ESV B-IONIC salt systems users please check in.

[tankfly]

+1 for ESV
As long as i can get it I will never use anything else. I work as a chemist for a pharmaceutical company, Baxter Healthcare. I have tested the calcium and magnesium by atomic absorption. I like the fact you can adjust the components to whatever target concentration you want. I can mix it as fast or faster than any blended salt and use it immediately. I use a scale and graduated cylinders for the liquids and don't even have to check salinity.

 

[pmrossetti]

+1 for ESV
As long as i can get it I will never use anything else. I work as a chemist for a pharmaceutical company, Baxter Healthcare. I have tested the calcium and magnesium by atomic absorption. I like the fact you can adjust the components to whatever target concentration you want. I can mix it as fast or faster than any blended salt and use it immediately. I use a scale and graduated cylinders for the liquids and don't even have to check salinity.

esv is lookin' pretty good. a trustworthy company.

what do you mean you don't check salinity?
how do you know what it is then?

 

[tankfly]

I checked it until I got the right amounts of each component. And then if I weigh the same amount of NaCl and Mg sulfate each time and use the same volume (or weight) of liquid A and B and dissolve in the same volume of water the SG has to be right.

 

[lordofthereef]

I did a quick search on this stuff. Is it really $30 per 50 gallon batch?

 

[Postal]

I did a quick search on this stuff. Is it really $30 per 50 gallon batch?

I pay about $75 for the 200g size at my LFS. Of course, their prices are often as good or better than online prices on dry goods.

 

[snorvich]

I pay about $75 for the 200g size at my LFS. Of course, their prices are often as good or better than online prices on dry goods.

Same here. I buy it online and get free shipping. Great salt. Once you have the formula down, it comes out the same every time. SG, Mg, Ca, etc.

 

[pmrossetti]

I have been using the measuring cups and beaker they provide. Bob said either will work but the scale will get more consistent results.

I have been thinking about running to the store and grabbing a cheap digital kitchen scale and trying that out.

I am performing the tests right now that Bob recommended. My Salifert test kit is off by 2dkh. It read RO/DI water at 2dkh and it read the check solution at about 9dkh which makes sense.

I am now finishing everything up on the tests. I will post again when I get my results.

how's it going?

 

[rtparty]

how's it going?

Quick update:

My time is super thin anymore. Started school yesterday and working full time. I will update as I can.

I mixed up one gallon of water and added just component B to see what alk reading I would get. My test came in right at 10.2dkh which is the advertised alkalinity for ESV. Bob retested his saved batch and got 10.1dkh on his sample.

There are a couple theories

1) I'm an idiot and messed up on the recipe at least 3 times.
2) The additional alkalinity is coming from somehwere else, more than likely component A. That is almost impossible because the alk and calcium would precipitate being that concentrated together.

Bob highly doubts it is coming the nacl or mg sulfate because they are guaranteed batches from his supplier. They are super pure.

Theory 1 makes the most sense in theory, but I don't think I messed up that many times. Especially with my wife helping on the final batch.

Bob is sending me a whole new unit from what I know and I am shipping him samples of the dry ingredients. Over 100 other hobbyists received my exact batch and not a single complaint.

The whole thing is odd but for now I am still a huge ESV fan and their customer service is top notch! I am going to make one more batch and see what happens.

 

[Rookie07]

I love it as well. I switched back to IO Reef Crystals for a moth at some point, but did not like how the corals looked, so I switched back to ESV

I do 15 gl WC on each of my Solanas (I have 2 Solanas) every 3 weeks with ESV salt and I no longer add any chemicals/trace elements. I would dose with ESV 2 part in the past, but since using ESV salt, I no longer ad 2 part to either tank, and I still have nice growth in my zoas/palys and LPS.

 

[pmrossetti]

Quick update:

My time is super thin anymore. Started school yesterday and working full time. I will update as I can.

I mixed up one gallon of water and added just component B to see what alk reading I would get. My test came in right at 10.2dkh which is the advertised alkalinity for ESV. Bob retested his saved batch and got 10.1dkh on his sample.

There are a couple theories

1) I'm an idiot and messed up on the recipe at least 3 times.
2) The additional alkalinity is coming from somehwere else, more than likely component A. That is almost impossible because the alk and calcium would precipitate being that concentrated together.

Bob highly doubts it is coming the nacl or mg sulfate because they are guaranteed batches from his supplier. They are super pure.

Theory 1 makes the most sense in theory, but I don't think I messed up that many times. Especially with my wife helping on the final batch.

Bob is sending me a whole new unit from what I know and I am shipping him samples of the dry ingredients. Over 100 other hobbyists received my exact batch and not a single complaint.

The whole thing is odd but for now I am still a huge ESV fan and their customer service is top notch! I am going to make one more batch and see what happens.

thanks Ryan, has the Mag level been ok. it's been questioned on other thread.

Glad you're busy, but sure will miss your regular input on here. I always check to see when your online. please post next batch numbers . thanks again

 

[rtparty]

thanks Ryan, has the Mag level been ok. it's been questioned on other thread.

Glad you're busy, but sure will miss your regular input on here. I always check to see when your online. please post next batch numbers . thanks again

Well here is a great update for you!

I made another gallon today and the numbers were almost dead on! The salinity is a little low but my water temp was about 74F instead of the advertised 77-78F. I am not sure how much salinity changes with temp.

Alk - 10.1dkh
Ca - 440ppm
SG - 1.023-24
Mg - Don't have a test kit right now, sorry.

So I guess I was the error in the whole thing? Maybe letting the newly mixed SW sit in a container for a couple days is doing something? I don't know but my latest makeup was perfect!

I immediately changed a gallon on my tank and things perked up. I would not hesitate to change 50% of my water with this salt. I may even go crazy and do a nice 100% water change here in the near future.

Hope that answers some questions for everyone.

 

[pmrossetti]

great news Ryan, thanks for the update.

Do you think you would get to the point where you wouldn't have to constantly test using this salt?
or it's just part of using this salt?

thanks again.

 

[muffe]

$59.99 for the 200g That's why i use it. :lolspin:

 

[AGYDAL]

How are you likin' it?
-very happy, my tanks look awesome.

How does it compare to your previous salt/salts?
-My tanks showed improvement with their FIRST regularly scheduled water change using this salt mix. I don't want to talk about my previous salt; if you can't say something nice, you just shouldn't say anything at all.

Worth the mixing?
-I'm just starting my second 200gal pack (paid ~$75.oo for it). The mixing isn't a big deal...no more tedious than testing your water, I like the ability to control the parameters. It's a very simple salt to use.

 

[andyrm66]

$59.99 for the 200g That's why i use it. :lolspin:

Where?

I love this salt, takes 2 mins more to measure, but beats the crap left behind plus letting it sit in my way for 24 hours mixing.

 

[rtparty]

great news Ryan, thanks for the update.

Do you think you would get to the point where you wouldn't have to constantly test using this salt?
or it's just part of using this salt?

thanks again.

Testing my tank or the new water?

I always advise testing your tank about once a week (maybe every two weeks). I don't follow that regime very well but I still recommend it.

As for testing the new water, I don't think I will test my next batch. I will go slow and add everything properly. I think what might have helped was that I added component B very slow. I literally let it drip in to the water. Maybe adding it quickly was causing issues? I am not a chemist and have very little knowledge when it comes to the chemistry side of things.

All I know is that there are "laws" when it comes to mixing things. If you add X grams of Sodium Chloride to Y amount of water, you get Z (salinity). (x+y=z)

Since I know that 38mL of Component A gets me to ~440ppm of calcium, I am not worried about testing for it, as long as I add it correctly. I also know that 19mL of Component B nets me an alkalinity of ~10.2dkh.

The measuring beakers and scoops are great to use but I see how a quality digital scale would benefit the results. I don't think there would be a huge difference in the end but something to consider.

 

[rtparty]

I do want to point something out though that I have read on this thread and others.

This salt isn't really made for us to adjust the parameters. I talked to Bob about this exact thing. He told me that if you short out on the components, you aren't just lowering the Calcium or Alkalinity. You are also affecting other trace elements that are found in those components. The whole system is balanced out to whatever they test for.

I personally like to run my tanks around 8dkh so the 10dkh seems a little high but it isn't. A 20% water change isn't going to affect my alk that much. Also on a large, mature tank the extra alkalinity will be consumed pretty quickly.

Just wanted to clear that up.

 

[muffe]

I see how a quality digital scale would benefit the results. I don't think there would be a huge difference in the end but something to consider.

I got my pocket digital scale online for only $10.00 shipped. Works like a charm, very accurate to a tenth of a gram. I've seen "pharmaceutical distributors" use them to measure "products" so they're well field tested and reliable.:lolspin:

 

[rtparty]

I got my pocket digital scale online for only $10.00 shipped. Works like a charm very accurate to a tenth of a gram. I've seen "pharmaceutical distributors" use them to measure "products" so they're well field tested.:lolspin:

Awesome! Do you have a link for all of us?

 

[pmrossetti]

good point about not adjusting parameters. it's supposed to be a balanced mix, right?