Couple questions on regular IO salt.

[Pntbll687]

Regular purple bucket IO? Ive yet to check alk with it as ill be checking tonight.
I keep seeing these huge discrepancies in alk ratios with the IO. Most of what ive see is reefers claiming it to mix closer to 11 on higher side.
I'm ok with using a little more to get to where I need to be.
I'm really digging the fact that the purple bucket is working with my aeration and sealed room conditions and shrooms seem to love it so far.
Like I said ive only seen a swing of .03 on Ph since I mixed it up 72 hrs ago.

Just a thought, but I think many people hear IO and think of 11dkh, because that's about where IO Reef Crystals mixes up to.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Just a thought, but I think many people hear IO and think of 11dkh, because that's about where IO Reef Crystals mixes up to.

No, that's not the reason, at least for me.

That is (or was) the level that was clearly attained for many years with normal IO. It's also close to the (perhaps changed now) manufacturers target level.

Maybe the manufacturers have dropped the alk recently, or maybe folks are seeing lower alk levels because they measure after some calcium carbonate has precipitated.

Like other high alk mixes, it starts high and then drops as calcium carbonate precipitates. I've seen it drop from 11 dKH or so to 7 dKH or so over time.

 

[Spare time]

I really think that, in terms of tank health and ignoring different levels of alk, calcium, and mag, salts are not a limiting factor on anyone's success. I prefer whichever mixes the fastest and the cheapest fast mixing salt with high alk that I can get is coral pro. However, I honestly don't care

I always mix IO for about 24 hours before I use it and the alk is always in the 8-9 range.

Just tested a few days ago and it was 8.3 using a hannah tester. The salt was bought recently.

There are a ton of IPC tests at the RC chemical section(sticky) for IO and other salts. IO was fine in all categories.

What salinity do you mix it to?

 

[Big E]

I really think that, in terms of tank health and ignoring different levels of alk, calcium, and mag, salts are not a limiting factor on anyone's success. I prefer whichever mixes the fastest and the cheapest fast mixing salt with high alk that I can get is coral pro. However, I honestly don't care


What salinity do you mix it to?

1.026