I get where you are going with the investigates opportunity, and that's maybe something we can get to after everything that's already in the works. However, it is a pretty low priority in relation to other testing opportunities. I think most of us would rather see the results of how flow, spectrum, pH and coral foods affect coral coloration and growth rather than the effects of saving a few bucks a month on kalkwasser
End of the day all of these additives are just nutritional supplements for animals we care for. Similar to any pet food or nutritional supplement for our dogs, cats or birds. The likelihood that most of us would be able to identify if the quality of the raw materials going into Science Diet or some organic grain free diet is really better than Meow Mix is pretty low no matter how long you watch your cat. The presumption is we just do the best we can for them, research what we think is best for our pets and fits within a reasonable budget.
In this case, even though BRS chems have been the best value retail offering, they have never been the cheapest option out there. Buying industrial chemicals produced for industrial purposes like ice melting or pool chemistry and taking the time to bake baking soda has and always will always be the cheapest option out there. Similar to the lowest cost pet food out there it will very likely keep your pets alive, in reasonable health and in most cases won't be so toxic that anyone would notice health differences with the naked eye or be able to attribute them to the food in the long term. The difficulty is when you run into some form of tank issue down the road it's really impossible to know what caused it so one of the best approaches as always been to eliminate as many potential causes as we can, to begin with. The value proposition of industrial chemicals is just the most affordable solution possible. I don't think anyone has ever claimed it is the best option and those using it are probably not in search of the better or best option, just acceptable quality at the lowest cost.
Part of transitioning to a full line of chems that use pharmaceutical grade raw materials is to make it easier for those researching what they want to put in their tanks. Anyone can say they are "better" or the "best," but that really has no meaning. The independently graded material has definable quality standards. As you can imagine there is a fairly dramatic difference in the manufacturing processes, facilities, cross contamination standards and raw materials used between products between something designed to be an affordable method of melting ice and something designed to be used for human dialysis, baby formula or pharmaceuticals. We can all debate if our tanks need this standard of quality but considering the pretty low overall cost, I think a lot of what reefers are buying here is peace of mind and the ability to skip a debate that will likely never have a universally agreed upon answer.
End of the day I don't think there is "one product to rule them all" but I'd certainly like to think we offer the best value mix of quality and price out there. I can only hope others share this view.
