Price of Salt ~ What the blue blazes!

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thomas712

Guest
Originally Posted by lion_crazz
I have heard some bad things about both that and Reef Crystals......... I do not know if they are entirely true........... I do not know what exactly the problem was....... but it was definitely high in some element that was undesirable to some saltwater animals .
Yeah try a dKH of 95! :scared: I know, it happened to me and some others I know. I went so far as to send samples to two chemists, one of those chemists being Randy Holms Farley. Mine wound up testing the highest.
Killed all inverts in about 2 minutes or less, clean up crew was wiped out, all snails, crabs, shrimp and just about anything with an exoskeleton, and took out my prize purple firefish.
Believe me it was ugly.
But the main think I harp repeatedly on IO salt is the major inconsistency. Using it is one thing, but to bring it up to reef standards you wind up spending a lot of money for the buffer and calcium to bring it up and keep it up. Its simply deficient as a reef salt.
I know Oceanic tests high in calcium, for me thats great, I have successfully been able to buffer it up using B-ionic or kent super buffer, so for me it meant less additives. It also has a high magnesium level which I happen to like because it helps keep the alk and cal in balance.
Thomas
 
dburr

dburr

Active Member
We have stores that deal with our club, same prices as before. It's about 35 for IO bucket and 40 or so for Oceanic bucket.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Wow Thomas, thank you for the explanation! I was not aware of your problems but I am glad that you brought them light. That is unbelievable! I am very sorry to hear that you went through that.
And thank you for sticking up for Oceanic. I feel the same way you do. I like the higher magnesium and I have found that the Kent's Super dkH buffer offsets the high calcium with no problem.
 
chipmaker

chipmaker

Active Member
I dunno about I/O Oceanic or Kent and all the rest. It seems however that IO is probably in use by more folks than any other brand. Heck even the Atlanta Aquarium uses it......Its possible something went crazy with the bacth you had, (granted something did happen) but it matters not what brand or make or model, if its man made and controlled by man in any shape form or fashion things can happen no matter what a companies reputation is. I get IO at the LFS for about $40 bucks a bucket. Out of 3 LFS here IO is all they use. The Big guys place and the 2 docs place are about the cheapest online osurce I have seen though.
 
qreef

qreef

Member
Originally Posted by Dogstar
Dont know what brand you prefer but ( and I hope Mods dont mind me saying so, ) Big Al's online sells Tropic Marin reg. 200g bucket for $44.00 but shipping to Florida from Canada is extra $28 for total of $72.00. Still beats $99.00 at LFS. Other online stores may be less too.

Right now to feb-28 Big Al have in store sale for 160gal at 28.88 Oceanic
 
dragonboy

dragonboy

Active Member
I use to use IO when I first started but I found that Tropic Marine gave me a better balance and look to my corals. And my xenia seem to thrive better with TM. Anyhow just get what your comfortable with. I hope the salts in my area won't increase on price its already too expensive for this hobby. And I agree with Thomas712 they should have a refill for us I have too many buckets at home.
 
dejaco

dejaco

Member
In reading this thread I think I now understand why I never need to add calcium only Kent's dKH Superbuffer. Right now I finally have no hair algae, calcium of 560 and dKh = 12. I have added 18 tablespoons of the dKH to bring mine from 6/7 to 12. Not using purple up or turbo calcium. Corals seem to be happy, now I have to mix a 5 gallon bucket of instant ocean up and test to see just how much I have to add to each bucket to keep my alk up there. Didn't realize just what a difference in quality control there was between Marine salt mixes and Salt mixes specifically for reef setups!
 
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winstew

Guest
Yea I got the IO from Petsmart too... $48 for the 160.... it was a steal... last one go figure......
 
msante79

msante79

Member
Why Doesn't Anybody Use Coral Life Salt. I Have Been Using Int About 8 Months And Have Not Had Any Problems. Can Somebody Clue Me In Why No One UseS This Stuff.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Originally Posted by msante79
Why Doesn't Anybody Use Coral Life Salt. I Have Been Using Int About 8 Months And Have Not Had Any Problems. Can Somebody Clue Me In Why No One UseS This Stuff.
Personal preference. I like Oceanic because it has high calcium and magnesium readings. Others like Tropic Marin because it is the best of the best. Others like Crystal Sea and Instant Ocean because it is of the cheaper salts as far as price. It is all preference.
 
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thomas712

Guest
Pulled this off of the net. I know you can still find salt cheaper, but this ad is showing a jump in prices on Instant ocean and Reef crystals. Check the price of the 160 gallon bucket, you know the ones that used to be 200 gallon buckets.
I'm also including the advertizing that goes with IO salt. What a joke!.. Claiming that no other product outperforms Instant Ocean. Then what do they do, they come out with Reef Crystals.
So if no other salt outperforms IO then why do they want more money for Reef Crystals which has special additives and higher concentrations. Sorry for ranting but it makes me so mad.
Instant Ocean®
sea salt
Instant Ocean® sea salt contains every necessary major, minor, and trace element and has no nitrates and no phosphates. It was developed through sophisticated biological and chemical testing, and every batch is analyzed to assure consistent high quality. Exceptional solubility, uniform particle size, and outstanding package value have made Instant Ocean® salt the choice of aquarists for over 40 years. No other product outperforms Instant Ocean® salt. Our guarantee of quality is supported by a history of proven usage. Instant Ocean® is the world's most popular brand of sea salt. It is available in 5, 10, 25, 50, and 160 gallon sizes.
Catalog Number
Description
Manufacter Suggested
Retail Price*
SS-30-5 5 gallon pkg. $5.25
SS15-10 10 gallon pkg $8.10
SS6-25 25 gallon pkg $17.25
SS3-50 50 gallon bag $27.00
SS1-160P 160 gallon pail $89.95 :scared:
*This is a suggested retail price and is often discounted during special sales.

[hr]
Reef Crystals® enriched blend sea salt
Reef Crystals® enriched blend sea salt contains extra levels of calcium, vitamins, and selected trace elements. Developed for use in sophisticated reef aquariums, it was the first enriched sea water formulation available to aquarium hobbyists. The inclusion of important components at concentrations greater than in natural seawater assures extended availability of substances that are assimilated and depleted especially quickly in thriving reef aquariums. A special additive helps to detoxify excess heavy metals, such as copper, that are often found at elevated levels in domestic water supplies. Reef Crystals® salt provides superior dissolvability and is compatible with all marine aquariums. We use only the most sophisticated biological and chemical test methods to develop and refine our formulas, and Reef Crystals® sea salt is no exception. Every batch is carefully analyzed to guarantee composition, consistency, and uniformity. Reef Crystals® is available in 10, 25, 50, and 160 gallon sizes.
Catalog Number
Description
Manufacter Suggested
Retail Price*
RC15-10 10 gallon pkg $9.45
RC6-25 25 gallon pkg $18.00
RC3-50 50 gallon bag $31.20
RC1-160P 160 gallon pail $108.00 :scared: :mad:
*This is a suggested retail price and is often discounted during special sales.
 
chinnyr

chinnyr

Member
Heck,the little place in Arizona,I recently moved from,had IO single bags for $39.99!So,I thought if I drove the 1 1/2 hours to Phoenix it would be cheaper.It was still $20 a bag. :notsure: So,now I am back in Virginia and it's only $10 bucks a bag.
 
littlebuck

littlebuck

Active Member
if you go to petsmart dot com and then print off the pricesof the salt and take it to the store they will watch the price of the salt on line. with no shipping
IO-160 for 32
oceanic 200 for 40
 
merredeth

merredeth

Active Member
I talked to my LFS just yesterday because he had a $3.26 jump in Instant Ocean 25 gallon boxes... and didn't have any 50 gallon or bigger to sell. He wanted $16.25 for the 25 gallon.
I have no other real competition around here, so I must bend over each and every time I buy salt. I finally told him last night after buying more salt, could he please include some free vaseline for me?? :hilarious
Thank God the owner has a sense of humor.
He also told me that about every three months everything goes up, it is just on a rotating basis that his suppliers do it. When he pays more, I have to pay more.
But I still want the free Vaseline.... at .65¢ per gallon then add .33¢ for water from WalMart, I'm paying whopping .98¢ total... all because I can't get a plumber here to install the RO unit at MY convenience.
Denise M.
 
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thomas712

Guest
Well it sucks to have to order it online because of the shipping weight, but now its begining to look much more attractive. So tell that to your LFS, I think I'm going to. In fact if you can organize a group buy around your area then it really might be worth it.
Thomas
 
chipmaker

chipmaker

Active Member
With as high a $$ as salt is getting to be, one fellow on USENET forums routinely throws away salt. He buys IIRC a box enough to make 50 gal of water up, but only uses enough for 32 gallons or something like that, and the rest thats left after making up his change water is tossed out. Sure wish I had that kind of money......
 
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