipping.

lol i bought my 200 gallon kit for $71.99 shipped to the border.

I called ESV directly a while back to see if any Canadian retailer showed interest in carrying the product. They told me no one has ordered it or had any orders pending.

Also - when i ordered my batch from Premium Aquatics they advised they cant keep the stuff in stock for more than a week. Most of their "future shipments" are already pre-sold before they even arrive.

What is the opened shelf life of this salt mix? (It would take me a long time to use the 200 gallon mix).

phi, did this come in two boxes of 100 gallon mix? Perhaps I could sell half.

200 gallon mix comes like this;

box 1 - pure salt;
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/a...l/P1000558.jpg

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/a...P1000557-1.jpg


box 2 - mag/calcium/alk
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/a...l/P1000555.jpg

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/a...l/P1000556.jpg

that piece of paper is the mixing guide - there is a pdf of it on the ESV site if you are interested.


I need to get a digital scale so I can mix this stuff perfectly.

You can try splitting everything but i dont think this stuff has shelf life as long as you keep it properly sealed. I only have a 45 gallon tank and will do 5 gallon changes weekly so it should last me 6+ months.

Thanks the the photos! That box does look pretty rough.

I'll think I will order a batch.

lol yeah the boxes they came in looked horrendous man. I think they are rated for 50lbs max and they weight like 48lbs. It was clear mine was at the top of a pallet because it had a giant band gash in the top. Everything was in good order so i cant complain.

Just got my RO hooked up and am cleaning up the water holding tanks. Might grab a scale from the "herb" shop this friday so i can mix some salt.

so i mixed my first batch today - 12 gallons. just to soak my eco rock in. Doesnt take too long but i had to sit down and do some math because i didnt get a scale yet so i had to figure out how many cups/tsp/tbsp i needed. It mixed pretty easy but i havent checked the levels. My test kits and refractometer are packed upstairs and i dont wanna wake the kids. I'll post the mix results tommorow.

fwiw - if you are using a 5 gallon bucket you will only be able to mix 4 gallons of salt.

Correction... premiumaquatics has 200 gallon mix for $270 shipped. Their shipping calculator doesn't handle heavy items correctly.

Shipping is $9.00 anywhere in the states, but $191 more to go another 8 hours north of the border.

I'll be getting a salt mix locally until a Canadian dealer starts carrying ESV.

Phi, interested to hear how your tank likes the new salt.

alright - so i mixed as per the directions... salinity was low. about 31.5ppt. UGH! Did some research online and it looks like other people are having a similar issue. I calibrated my refractometer with Symbon 35ppt solution that was floated in my mixing water so the temps were equal. ESV's directions are supposed to mix to 34ppt.

I guess the good thing about this mix is because its a component salt i can just add some more pure salt.

The other people who had issues online calibrated all measuring devices again (*ie. scales, measuring cups) and re-mixed and also got low salinity again.

I am going to try to mix with scales next time and do a mix on a single gallon to figure out the exact amount needed per gallon and post my measurements. I have yet to measure the other parameters but will do so once the salinity issue is corrected.

I believe the included results from ESV are incorrect but I cant say for sure until I do a control test with weighted components instead of measured.

I just added another 1/4 cup of salt and the salinity appears to be dead on at 34ppt.

also - i picked up my salt at $71.99 a couple months ago from Premium Aquatics but had it shipped to the border.


Its about a 45 minute drive one way to the border from my house.