Is it worth it...

thesoulpatch · Nov 12, 2018

Is it worth calling Fritz and telling them I got a really bad batch of their salt and had a massive alk drop from 8-5 after doing a water change with a new bag of salt and lost like $1000 worth of coral....not that they can replace the coral or anything but I mean is it worth it?

shred5 · Nov 12, 2018

Bad salt is a pain. I have had several different salts that were bad. I now test them before use.

The first time I started to loose a few corals. So what do I do, change more water making it worse fast. This was ober 20 years ago and now I would test the water first.

In am back to IO because it has been the most reliable.

hart24601 · Nov 12, 2018

How large of water change was it?

It would have had to be a gigantic W/C or have a tiny amount of all in it to drop that far. Maybe one of the chemistry gurus can state numbers when we see how large the w/c was. Did you test the fritz?

cromag27 · Nov 12, 2018

io 22+ years here. i’d call and ask for a refund, then switch.

Bugsy_Barboza · Nov 12, 2018

Wouldn’t hurt, but doubt they actually think it was the salt being the issue.

thesoulpatch · Nov 12, 2018

I did 25%, it's been a hot minute since I changed the water before that.

Yeah I switched to IO now. Everyone's a lot happier now.

Labridaedicted · Nov 13, 2018

Yeah, IO is nothin fancy, but man... every batch is just about identical. As far as the bad batch, its worth letting them know; if nothing else, so that they can take a corrective action so no one else has the same fate.

chris k. · Nov 13, 2018

I always check salinity and alk on main tank and fresh saltwater before a water change.

Captain Quint · Nov 13, 2018

Sorry to read of this thesoulpatch. I do believe an occasional bad batch by any does happen. And I believe you probably did get a bad batch.

I won't name the brand, but several years back I got a bad batch and reported it. I had to read the batch numbers from the container to them. Apparently, companies keep salt from each batch they make or at least that's what I was told.

A week or so later they sent me pics of a clownfish and a few corals in a small tank they professed was from the batch I referred to. They offered me a new bucket. I told them to keep it and that I would switch salts. BTW, I had used the salt since before it was even on the market. Their loss.

I guess the long story short is they may well indeed keep salt samples on hand from all batches so they can 'prove' it was not their fault but ours. I really don't know what to think other than it is the companies CYA rationale which is not a bad idea, but I also have no doubt bad batches have been produced.

Please keep us updated.

shred5 · Nov 13, 2018

IO and Tropic Marin have both been the best salt I have used.
Both have never given me a bad batch and consistent.

I have been in reef hobby 30+ years and saltwater longer so I have used most salts and for a long time. I have tested salt out for companies and used to use what ever I got cheaper or free. I have had a few bad batches probably 8 or less.

I have had several bad batches especially with these new amped salts. I do not know why I keep trying different salt.

Salt moves through the hobby in trends. One person has a nice tank so people copy and then someone has a problem and people change salt. It moves in waves. These online videos also are starting to create trends in the hobby even if some are wrong.