Io Reef Crystals

bart84

bart84

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Apr 23, 2014
Location
Brantford, Ontario
i am having a problem with high alk and calc in my tanks. My alk is 12/13dkh and calc is 520. I mixed the pail and made a new batch of sw lastnight and tested it, after draining 35g out of my mixing station. Same numbers. I am going to try a brand new pail tonight and see if it a bad pail or what. I am curious if other reefers who are using rc are having the same problem?
 
Aprilia

Aprilia

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Dec 17, 2015
Location
Kitchener
My numbers are identical to yours using IO
Alk was off the charts.
Using different salt now. More expensive but using less to get salinity to 1.026. Levels are much better now.
Corals didn't seem to be effected with higher alk but I learned it makes a much weaker skeleton. Experts chip in on that comment if it's wrong.
That was reason enough to change salt.
 
Kyle1970

Kyle1970

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Joined
Nov 16, 2014
Location
Ayr, Ontario
I tried one pail with same results.
I assumed I had a bad pail but once it was gone, I didn't go back to it.

How are you mixing it? Every salt company has different ways to mix the salt to mix to their specs.
 
Salty Cracker

Salty Cracker

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Rocky Mountains BC
Lol I use IO RC and wish my alk would stay high. I dose a gallon of 2-part along with regular water changes and it barely stays where it should. Do you have a lot of sps in the tank? If you don't, you may not need the RC mix, just go with regular IO.
 
bart84

bart84

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Apr 23, 2014
Location
Brantford, Ontario
@Kyle1970 i have been using it for 3 yrs and never had an issue before. I think is on the right page with not enough sps. So that means a shopping trip. Lol
@Salty Cracker lol that's crazy. I think your right, it's not enough sps. I am just starting so it's only some frags. I am going to monitor the tank and hope that it goes down.
 
reef keeper

reef keeper

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Nov 19, 2014
Location
Hamilton, Ontario
I just tested the water in my NSW storage. 10.2 alk. Thing is when I do a 50 g water change, it's only 13-14% of my twv. Doesn't even move the needle.

On my frag system I just checked it before I started my doser. Same salt, but in use for 3 weeks with sps and 3 clams

Calcium 400
Alk. 6.8

I dosed it up to 420 and 8 respectively. Starting dosing at 10 ml per day spread over 4 doses.

I can't believe how high these salts are!
 
Skim

Skim

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Jan 3, 2014
Location
Brantford, Ontario
Well as bart 84 knows and it's good to see it's not just me but I see Alowe seems to be having the same problem I am. I have be using regular IO and my last batch I made came with Alk. over 13 dkh I believe it was closer to 14 dkh. I had enough so I sucked some water out of the make up and added fresh and this dropped my S.G from 1.026 to 1.024 my dkh was 12 now and my Cal was 495 at this point don't even care what Mag was. Now I have had enough and that is why I had the post earlier in the week asking about the D&D salt. You can try Muriatic acid to lower the Alk. in the water before water change here is some info. I myself am going to pick up some Aquavitro Salinity tomorrow as this salt at least is designed for 1.026 so all that goes in is for that mixing point because if the Alk is out what else maybe that I can't test.


Hi Randy

I am trying to lower my alkalinity of Reef Crystals from 13 dkH to ~7 in the hope of using Zeovit products. I got Muriatic Acid to lower the alk of my salt. Do I just add the acid to the water? What can be used to handle the acid? I have a glass dropper from my school chemistry lab can I use it?

My Reef Crystals Alkalinity is 13 dKH. I am using 8.79 ml of acid to drop it to 7 dKH. Does this sound right? My water change volume is 13 gallons (49.21 liters)

Thanks a lot for the help. I really appreciate it.
Vishnu



Yes, you just add the acid. Be very careful with straight muriatic acid. It can easily burn you, especially your eyes.

The "acidity" (that being essentially negative alkalinity) of muriatic acid straight from the bottle is about 11,000 meq/L.

So adding 1/11,000 of the water volume as this acid will drop alkalinity by 1 meq/l (2.8 dKH).

You want a drop of 13-7 = 6 dKH, or 2.1 times that amount, so you'd add 1/5,100th of the water volume.

13 gallons ~ 49 L

1/5100 of 49 L = 9.6 mL

So I'd add 5 ml and stir well for a few minutes and see what alkalinity you get. Then dose again assuming it seems on the right track.

You'll need to aerate well after adding the acid to blow off the excess CO2 and bring up the pH.
smile.gif



__________________
Randy Holmes-Farley
 
Salty Cracker

Salty Cracker

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Location
Rocky Mountains BC
I'm just going to say it....adding muratic acid to reef tank water is absolutely insane.

Imagine putting a metric ton of motor oil into a swimming pool. Then put the same amount into the ocean.

Diffusion people, remember, you're not automatically bringing your total volume up to the levels of your mix water unless you have a nano system.
 
Salty Cracker

Salty Cracker

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Ah, okay. Still, I don't think I would worry about it too much unless, say, PH spiked through the roof.

I've just been using RC for years and years and never lost anything to a water change. I've used muratic acid to clean concrete, and when I think about it being anywhere near my reef....
 
Skim

Skim

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Joined
Jan 3, 2014
Location
Brantford, Ontario
Well I picked up some Aquavitro today, guess we will see how this one works after some water changes. While I was at the store I was told something that shocked me and may be on some interest to all. I was told as of end of 2014 and beginning of 2015 all Instant Ocean and Reef Crystals comes out of China, could this be a big part of we are experiencing? I read on some other forums some of the same complaints. I had my doubts, so I did some searching and this is what I found.


Total 19 products from 3
Instant Ocean Salt
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Instant Ocean Synthetic Sea Salt
Min. Order: 1 Ton


  • Weifang Banghua Chemical Co., Ltd.
  • Shandong, China
  • Aquarium Salt[/paste:font]
    FOB Price: US $240.0 / Ton
    Min. Order: 1 Ton

    • Weifang Banghua Chemical Co., Ltd.
    • Shandong, China
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Made by 3 different Manufacturers to boot. Before we were concerned about out of one Machine and whether it was made in large or small batches, now its from which Manufacture may have made it. I think I am glad I switched. OK somethings no problem coming out of China but my Salt that goes into my Aquarium from a Country that on any give day the could kill you. WOW $240.00 for a ton must be some top notch pure ingredients. Interesting that the box or Buckets don't say made in China I wonder why? Well I think I know why, because they bring it back to the states where it is packaged in there boxes and buckets.
I don't know just something else to make you go Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Skim
P.S it seems that Kent is made by Instant Ocean and is nothing more than Reef Crystals in a different bag. Apparently that's why a few years back you a large decrease in the advertising of RC and a large increase in Kent Reef salt where I believe it use to be Kent Marine Salt. So guess where Kent is most likely made.
 
reef keeper

reef keeper

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Joined
Nov 19, 2014
Location
Hamilton, Ontario
Good god.

You know what. Although I can't stand using buckets, I'm going to be switching back to h2o. It's more money, but maybe I can do 20% less water changes. That's a freaking disgrace.

If you make salt. Make salt. And make is flipping consistent.
 
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