Why does reef crystals only have 320 Ca?
- Thread starter StrategicReef
- Start date
Billybeau1
Premium Member
Where did you here that. I'm afraid you,ve been misinformed.
Randy has been using IO for years and boost his calcium about 70 ppm making the final product around 420 or so.
I forgot his mag numbers but I think it was around 200ppm magnesium as IO runs about 1100.
IO is a very, very consistent salt mix and used by almost as many that use Reef Crystals. Both fine salt mixes IMO as long as you supplement accordingly.
Actually, I've been trying to talk Randy into trying Reef Crystals for a year or so. He is very stubborn.
mksalt
New member
Sorry. I confuse easily these days…..
I am in the process of switching from Oceanic to IO. Been having some strange readings lately and thought I would try something different. I still have a lot of Oceanic left so I’m actually mixing the two right now. 1/3 OC â€"œ 2/3 IO. Just started with this experiment. Going to do my second 10% weekly WC tomorrow.
I am in the process of switching from Oceanic to IO. Been having some strange readings lately and thought I would try something different. I still have a lot of Oceanic left so I’m actually mixing the two right now. 1/3 OC â€"œ 2/3 IO. Just started with this experiment. Going to do my second 10% weekly WC tomorrow.
Billybeau1
Premium Member
A number of reefers mix Oceanic and IO 50/50.
Not my cup of tea but if you want to get rid of your Oceanic, 50/50 isn't so bad.
Or you can do what Randy just did and use your Oceanic on your driveway to melt the snow. :lol:
Not my cup of tea but if you want to get rid of your Oceanic, 50/50 isn't so bad.
Or you can do what Randy just did and use your Oceanic on your driveway to melt the snow. :lol:
MTB
New member
I think Randy used Coralife salt mix on his driveway.
I picked up a bucket from my LFS last week end. I still haven't opened it. The RC from June from Foster/Smith tested out to:
Cal: 420ppm-salifert
430ppm-lamott
Alk: 12.8DKH-salifert
Mag: 1320-salifert
I will open the "new" bucket tomorrow and mix some up to see what I get. FWIW I dump half a new bucket into another bucket and shake it. Shake the remaining salt in first bucket and mix them back together and shake it again. Not all grains are the same size and I'm sure some has to settle to the bottom. Could affect the readings but might not at the same time.
I picked up a bucket from my LFS last week end. I still haven't opened it. The RC from June from Foster/Smith tested out to:
Cal: 420ppm-salifert
430ppm-lamott
Alk: 12.8DKH-salifert
Mag: 1320-salifert
I will open the "new" bucket tomorrow and mix some up to see what I get. FWIW I dump half a new bucket into another bucket and shake it. Shake the remaining salt in first bucket and mix them back together and shake it again. Not all grains are the same size and I'm sure some has to settle to the bottom. Could affect the readings but might not at the same time.
2thdeekay
New member
Randy is right. If the product were to be affected by water absorbtion, it would have a soggy wet consistency, and people would notice. I mixed a bag of salt that had sat open for months, and was pretty soggy. Alk was reduced, but not gone. Ca was not reduced more than ~45ppm
What I find interesting are the two numbers here. People have posted Calcium levels of either 420 or 360 ppm. I wonder if RC salt is mfr'd at two locations, or something along that line.
2thdeekay
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11409604#post11409604 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DiazE
It would be appreciated if any of you SW veterans can answer my question concerning the above question I posted yesterday?
I hope it's not a problem; I just need the help we all look for at RC as members.
Thanks!
It depends on how much you'd like to raise your Ca. Have you tried this reef calculator?
http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chem_calc3.html
Mr. Ugly
New member
Hmm... going from memory, I'm getting pretty much those numbers too. Salifert for alk and Mg, and Seachem for Ca.
I hadn't seen any complaints from others. I thought my test kits might have gone bad, or that I was going crazy. I'd remembered better Mg and Ca than that from RC.
Bar codes etc on the side of my bucket read:
1 00 51378 01706 7
and
51378 01706
RC1-160P 03/05
P/N 4808
Does any of that info relate to batch code?
I bought several buckets earlier this year through DFS. I just got a couple new buckets too. I guess I should open one and test.
Or maybe it means blender 3 out of 5, or maybe made on the third planet from the sun around the fifth star north from astromedies....
Mike O'Brien
New member
Does anybody know of a reputable source for a reference sample. I found this one, but who's to say that THEIR numbers are correct ?
http://www.reefperfection.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=469
http://www.reefperfection.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=469
Billybeau1
Premium Member
Mr. , First let me say this is only my opinion from my many hours of testing different brand calcium test kits.
The Seachem Calcium test kit reads about 70 ppm low when compared to other test kits I have used. So your numbers don't surprise me.
Try an API kit (very inexpensive but accurate) or a Salifert kit and I believe you will see calcioum numbers between 420 and 430 ppm.
Billybeau1
Premium Member
Mike, I've been saying this for years.
Example, The Seachem calcium test kit and reference sample match to a tee. But they are both off when compared to other test kits.
Lamotte, Salifert and API all come in close, in my testing, yet Seachem is always around 70 ppm lower than those mentioned.
I do not know whether it is even possible to make a calcium standard. Randy would know.
But the proof is in the pudding. You buy 4 hobby grade test kits and 3 of the match. The fourth doesn't. And yet the fourth is the only one that comes with a reference.
You be the judge.
