Billybeau1
Premium Member
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Last edited:
Instant Ocean salt SUCKS!
- Thread starter xenon
- Start date
Billybeau1
Premium Member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10068858#post10068858 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by waterfaller1
Well at least noone has said throw away your test kits, stop dosing, just do water changes, and rely on your eyes to tell you if there is something amiss with your corals as someone else has just posted at another site.I still don't think water changes are going to maintain tank parameters as they should be. Driving CA up so high that it never drops? Sounds like extreme swings to me...that's real good for corals.....not.
I agree with you, but try convincing loyal Oceanic users of that :lol:
Billybeau1
Premium Member
Randall, you are in the minority, but good for you. :thumbsup:
Anyone who has the time to do 20% water changes weekly should have pristine water conditions.
I do 20% every 2 weeks and am happy with that.
It doesn't surprise me at all that you are able to keep your parameters in check with your program.
Randall_James
Premium Member
My system is pretty much automated, the only thing I have to do is add the salt to the reservoir prior to the "overnight" water change.
And it takes all night to change too....
I use a rather oddball system to do mine as they are unattended.
I use a aqua-lifter pump that dumps the water directly into the sump. As the sump level increases, so does the water level in my skimmer. As you know, when the water level in the skimmer goes up, so does the amount of skim mate. The collection cup runs directly to a floor drain and so never needs emptied.
well by morning the water change tank is almost empty, the skimmer has cleaned itself very well and the water level is about 2 inches too higher than normal in the sump. (there is a 1/4 inch drain line installed in the top of the sump in case the skimmer was to quit working, gravity would keep the system from overflowing)
I think the water the skimmer dumps is higher in dissolved organics than if I just dumped water out of the system.
Little odd for a water change system but i was bored and had to find something to do one saturday
And it takes all night to change too....
I use a rather oddball system to do mine as they are unattended.
I use a aqua-lifter pump that dumps the water directly into the sump. As the sump level increases, so does the water level in my skimmer. As you know, when the water level in the skimmer goes up, so does the amount of skim mate. The collection cup runs directly to a floor drain and so never needs emptied.
well by morning the water change tank is almost empty, the skimmer has cleaned itself very well and the water level is about 2 inches too higher than normal in the sump. (there is a 1/4 inch drain line installed in the top of the sump in case the skimmer was to quit working, gravity would keep the system from overflowing)
I think the water the skimmer dumps is higher in dissolved organics than if I just dumped water out of the system.
Little odd for a water change system but i was bored and had to find something to do one saturday
Randall_James
Premium Member
There are many systems that really need a decent 2 part supplement system. SPS tanks can be pretty demanding . Maybe your water volume is a bit short for everything you are growing too? I mean if you can deplete the CA levels in 24 hours it would seem your tank is running on some kind of "edge" of capacity and it is time for an upgrade of some kind..
I have seen a few tanks that had more growing in them than any reef area 20X larger
You issue is more related to being an "Oldie" than a "noob" 
LobsterOfJustice
Recovering Detritophobe
Honestly, I dont test every batch. I know I should. But when I do test it, the numbers are about Ca 425 and alk 9. Mg is low at around 1180 though. I ordered some MgCl and MgSO4 from online so I can bump it up before water changes. The water mixes at least a few days before I test it, mixes about 1.5-2 weeks before I use it.
Randall_James
Premium Member
With all the talk about "supplements" I think we sometimes forget that as important as "what we add" is "what we remove" from the systems in the form of "pollution" (Besides I just like all the buckets I collect
)I have kept SPS tanks and yes I ran homemade 2 parts for them when they needed it. However, using kalkwasser for 100% of the topoff kept the CA levels between 380 and 425 as long as I stayed on my weekly 20% water changes. (Alk was never an issue)
easye123
New member
Im with Randall_James on this... however i think everyones tank is different.
I do nothing in my tank bu add calcium everyonce in a while and some buffere here and there. I just mainly rely on my water changes weekly to keep my 90g sps/lps tank lookin good. Ive used IO on my 29g and 90g and never have had a noticeable problem. Like RJ said.. I just look at how my fish and corals are doin and react to that.
I do nothing in my tank bu add calcium everyonce in a while and some buffere here and there. I just mainly rely on my water changes weekly to keep my 90g sps/lps tank lookin good. Ive used IO on my 29g and 90g and never have had a noticeable problem. Like RJ said.. I just look at how my fish and corals are doin and react to that.
RichConley
New member
Thats absolute crap.
Its the same line that TM gives, saying that "Pro is for users with Calcium Reactors"
IE, they charge you more so theres less alk and Ca in the salt. And people pay for it.
IO is a phenomenal salt, and is cheap. IME, its better than RC once supplemented, and it doesnt have the phosphate issues that TM has.
The only difference I've seen in RC over IO, is higher Ca. In my experience, that means it doesnt mix as easy. Ca is SO cheap to supplement ($10 for a 50lb bag of dowflake), that I'd rather the salt be the way it is.
Billybeau1
Premium Member
And magnesium.
Saltwater_Dog
New member
Ive been using Instant Ocean for quite a while, no problems here.
