Tropic Marin salt woes

[ksed]

Thanks guys for your posts.
As far as which tests kit I'm using. I have two sets of Salifert and both show similar results. I'm using the Tropic Marin glass bulb hydrometer, actually I have 2 of them and both seam to be reading the same.
As far as taking the salt back I had contacted Tropic Marin USA and they said there's nothing they can do.

 

[Megalodon]

Nothing they can do?

That's bad.

 

[Billybeau1]

Well, I still got my box of TM Pro. I tested it once but, for your sake, I will test one more batch and see what I get.

Will let you know in a couple of days.

In the mean time, if you have a local fish store, or a friend near by that could test your water, that could be a plus.

 

[cybrsufr]

I have been using TM salt for over a year and it always mixes up around
380-400 Ca, 1180 Mg, 7-8 DKh at a salinity of 1.025. As for the comment about the use of reactors that is only tru for TM Pro Reef. That salt is intentionally low in DKh specifically for the use of Ca reactors and Kalk Stirrers, hence the name TM Pro Reef. The normal TM salt should mix up fine. As for the high DKh in tanks, it has been shown to increase some growth rates of certain species of Acropora but can be detrimental to others. I maintain my reef between 7.5 and 8.5 DKh and have a stabile and thriving setup and having a Ca Reactor and Kalk Stirrer has made keeping those level constant a very easy task.

 

[Megalodon]

I didn't realize Hans was with Tropic Marin until I just now.

Here's the conversation I've been having with him directly via email after contacting Tropic Marin. It starts from most the most recent and has identifying information X'd out.


Hi Hans,

I had not used any other type of salt up until that point. It was my first tank and my first and only bucket of salt. I have now switched to IO and everything's fine now.

Even if I had of used an incompatible salt prior, it still wouldn't explain why the batch mixed up that way on it's own in the bucket at both my house and also XXX Aquatics.

I don't doubt this is a great salt. I just got a bad batch or a bad bucket. I will contact XXX Aquatics and see if they still have a sample.

Regards,

Doug XXXXXXXX


Hans-Werner XXXXXXX wrote:
>
> Dear Doug,
>
> Thank you for your answer. As you may already have noticed I already found the thread, of course not knowing that you are Megalodon.
>
> To be honest, we can not look for your specific problems without having a batch number and we got no further complaints. The salt will be sent back to Tropic Marin USA and not to us. So I can not say anything about your salt.
>
> You have not answered the question yet, what salt brand you used before switching to our PRO-REEF. I suspect that your problems might be caused by a kind of incompatibility with your former salt brand which is not caused by our salt but by some additives of your former brand.
>
> I am sorry, but at the moment we will not find an answer to your questions that is satisfactory for both sides. We regularly use our PRO-REEF salt, just as thousands of aquarists do, in our reef tanks without any problem.
>
> Kind regards
>
> Hans-Werner XXXXXXX



> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Doug XXXXXXX [mailto:dougXXXXXXXX@gmail.com]
> Gesendet: Donnerstag, 13. März 2008 04:53
> An: Hans-Werner XXXXXXX
> Betreff: Re: Kontaktformular
>
>
>
> Hi Hans,
>
> Sorry I was having email problems and didn't get your emails until now.
>
> This thread on ReefCentral is http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1322650
>
> I don't have the batch number as I returned the salt to XXX Aquatics. They said they're returning it to you.
>
> I mixed it using RO/DI water of room-temperature. I added the water first in the bucket then I added the salt all at once and stirred it until it was clear the next day with a pump. XXX Aquatics tested it too and got the same result.
>
> I used maybe about 10% of the bucket before realizing it. It was working fine at first but when I did a waterchange the pH dropped as low as 7.7 and snails and hermits started dying, so that's when I decided to test it. This was my first tank and my first bucket of this type of salt. Please let me know if you have anymore questions and please get back to me about what you've discovered.
>
> Doug XXXXXXXX
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 5:08 AM, Hans-Werner XXXXXXX <hans-werner.XXXXXXX@tropic-marin.com> wrote:
>
Dear Mr. XXXXXXXX,

We are very sorry to hear this. We never have heard of problems with one
of our salts that are only similar to yours.
Please give us the batch number of the PRO-REEF salt. It is a five
figured number stamped under the lid of the bucket.
Please give us more information what kind of water you have used and how you mixed the saltwater? How much water and salt have you mixed?
Have you used our PRO-REEF the first time and which salt have you used before?
The values you gave us are not optimum but are no cause to worry
seriously.
They might be a result of unmixing during transportation.

Kind regards

Hans-Werner XXXXXXX
>
>
>
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Doug XXXXXXX [mailto:dougXXXXXXXX@gmail.com]
> Gesendet: Montag, 25. Februar 2008 21:35
> An: tropicmarin@tropic-marin.com
> Betreff: Kontaktformular
>

>
Hello, I purchase a bucket of your Pro salt and I'm not very
> happy with it. It mixes with an alk of 5, calcium of over 650ppm, and pH
> 7.9. It has killed a number of my snails and hermits and has stressed
> one of
> my fish to the point of breaking out in ich. Please contact me. I have
> already started a thread on Reefcentral about this. My phone number is
> 604-XXX-XXXX.
>
>