Salt alk

[chef]

I've been using h2ocean, but having trouble as it mixes at 10.5. i dont have enough alk consumption to lower this so after wc i'm still at 9.5.
Any recommendations on a salt with less alk?

[mrhasan]

Why do you want lower alk? Are you running zeo or biopellet?

[craigwmiller]

Originally Posted by chef

I've been using h2ocean, but having trouble as it mixes at 10.5. i dont have enough alk consumption to lower this so after wc i'm still at 9.5.
Any recommendations on a salt with less alk?

Seachem ReefSalt mixes to 8.8 -> 9.0 (from my tests from the last 2 batches I've gotten)... My system is running at 7.2 currently, and a 10% water change (35 gallon change) bumps me up to about 7.4, which only lasts about 2 days till it settles back again at 7.2. (I've been testing Alk daily for the last 4 weeks, so this is my current experience).

(I care so much since I'm running ZEOvit, and don't want the alk fluctuation with changes!)

[asylumdown]

Originally Posted by chef

I've been using h2ocean, but having trouble as it mixes at 10.5. i dont have enough alk consumption to lower this so after wc i'm still at 9.5.
Any recommendations on a salt with less alk?

How long has it been like this? I started using H2Ocean specifically because I found its Alk to be lower, but I've noticed in the past 6 months my Alk has been climbing up in to the 8.5-9 range and the only thing I can attribute this to is the salt. I'd love to be able to switch to a less expensive salt...

[chef]

Originally Posted by asylumdown

How long has it been like this? I started using H2Ocean specifically because I found its Alk to be lower, but I've noticed in the past 6 months my Alk has been climbing up in to the 8.5-9 range and the only thing I can attribute this to is the salt. I'd love to be able to switch to a less expensive salt...

switched from IO to H2ocean about 7 months ago. Don't have many corals so not dosing. Thought the better salt would give me more of the required trace elements.

[asylumdown]

Well I've for sure noticed with H2Ocean that you need more of it per unit volume of water to get to the right salinity compared to IO, so there's definitely more of something in it compared to other brands. Annoying that it makes it run out faster though.

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by asylumdown

Well I've for sure noticed with H2Ocean that you need more of it per unit volume of water to get to the right salinity compared to IO, so there's definitely more of something in it compared to other brands. Annoying that it makes it run out faster though.

I use 2 cups per 5 gallon to reach 1.026 while IO takes ~3 cups per 5 gallon to reach 1.026. I haven't measured the weight but h2ocean is definitely heavier but takes lesser volume to reach the SG.

[asylumdown]

Really? I've found the exact opposite. I use IO in my QT system because I do the tank transfer method as a prophylactic against ich on all new fish. Dumping that much salt required the cheapest brand I could get. I need 3 and a bit of my Pyrex measuring cups (not sure exactly how much that is as the graduated lines stop about 2/3 of the way up) to get 15 gallons of water to 1.025 when I use IO, but I needed over 4 cups the two times I had run out of IO and used the more expensive H2Ocean. I also couldn't get H2Ocean once so I bought reefers best instead, and while I need 9 full Pyrex thingys to get my water change water to 1.025 on the big tank, I needed just under 8 of reefer's best.

My measurements aren't exactly scientific obviously, so it's probably not fair to compare them that way, I just always found that I burn through a bucket of H2Ocean way faster than other brands.

[mrhasan]

Originally Posted by asylumdown

Really? I've found the exact opposite. I use IO in my QT system because I do the tank transfer method as a prophylactic against ich on all new fish. Dumping that much salt required the cheapest brand I could get. I need 3 and a bit of my Pyrex measuring cups (not sure exactly how much that is as the graduated lines stop about 2/3 of the way up) to get 15 gallons of water to 1.025 when I use IO, but I needed over 4 cups the two times I had run out of IO and used the more expensive H2Ocean. I also couldn't get H2Ocean once so I bought reefers best instead, and while I need 9 full Pyrex thingys to get my water change water to 1.025 on the big tank, I needed just under 8 of reefer's best.

My measurements aren't exactly scientific obviously, so it's probably not fair to compare them that way, I just always found that I burn through a bucket of H2Ocean way faster than other brands.

Refrac might have deceived you I also use pyrex measuring cup and fill till 1cup mark (2/3 the cup) and takes 2 cup to get 5 gallon to 1.026 using h2ocean. I have started using IO on my QT tank that I am setting up right now but previously when I used IO, it took 2.5 cups every 5 gallon to bring the salinity to about 1.021-1.022 so about 3 cups were needed for 1.025-1.026.

[xenon]

We use Tropic Marin Pro Reef and the alkalinity is usually around 7dkh unless you get a bad batch (happens more often than I would like).

My last bucket measured 39 on my hanna meter (2.1dkh).