GoVols: Red Sea S-400

[GoVols]

@MrMichael @hybridazn @prsnlty @justingraham @jason2459

First off I just did my weekly water change and tested the Vee Gee again and it's still holding to the (tlf) .35 Natural Calibration solution. Have not needed to adjust the calibration on that refractormeter since day one.

On the downside. It looks like the Fritz RPM is hitting some bad batches.
Cal is over 500ppm and mag is ranging from 1600 - 1700 pm @ 1.025dkh.

So until Fritz has gotten this resolved the RPM Triton report will be on hold.

The Blue Blue "My Batch" reports have been nailing my test kits.

Already went down the road with varying batches or bucket to bucket that provides QC reports from 2015 until late spring of 2016 with another salt mix.
It was truly a pain in the you know what, and I'm not going down that road again. :mad:

So will keep buying the Blue Bucket and dose the alk and mag to what my reef likes while mixing.

I want to just keep plugging away with the Red Sea ABC+ powder and it raises up all the big-3 at one time.

If the IO did not have the high alk with my large water changes, then I'd just use that mix.

If anybody knows another (proven) salt mix that comes into these #'s.
Cal - 430 - 440
Alk - 8 - 8.5 dkh
Mag - 1400 - 1420

Please let me know.

Thanks, Freddie

 

[jsker]

Pics of reactor or it didn't happen lol

 

[jsker]

@MrMichael @hybridazn @prsnlty @justingraham @jason2459

First off I just did my weekly water change and tested the Vee Gee again and it's still holding to the (tlf) .35 Natural Calibration solution. Have not needed to adjust the calibration on that refractormeter since day one.

On the downside. It looks like the Fritz RPM is hitting some bad batches.
Cal is over 500ppm and alk is ranging from 1600 - 1700 pm @ 1.025dkh.

So until Fritz has gotten this resolved the RPM Triton report will be on hold.

The Blue Blue "My Batch" reports have been nailing my test kits.

Already went down the road with varying batches or bucket to bucket that provides QC reports from 2015 until late spring of 2016 with another salt mix.
It was truly a pain in the you know what, and I'm not going down that road again. :mad:

So will keep buying the Blue Bucket and dose the alk and mag to what my reef likes while mixing.

I want to just keep plugging away with the Red Sea ABC+ powder and it raises up all the big-3 three at one time.

If the IO did not have the high alk with my large water changes, then I'd just use that mix.

If anybody knows another (proven) salt mix that comes into these #'s.
Cal - 430 - 440
Alk - 8 - 8.5 dkh
Mag - 1400 - 1420

Please let me know.

Thanks, Freddie

All your getting is a on that one, from me

 

[hybridazn]

@MrMichael @hybridazn @prsnlty @justingraham @jason2459

First off I just did my weekly water change and tested the Vee Gee again and it's still holding to the (tlf) .35 Natural Calibration solution. Have not needed to adjust the calibration on that refractormeter since day one.

On the downside. It looks like the Fritz RPM is hitting some bad batches.
Cal is over 500ppm and alk is ranging from 1600 - 1700 pm @ 1.025dkh.

So until Fritz has gotten this resolved the RPM Triton report will be on hold.

The Blue Blue "My Batch" reports have been nailing my test kits.

Already went down the road with varying batches or bucket to bucket that provides QC reports from 2015 until late spring of 2016 with another salt mix.
It was truly a pain in the you know what, and I'm not going down that road again. :mad:

So will keep buying the Blue Bucket and dose the alk and mag to what my reef likes while mixing.

I want to just keep plugging away with the Red Sea ABC+ powder and it raises up all the big-3 at one time.

If the IO did not have the high alk with my large water changes, then I'd just use that mix.

If anybody knows another (proven) salt mix that comes into these #'s.
Cal - 430 - 440
Alk - 8 - 8.5 dkh
Mag - 1400 - 1420

Please let me know.

Thanks, Freddie

Actually not too surprised by these findings, I've been reading a lot of negative things about that salt

 

[jason2459]

I've seen 4 other reports of odd numbers including recently by @d2mini.

The bad batches must be some what recent in the past 6 months. My batch I got tested seemed to test with reasonable numbers. Used the rest of the box with my tank with no ill effects.

 

[justingraham]

Actually not too surprised by these findings, I've been reading a lot of negative things about that salt

This might be why my tank looks like crap with weird things going on after my carbon mess up and vacation I didn't have time to test I just did three quick water changes before vacation and everything looks weird in my tank I'll have to mix up a small batch and see what the numbers are shoot

 

[GoVols]

I've seen 4 other reports of odd numbers including recently by @d2mini.

The bad batches must be some what recent in the past 6 months. My batch I got tested seemed to test with reasonable numbers. Used the rest of the box with my tank with no ill effects.

I saw @d2mini 's #'s too and and it is new batches. Breaks my heart.
One reefer just got a replacement from Fritz and his Cal and Mag are still sky high.

Going to ride out the Blue Bucket. Has a long track record and the "My Batch" reports have been spot on to my test kits.
Red Sea maybe old school but they do have some really nice and proven products.

 

[HolisticBear]

Going to ride out the Blue Bucket. Has a long track record and the "My Batch" reports have been spot on to my test kits

You can always dose up like you said, too high is a PITA. Apparently quality control is a the issue with salts these days. I got a free issue of Coral Magazine in the mail (did I win at NYRap?) and Tropic Marin does runs some pretty full color ads for their probotic salt. If QC is an issue with regular salt, you'd assume it's harder to maintain QC with the additional probotic ingrediants salts?

Even thou BRS and PremiumAquatics have taken good care of me with defective products, I'd rather not ask for any more refunds.

 

[HolisticBear]

Double post

 

[jason2459]

All salt brands IMO have had or will have issues at some point. It's how they react to it. Same with test kits. They are all susceptible to bad reagents. It's not if but when it will happen.

IME Instant Ocean will take in samples of the dry salt and test it. And if it comes back off from there standard they will send you new salt back. I always suggest people contact the maker of their saltmix if they believe they have a bad batch. Often it's not properly mixed or bad testing. And by properly mixing I don't mean in the water. The dry saltmix needs to be thoroughly mixed before use if the entire bag/bucket is not used all at once.

 

[GoVols]

I'd rather not ask for any more refunds.

+1
And the Blue Bucket has been solid as a rock. At least it mixes to the parameters that it suppose to.
Those Red Sea salts have came on top of that Polish guys test, two times in a row.

 

[GoVols]

All salt brands IMO have had or will have issues at some point. It's how they react to it. Same with test kits. They are all susceptible to bad reagents. It's not if but when it will happen.

IME Instant Ocean will take in samples of the dry salt and test it. And if it comes back off from there standard they will send you new salt back. I always suggest people contact the maker of their saltmix if they believe they have a bad batch. Often it's not properly mixed or bad testing. And by properly mixing I don't mean in the water. The dry saltmix needs to be thoroughly mixed before use if the entire bag/bucket is not used all at once.

Jason,
Thank You!!!

Your are Reef 2 Reef's salt mix Jedi Night.

Freddie

 

[HolisticBear]

I always suggest people contact the maker of their saltmix if they believe they have a bad batch.

+1 Solid Advice, and much of the user frustration comes not the original bad batch, but the customer service interactions that follow

 

[GoVols]

much of the user frustration comes not the original bad batch, but the customer service interactions that follow

Been there and done that.

 

[jason2459]

And FYI, that's another reason I really dislike Fritz one really BIG bag of salt in the box. Very hard to get mixed up properly before use to be mixed in the water.

My mixing container is setup when it's out it shuts off my AWC. Then I have a high mark that I stop filling the container to. That right there mixes 1 bag of IO to 35ppt for me.

 

[GoVols]

@MrMichael @prsnlty @Ryan2428 @Maritimer @justingraham

Guys,
We have a nudi alert:

For the record:
I believe the last aptisia was totally gone on July the 26th. (So we'll just call it 21 days after the last aptisia was gone)

Well,
Just walked by the reef at 11:45pm and saw another nudi on the glass.
Turned on the T5's to catch these shots. He's alive but looking very thin.

;Singing ;Singing ;Singing
.

 

[prsnlty]

Seems like some were hanging around to be sure no baby aptasia were to pop up [emoji12]

 

[GoVols]

If you have not noticed the S 400 (in the older shots) manifold has dropped and was hanging on by a coat hanger.

I hear ya... "No More Wire Hangers" ;Rage

So this morning the issue has been permanently fixed.

 

[GoVols]

@MrMichael
With the procedures posted above with the Red Sea Pro alk.

Red Sea Pro Alk came in at 7.8 dkh (Kudos to RedSeaKev)
Hanna Alk Checker came in at 7.7 dkh

Pretty dang close but will be staying with the Hanna.

All big three are inline and dosing the ABC+ powder with Colors C & D.

 

[GoVols]

Welp,
In case you did not know... Nashville is one of the total eclipses, epiceneter's. ;Woot ;Woot

Sun at 11:50am central time. ;Wideyed