Instant Ocean ICP Test Results, click to see

Rickyrooz · Mar 17, 2020

I submitted an ICP test for a 30 gallon mix of Instant Ocean sea salt. From the results Instant Ocean is low in Calcium, Potassium, Barium, Iodine, Molybdenum, and Manganese but is high in Tin. I am not sure why they read my salinity at 32 as I calibrate my refractometer with AquaCraft seawater calibration fluid to 35ppt and that's where I mix my salinity at.

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I also have the RO/DI water results

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Overall, it does not look like a bad salt as long as you supplement with trace elements and bump up the calcium.

Sailfin11 · Mar 17, 2020

Thanks for sharing!

old salt reefer · Mar 17, 2020

That's the regular Instant Ocean, not the reef stuff right?

Mrx7899 · Mar 17, 2020

I mix up 30 gallons at a time and I always have to add calcium to it. I like it around 400 and its usually at 350.

madweazl · Mar 17, 2020

The levels are low because your salinity is low. Plugging them into a calculator (attached), I come up with 33.1 (pretty close to ATI's measurement).

Edit: For what it's worth, I usually get 400-410ppm calcium at 35ppt salinity with Instant Ocean.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 17, 2020

Rickyrooz said:
Overall, it does not look like a bad salt as long as you supplement with trace elements and bump up the calcium.

Raising the salinity to 35 ppt will also raise calcium, to 383 ppm.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 17, 2020

The tin may be from your mixing or storage containers.

Rickyrooz · Mar 18, 2020

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
The tin may be from your mixing or storage containers.

I am thinking it is from the Jebao return pump for circulating the salt. I use the same 30 gallon Brute tub for both saltwater mixing and fish RO/DI water.

Rickyrooz · Mar 18, 2020

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Raising the salinity to 35 ppt will also raise calcium, to 383 ppm.

Thanks

Vernon Ebron · Mar 18, 2020

Rickyrooz said:
I submitted an ICP test for a 30 gallon mix of Instant Ocean sea salt. From the results Instant Ocean is low in Calcium, Potassium, Barium, Iodine, Molybdenum, and Manganese but is high in Tin. I am not sure why they read my salinity at 32 as I calibrate my refractometer with AquaCraft seawater calibration fluid to 35ppt and that's where I mix my salinity at.

I also have the RO/DI water results

Overall, it does not look like a bad salt as long as you supplement with trace elements and bump up the calcium.

homer1475 · Mar 18, 2020

Been using IO for years, and at 35ppt I have never had it mix up that low.

Typically ALk is in the 10DKH range, CAL is around 400, and mag is in the 1100 range.

Your levels are low because the salinity is low.

Vernon Ebron · Mar 18, 2020

Thank you for taking out the time to do the research and bringing this important information to R2R family.

GlassMunky · Mar 18, 2020

I dont trust ICP results as far as i can throw the paper they are printed on....
test the same water again and see if the results are the same, i bet you they arent.....

take all these "numbers" with a grain of salt (pun intended)

madweazl · Mar 18, 2020

GlassMunky said:
I dont trust ICP results as far as i can throw the paper they are printed on....
test the same water again and see if the results are the same, i bet you they arent.....

take all these "numbers" with a grain of salt (pun intended)

Who specifically when you say ICP? I've used ATI and Triton with very consistent results. I wouldn't trust icp-analysis.com any further than I could throw 'em though.

GlassMunky · Mar 18, 2020

madweazl said:
Who specifically when you say ICP? I've used ATI and Triton with very consistent results. I wouldn't trust icp-analysis.com any further than I could throw 'em though.

It’s been years honestly since I even bothered with them after the initial instance where I actually sent the same sample in twice and got different results. I’m not sure who it was, I just don’t trust those machines

piranhaman00 · Mar 18, 2020

IO mixes to 400-410ppm calcium for me every time.

Mrx7899 · Mar 18, 2020

I must be doing something wrong cuz mine alway test between 350 and 385. I check salinity with a Milwaukee that I calibrate often.

madweazl · Mar 18, 2020

Mrx7899 said:
I must be doing something wrong cuz mine alway test between 350 and 385. I check salinity with a Milwaukee that I calibrate often.

You may be testing differently or with a different kit (I use Red Sea Pro for calcium). Your salinity may be low (I calibrate every single time I use the refractometer). Regardless, it still may not be correct. People put a lot of faith in whatever they're measuring salinity with and rarely believe it could be wrong even when there is evidence otherwise (not aimed at you specifically but it's always a possibility). Between ICP results, the calculator I attached above, my refractometer, and the GHL conductivity probe, I have a pretty good notion my refractometer reads about .75ppt low with the calibration fluid I use (which results in higher than desired salinity). I haven't tried testing the calibration fluid with the conductivity probe; that might be interesting.

Rickyrooz · Mar 18, 2020

homer1475 said:
Been using IO for years, and at 35ppt I have never had it mix up that low.

Typically ALk is in the 10DKH range, CAL is around 400, and mag is in the 1100 range.

Your levels are low because the salinity is low.

Magnesium is not going to jump from 1100 to 1300 with a 32 ppt to 35 ppt bump. Alkalinity was 10.6 dKH at 32 ppt, at 35 ppt it will be between 11 and 12 dKH. IO has always been know to be low in Calcium (400 ppm is low, I run my tank at 430ppm) and Magnesium and high in Alkalinity which is why they made Reef Crystals for the bump in Ca and Mg.