Reef Crystals Calcium content?

[Wippjas]

I attended the Coral Conference earlier this year and purchased a bucket of Reef Crystals salt. If I had more room in the car, I would have went for the deal on four. Anyway, I am just getting around to using it and was wondering if anyone has found that the salt seems to be low on Calcium so far. I measured only 250ppm using my SeaChem test set, and have mixed up three batches for 5 gallon water changes.

Has anyone else come across the same issue with their salt purchased at that time?? I've just been adding a couple of teaspoons of Turbo Calcium to bring it back into check.

Just thought I'd mention it incase some of your customers don't check when starting to use a new batch of salt.

 

[dfs/la2]

Wippjas,

We are sorry to hear that your salt mix is not producing a calcium level of 400ppm once the salt is completely mixed. If you would please PM us your customer information we will be happy to replace the salt mix for you.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Joyce F.
Drs. Foster & Smith
Technical Support

 

[janderson8]

I am glad I found this thread. I purchased three buckets. I Just opened the first one yesterday. I made 100 Gal for water changes on my 4 tanks and to my surprise I found the same problem. The numbers are the same readings I was getting from IO. Low Calcium levels. So I opened the other two buckets and mixed a gallon of each and they too are haveing the same problems. I know moisture can not be the problem because I just opened them for the first time.

I am wondering if they are made at the same plant? If so some one could have used the wrong buckets... I just added Cal and Mag to them before doing the water change. Not a big deal but the reason I switch it RC is for the Higher reading.

 

[dfs/la2]

janderson8,

Thank you for contacting us. Please PM us your order information and we would be happy to look into this concern for you. We appreciate the opportunity to make this right.

Stacie R
Technical Support
Drs Foster and Smith

 

[janderson8]

Stacie,

You all are the best!!! And you have a customer for life. I dont think it is a problem I have enough buffer to supp. these three buckets already. So no need to make it right. BUt if you need my order number for Lot information to see if there is a bad batch of RC it is N8191858

Thanks in Advance

 

[dfs/la2]

janderson8,

Thank you for providing us with your order information. We will pass this information along to our purchasing department for their review. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience. Please keep us informed if you have any further questions.

Stacie R
Technical Support
Drs Foster and Smith

 

[janderson8]

Stacie,

Not a problem. I always test my water pror tp the water changes so it was not a problem for me as I had old buffers around. But I know like me many have switched to RC for just this purpose. High Mg and Calc. So no need to buffer it.

As I do more reading I am seeing more reports of the same thing. So I am guessing it is not me. But as I said I have buffer around so it is not a big deal at all.

If you all hear anything as to why the problems please let me know as I am not thinking of switching salts again and I am not sure you all carrie the brand I would switch to.

 

[dfs/la2]

janderson8,

We will certainly pass along any information that we find to keep our customers informed. Again, thank you for contacting us.

Stacie R
Technical Support
Drs Foster and Smith

 

[DiazE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11326207#post11326207 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dfs/la2
Wippjas,

We are sorry to hear that your salt mix is not producing a calcium level of 400ppm once the salt is completely mixed. If you would please PM us your customer information we will be happy to replace the salt mix for you.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Joyce F.
Drs. Foster & Smith
Technical Support

There's a big forum on right now trying to figure out this problem.
I also ordered two buckets from DrsFosterSmith about a month ago. Alot of members are also complaining about low calcium readings with different test or meters. Ca320.

What can I do to resolve this problem since I also chose Reef Crystals because of the high calcium content?

Here is the Link to the discussion:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1270094&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

 

[bdare]

Hi Joyce / Stacie,

I also have a bucket of Reef Crystals which is low in Ca and Mg (order N8151450). Do you have a lot of customers complaining about this? Have you heard if it was just a bad batch?

Thanks,
Ben

 

[dfs/la2]

DiazE,

Thank you for contacting us. Please PM your order information and we would be happy to look into this further for you. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Stacie R
Technical Support
Drs Foster and Smith

 

[Runfrumu]

My first bucket from Dr F&S seemed good. I hope the one I haven't used yet is ok. Is there a batch number or something I should be looking for?

 

[dfs/la2]

DiazE and other Reef Central Readers,

We are posting more information regarding Synthetic Salt mixes and low calcium levels to help clarify any misunderstandings.
In order for the Salt mix to register normal calcium levels you need to use the entire contents of the salt mix purchased. A 50 gallon bag of Reef Crystals mixed with 50 gallons of dechlorinated water, will have a calcium reading between 350 â€"œ 450 ppm. Using a partial amount will result in a low reading. It is recommended to aerate this mixture for at least 24 hours prior to testing to obtain an accurate reading. This is the most accurate way to mix and test synthetic saltwater. Therefore, it is not necessary to watch for any specific batch numbers.

Happy Holidays,

Pat S.
Technical Support
Drs. Foster and Smith

 

[bdare]

Hi Pat,

Although I can not speak for everyone who has low readings, I can tell you I've been using this salt for a long time. I make the salt the same each time and I always test the water before I add it to my tank.

I use a refractometer to mix the salt to 1.026 and test for Ca, Alk, Mg and Ph before adding it to my tank. I've never had problems with the results from Reef Crystals until the most recent bucket I recieved.

I appreciate you adding instructions on how to mix salt, however I feel I'm quite versed in this practice and I'm pretty sure there is something wrong with this "batch" of salt.

Thanks and regards,
Ben

 

[dfs/la2]

Bdare,

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to assist you. Per our phone call, we are forwarding your comments to our Merchandising Department. We look forward to hearing from you again.

Pat S.
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith

 

[bdare]

Hi Pat,

Thanks again for calling! The customer service at DRS Foster and Smith never ceases to amaze me! A new bucket of salt was totally unexpected but absolutely appreciated.

Regards,
Ben

 

[janderson8]

I too agree. I have always mixed my salt the same way and never had readings this low. I too think this is a batch problem.

 

[dfs/la2]

Thank you for your patience in this matter. We wanted to confirm that we have contacted the manufacturer regarding the salt mix, though due to the holidays the earliest we will receive a response will be Thursday December 27th or Friday December 28th. Once we get a response from the manufacturer we will be posting this information for you.

Joyce F.
Technical Support
Drs. Foster & Smith

 

[Thorium]

I attended the conference this past summer as well and picked up four buckets of RC. All mine are testing low Ca, which makes me unhappy. I have always purchased my salt from DR's F/S and have always been very happy with their customer service, by far the best in the industry. But I understand it is not their fault but Marineland's.

I really hope we get a response here from Marineland soon. As far as I am concerned their reputation is on the line at this point. I think they loaded up a huge quantity of RC buckets with the Instant Ocean blend.

 

[SPStoner]

Just wondering if anybody tried to contact Aquarium Systems directly? They have a consumer 800 number on the salt pail.