Aquaforest vs Fauna Marin

[Martin Kuhn]

Sorry what you mean by check with known parameters?

- Each reference solution tells you exactly which parameters it has
- You measure the reference solution an get "your test kits" values for the ref.solution
- Quite often the "waterparameters you measure" (from th eref.solution) are NOT "what the reference solutions water parameters really are"
...in this case you "calibrate" your test kits exacatly to the difference from your measurment results (which are quite often not trustable)

This exactly is the sense of using reference solutions AND this is what i meant by "check with known parameters"

 

[canadianeh]

Govols, here are the results

Subject of the test is 10 gallons of freshly made seawater with 1.027 salinity using Fauna Marin Professional Salt after 24 hours period mixing.
LFS test results
PH 8.2
Alkalinity 7 dkh
Calcium 360 ppm
No Magnesium test was performed. Not sure why, and I didn't ask
Red Sea Pro test kit results
PH 8.2
Alkalinity 9.1 dkh(not sure why it is much higher. I tested twice and asked second opinion on the color results)
Calcium 445 ppm
Magnesium 1600 ppm (again this is much higher. Performed the test twice with same result)
Exact Idip 570nm test kit results
PH 8.3
Alkalinity 7.12 dkh
Calcium 420 ppm
Magnesium 1131.93 ppm (it says on the screen "1131.93 ppm (as Mg +2). I don't know what "Mg +2" means)

I also test the Fauna Marin reference solution using Idip and Red Sea Pro. Here are the results:
Idip results
Alkalinity 5.5-5.94 dkh (on the bottle of reference solution says 6.6 dkh)
Calcium 296 ppm (on the bottle says 422 mg/l)
Magnesium 1029 ppm as Mg+2 (on the bottle says 1315 mg/l)
Red Sea Pro results
Alkalinity 7 dkh (on the bottle says 6.6 dkh)
Calcium 405 ppm (on the bottle says 422 mg/l)
Magnesium 1440 ppm (the bottle says 1315 mg/l)

Fauna Marin specs:
Chemical composition/Chemische Zusammensetzung
Magnesium: 1.250 - 1.340 mg/l
Calcium: 410 - 440 mg/l
Pottassium / Kalium: 380 - 400 mg/l
Natrium: 10.300 - 10.700 mg/l
Chloride: 19.100 – 19.800 mg/l
Sulphate / Sulfat: 2650 – 2750 mg/l
Alkalinität in dKH: 8,0–8,5°
pH-Wert: 8,0–8,4
Strontium: 7,0–9,0 mg/l

The Idip is picking Calcium and Alk number much closer to the Fauna Marin Professional salt specs. I don't know if this is due to Idip application software upgrade or something else. I don't roll the salt bucket each time I make a new mix. The Alk number is still under the manufacture's specs.

Let me know if you have any question.

 

[GoVols]

canadianeh, Looks like your results were for Fauna Marin Professional Salt.

Have you used Red Sea Pro kits and checked your #'s to the Aquaforst reef salt.

As for as your Idip reference solutions #'s it's beyond my knowledge.

I figure they help calibrate your Idip?

Do you still think you AF has low alk?

Read the end of this thread AF is saying that their working on each bucket of salt to hit what the batch read.

They are acknowledging that they have QC issues and trying to resolve.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2551525&page=11

 

[GoVols]

Sorry... Read post #69 from Aquaforest.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2605639&page=3

 

[canadianeh]

Govols, I don't have Aquaforest and I am using Fauna Marin salt right now (first ever batch). I think due to its availability, my next batch I am thinking of switching to Red Sea Coral Pro salt or Aquaforest.

 

[GoVols]

Govols, I don't have Aquaforest and I am using Fauna Marin salt right now (first ever batch). I think due to its availability, my next batch I am thinking of switching to Red Sea Coral Pro salt or Aquaforest.

canadianeh, Now I understand, My bad I thought you have been using the Fauna Marin Professional Salt for awhile and were and you all ready bought AF salt and the AF salt had wacky parameters, Sorry. If your going SPS and going to use AF Bio Pro S and NP pro for carbon dosing then stay away from the (RSCP) the alk is way to high for carbon dosing in low nutrient reefs. If your have a high alk dosing can easily bleech SPS. Plus (RSCP) is known to cause cyanobacteria and It caused cyano in my reef years ago.

AF "Reef Salt" and "ProBiotic" carries the right parameters for running a low nutrient system, among others Brightwell's Neomarine, Tropic Marin Pro Reef, TM Bioactif (Similar) to AF Probiotic and others mixes can do the job.

AF has a great price point on their reef salt and I had happy corals. But I was receiving buckets that were not matching their parameter sheet in the bucket. Way off, so I was having to dose up alk and calcium separately (for no precipitation) while mixing.

IF AF fixes their bucket to bucket #'s to hit their over all batch #. Then I will switch back to AF. I have lost trust in their QC procedures for awhile but they finally commented on the issues on the other thread. No company is perfect and things happen but AF had some issues for me that just wasn't a fluke.

Regards Govols,

 

[GoVols]

Go to link below and take time to watch all 5 videos. They are simple to understand, makes sense and a lot of happy reefers use it and proven out that the program works.
A lot of reefers use Red Sea Blue bucket instead of (RSCP).

We've posted a thread to AF to make a video series like Red Sea for their product line.
They said their already working on it.

I currently use Red Sea Reef Foundation ABC+ powder and Reef Energy. AWESOME products.

http://www.redseafish.com/reef-care-program/

 

[canadianeh]

canadianeh, Now I understand, My bad I thought you have been using the Fauna Marin Professional Salt for awhile and were and you all ready bought AF salt and the AF salt had wacky parameters, Sorry. If your going SPS and going to use AF Bio Pro S and NP pro for carbon dosing then stay away from the (RSCP) the alk is way to high for carbon dosing in low nutrient reefs. If your have a high alk dosing can easily bleech SPS. Plus (RSCP) is known to cause cyanobacteria and It caused cyano in my reef years ago.

AF "Reef Salt" and "ProBiotic" carries the right parameters for running a low nutrient system, among others Brightwell's Neomarine, Tropic Marin Pro Reef, TM Bioactif (Similar) to AF Probiotic and others mixes can do the job.

AF has a great price point on their reef salt and I had happy corals. But I was receiving buckets that were not matching their parameter sheet in the bucket. Way off, so I was having to dose up alk and calcium separately (for no precipitation) while mixing.

IF AF fixes their bucket to bucket #'s to hit their over all batch #. Then I will switch back to AF. I have lost trust in their QC procedures for awhile but they finally commented on the issues on the other thread. No company is perfect and things happen but AF had some issues for me that just wasn't a fluke.

Regards Govols,

Red Sea Coral Pro causes cyno? Really? They have bacteria on their salt??

How about Instant Ocean Reef Crystal?

 

[GoVols]

No it has no bacteria in the salt. Some reefers love it

Google Red Sea Coral Pro Cyanobacteria and read post's. I gave me cyano too.

Went back to Reef Crystals and cleared up ASAP.

After I finished AF used one bucket of Brightwell's (Very Good) Had some left over Reef Crystals. When I finish it I'm going back to Tropic Marin Pro Reef. Used it for along time.

I was trying to see if I could get AF price point at TM quality.

Also AF and Reef Crystals take more salt to mix up to 1.025 than (RSCP), TM and Brightwells. So if you buy a bucket of AF for 175 gallons you will re

 

[GoVols]

you will really get a tad over 150 gallons of that bucket mixing to 1.025 SG.

Same for Reef Crystals. But I can buy a 200 gallon box of Reef Crystals for $49.00 at Dr Foster and Smith or Pet Solutions. Can't beat the price for Brightwells at BRS.

Over all I'm a big believer in TM Pro Reef. Mixes crystal clear and leaves no residue in mixing containers. My reef loves it too. At times it has a little low alk though.

There's a study done by an independent company testing AF to TM to RSCP and a bunch of other brands. IO and Reef Crystals coming in last.

In the end TM PRO Reef and RSCP came out on top from my impression. AF had low suffer content.

I've used Reef Crystals over the past 30 years and still think it's about the best bank for the price point but I just prefer TM Pro Reef.

If I can find that test I'll copy you the link.

 

[GoVols]

Here you go. It's complicated at times and trans lated from Polish.
If you like the high parameters of (RSCP) and not fighting cyano it's rated on top.
I don't like an alk of (RSCP) about 12 DKH for growing corals faster but the coral colors will be less vibrant than a lower alk. I'd rather have slower growth with the better coral colors JMO.

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/376194-long-salt-comparision/

 

[GoVols]

Did you get a chance to watch Red Sea's 5 part video series?

NOPOX must be able to work with a higher alk and have no ill effects on SPS corals.

I use AF Pro Bio S with their NP Pro.

 

[canadianeh]

Here you go. It's complicated at times and trans lated from Polish.
If you like the high parameters of (RSCP) and not fighting cyano it's rated on top.
I don't like an alk of (RSCP) about 12 DKH for growing corals faster but the coral colors will be less vibrant than a lower alk. I'd rather have slower growth with the better coral colors JMO.

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/376194-long-salt-comparision/

Did you get a chance to watch Red Sea's 5 part video series?

NOPOX must be able to work with a higher alk and have no ill effects on SPS corals.

I use AF Pro Bio S with their NP Pro.

I saw that article before. I even posted on it. I have the same handle name on that forum.

I have not watch the videos yet. There are many videos about Red Sea. It looks like from the test RSCP salt is really good salt

 

[GoVols]

Fyi,
Just be careful with if your going to carbon dose. It's alk is about 12dkh. They say to keep your alk between 7-8 for carbon dosing. At higher alk it burns SPS tips or worse.

I don't know if we accomplished anything between your Idip or other test kits but it's been fun. Red Sea Pro has always done me right and BRS recommends them.

The Hanna Alk pocket checker is the most accurate digital test out there.

Regards, Govols

 

[canadianeh]

Fyi,
Just be careful with if your going to carbon dose. It's alk is about 12dkh. They say to keep your alk between 7-8 for carbon dosing. At higher alk it burns SPS tips or worse.

I don't know if we accomplished anything between your Idip or other test kits but it's been fun. Red Sea Pro has always done me right and BRS recommends them.

The Hanna Alk pocket checker is the most accurate digital test out there.

Regards, Govols

Idip is relatively new and they are constantly improving.

Hanna is only accurate on Alk?

The point of my experiment was to compare idip and red sea really

 

[GoVols]

People swear by the Hanna digital Alk.

Their other kits has very mixed reviews and hard to use to get accurate results.

I know the Red Sea alk is accurate, checked it against other kits.

If I didn't trust the RS alk I'd by the Hanna Alk checker in a heart beat.

Here's a link. You can read the reviews.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/alkalinity-dkh-colorimeter-hi772-hanna-checker-marine-water.html

 

[MichaelW]

The only thing I liked about the Hanna alk checker was the digital read out (no color change to deal with) however, when you can test back to back with different bottles of reagents and get a 30+ ppm difference between the bottles it's hard to like it anymore.

 

[canadianeh]

So is digital test kit that super accurate is a unicorn item really?

 

[elviraveloz]

the only thing i liked about the hanna alk checker was the digital read out (no color change to deal with) however, when you can test back to back with different bottles of reagents and get a 30+ ppm difference between the bottles it's hard to like it anymore.

+1

 

[canadianeh]

The only thing I liked about the Hanna alk checker was the digital read out (no color change to deal with) however, when you can test back to back with different bottles of reagents and get a 30+ ppm difference between the bottles it's hard to like it anymore.

so now we have two people that is saying Hanna Alk is not accurate despite tons of positive responses all over the web lol

man...I just want to have one that works and reliable and accurate....I am surprised that we are almost get to 2017 and no such thing exist for reefers. Grrr