Kent Salt - Dangerously Low Alkalinity - READ ME!

[melev]

Guys, while I've been aware of the problem for the past couple of months, I didn't realize it was happening with others. Perhaps you are suffering from excessively low alkalinity readings as well? I just buffered it up as necessary, but from a thread I read last night in the Chemistry Forum, it may be wide-spread.

What I'm asking is for you to take the time to read the thread and chime in with your thoughts. Yes, it is 8 pages long (currently). In a nutshell, some are getting readings of less an 1 meq/L right out of brand new 200g bucket - this is the one with the yellow lettering and a sealed bag inside. The lid doesn't have a rubber gasket.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=760882&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

The purpose of this thread is to get more input from Kent Sea Salt users, not to hear how your salt is better. Please help keep this thread on the first page, and if you can, post your saltwater test results. Let's see if this is as far reaching as some fear.

 

[DeLong20]

Heres a bump for ya! It appears from the above linked thread that this is at least a country wide problem. Personally I know of several people in the SW Missouri and NW Arkansas area that have recieved bad salt from Kent. For those that are still using Kent salt, please test your freshly made saltwater. It could save your tank!

 

[DeLong20]

MODS- is there a way to "pin" this thread at the top of the first page?

 

[Dan Thrash]

i'm setting up my first saltwater tank now and ordered a bucket of Kent a few weeks ago before i heard of this. i have a low Alk reading. i guess i'll have to try Randy's 2 part - Alk buffer.

from reading, it also appears that Kent doesnt see a problem...and that is disturbing. I think i'll eventually switch salts when my bucket runs out.

 

[blide]

For those of you that need help adjusting because of the low Alk this calculator will help.

http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html

And some interesting facts for those who are unaware of baking soda:

Baking Soda = Sodium Bicarbonate
Baking soda (raises Alk/lowers pH)
Baked baking soda (raises Alk/raises pH)

 

[Paintbug]

melev the problem has leached into the bags as well. i have one myself.

 

[melev]

I didn't know that. Thanks for chiming in! Can you post your results? Does the bag look different or is it the same as it always has been?

 

[Paintbug]

i started a thread about a week ago
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=6970272#post6970272

alk=0.6
SG= 1.025
Ca= 400ppm
PH= 7.7-7.8 ( i use a cheap test for PH)

im waiting for the stuff the send Kent a sample. im waiting to see what they do about the problem for me, and then judge them.

the bags look the same to me but they do have a zip lock top on them.

 

[turbodiesel01]

tag

 

[bolt696]

Hi,
I have been having a low alk problem as well the past few weeks. I recently bought a bag of reef crystal (which I never used before). Do you know of any problems with this brand?

 

[melev]

Bolt - No, I don't. Sorry.

Turbodiesel - please click on Subscribe to this Thread (base of the page) rather than posting <i>tag</i>. Thanks!

Okay...

 

[Paintbug]

any way to make this a sticky?

 

[Dan Thrash]

say i get an Alk value of about 1 meq/l (i gotta get a more accurate test kit) and you want to raise it to 2.5 meq/l in a tank with only ~8 gal of water....if you use Randy's Recipe 1, it says to use 24 ml and the pH can rise as much as 0.35 for each 0.5 meq/l increase.

if i add all that into my tank will my pH increase to over 9 from 8.2? how do you control it without the pH going through the roof? just dose slowly?

 

[turbodiesel01]

If I just subscribe it doesn't bump to the top of the board. Also couldn't seem to find the button.

Now about that salt thing...

 

[melev]

Thanks for the bump Turbodiesel. The option to subscribe is right below the quick-edit box of every page. Look under "Reset Form".

Dan, you should increase the alk in the saltwater mixing vat, not directly in your tank. If you are trying to raise alk in your display tank, mix the additive in a cup of RO/DI water, add a little bit, wait an hour and test the alkalinity. If still low, add a little more, test an hour later, and so on. Having this number leap upward to acceptable levels is rather harsh on the livestock.

Most products have a measurement listed on the container, so you can figure out exact how much to dose to get the numbers you want to attain. It would still be wise to dose half of that, wait and test, until you are more experienced and know what to expect.

 

[Dan Thrash]

thanks Marc! i dont have any livestock yet...just curing some rock outside of the tank...so i plan on dosing before it goes into the tank. i guess i just didnt want to be stuck with a ridiculously high pH that i'll have to get down with another additive.

 

[dsquared]

melev,
I just tested a 50 gal bag. I use salifert kits...6.7dKh..2.40 meq/L
Dave

 

[aquaconnect]

My TM has been testing out perfect, 9.7dkh, 400 calcium, pH 8.0 @ sg 1.025, temp 77. My reef is really turned around. I switched from the 'evil' Kent to IO because that was all I had access to at the time of the crash, and now TM salt looks even better and my corals are responding better than using IO. Absolutly no corals slimed while I did my water change like they sometimes do, and my Acan's came out to feed during the water change.

 

[old salty]

Marc,

Perhaps it's not the salt itself. I just switched to Marine Environment; pretty much the top of the line marine salt. I mixed up a batch, and with a Salifert test kit, it read 2 dKH. This seemed really strange to me, so I went ahead and contacted the manufacturer (AquaCraft.) They informed me that the Salifert test kits (and other hobbiest ones) are not capable of accurately measuring the alkalinity due to the way these test kits measure.

Could it be that Kent is using an alkalinity compound which Salifert test kits are incapable of measuring?

 

[melev]

No. That is a nice way of saying 'You are a mere hobbyist and simply can't understand the complexities of saltwater testing." Did this person offer you an alternate kit that will read his salt accurately?

Something you can bet upon is if there ever was a salt that Salifert can't test, Habib will crank out a new kit just for it. Check with RHF in the Chemistry forum if you need more input. He's our local expert, as far as I'm concerned.