IO salt parameters

loc01

Active member
Is this right? I just checked freshly made water and the alkalinity is way too high.
Salinity 1.025
Cal 450ppm
Alk 17.5dkh
Mag 1500ppm

Loc
 
Nah, not right.
Alk of IO should be around 8.5 based on few tests I done.


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I tested 4 times using Salifert test kit, both from 160g bucket and the 200g box yield the same measurement.

Loc
 
What I noticed is that right after mixing it registers really high, but after 24 hours alk drops back to normal params.
 
Wow that's super high. Mine mixes around 10-11 dkh.

Check to make sure you're running your test correctly.
Salifert changed the Alk test not too long ago. It's 2 drops of the blue dye instead of 4 now.
 
Wow that's super high. Mine mixes around 10-11 dkh.

Check to make sure you're running your test correctly.
Salifert changed the Alk test not too long ago. It's 2 drops of the blue dye instead of 4 now.

Today I checked the instruction it takes 4 drops for full scale and 2 for half scale. The new mixed water I did yesterday I checked it again today it read 16.5dkh. I just ordered another test kit, I doubted it's the test kit because when I checked my tank water it read normal range 10.3 dkh.

Loc
 
I have not used IO in a long time. In the past non of there numbers were that high. Ca and Mag were usually low with the ALK high. Ca and Mag were low enough I would mix 50/50 with Oceanic and get a pretty balanced mix. I wounder if you salinity might be higher than you think.
 
I have not used IO in a long time. In the past non of there numbers were that high. Ca and Mag were usually low with the ALK high. Ca and Mag were low enough I would mix 50/50 with Oceanic and get a pretty balanced mix. I wounder if you salinity might be higher than you think.

Nope, I thought that too but double check with 2 different refractometers. Could that be the water hardness in the city of Orange affect the alk, beside I filter the water with carbon only but not rodi water?
 
IO always has been high on the alk, that's nothing out of the ordinary, which is why some reefers steer clear of IO and go with RC. To bring it down you can add add muriatic acid to freshly mixed salt water before you do your water change. Do a quick search to learn more.
 
Nope, I thought that too but double check with 2 different refractometers. Could that be the water hardness in the city of Orange affect the alk, beside I filter the water with carbon only but not rodi water?

That would account for all your numbers being higher than expected. A RO/DI strips out beneficial elements as well as the bad. There is no way to remove just the bad without removing things like carbonate, bicarbinate, calcium, magnesIum and others. How long have you been using carbon only? I would not expect your tank to be as nice as it is with using just carbon.
 
That would account for all your numbers being higher than expected. A RO/DI strips out beneficial elements as well as the bad. There is no way to remove just the bad without removing things like carbonate, bicarbinate, calcium, magnesIum and others. How long have you been using carbon only? I would not expect your tank to be as nice as it is with using just carbon.

About 3 ,4 years fast and convenient and 0 waste water too.
 
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