No more instant ocean online?

[bif24701]

I buy my instant ocean off of amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...b36-1cfa214b5b2f&pf_rd_r=FA87F1S5VMSVMSEK5AJQ

I guess I don't know how much it was from Dr. F&S but when I had done a price check a few months ago, it was cheaper than Marine Depot. Also not sure if this will be a long term solution, since I see MD doesn't carry it either.....wonder how long it will take Amazon to run out.

Yup, amazon

 

[bif24701]

My LFS just announced IO on sale this weekend for 29.99.

Maybe Seachem is offering brick and mortar stores more discount?

 

[jda]

Our LFS(s) sell boxes of IO in the 30s. I know that not everybody has a LFS, but if you do, go and visit them.

 

[Jmblec2]

Lfs got mad at instant Ocean for selling to online stores cheaper so they stopped selling it in their stores. And switches to companies like Fritz. Well this hurt IOs business. So they are now only selling to lfs.

 

[rkpetersen]

After having Reef Crystals kill a bunch of my frags

How did that happen? What was in the RC that did the damage?

 

[Tennsquire]

That Pet Place has 200 gallon boxes of IO for $39.99 ....

 

[Kyl]

How did that happen? What was in the RC that did the damage?

High ALK is the only thing I can think of, but IO also has alk swings between buckets / boxes quite regularly.

 

[Downeyjd1]

Stock up on Black Friday deals for salt from BRS or etc...

 

[PhilT]

Any opinion on the Live Aquaria salt from Dr foster?

 

[dmh]

I have used coralife for 13 years on 3 tanks. 2 mixed reefs and a FOWLR. Never have had an issue. Mixes up very nicely no residue and my parameters are stable. Thought about switching to the higher end salts but my husband always says "if it's not broke don't fix it".

 

[BoomCorals]

Good time to look at fritz RPM. Best salt I've ever used. Always mixes exactly the same and water is crystal clear after 20 minutes of mixing. And once mixed can be stored for at least a couple weeks without needing remixing. I also like that it mixes to 8.5 alk. Lets me control my alk with dosing and I keep my alk between 8-9 anyways.

And no I don't sell fritz. So this isn't a marketing ploy.

On the IO I do see its cost has gone up from my wholesaler.

 

[BoomCorals]

High ALK is the only thing I can think of, but IO also has alk swings between buckets / boxes quite regularly.

This exactly. IO varies a lot from box to box. In my experience as much as 2.5 dkh. So if you had to do a large WC for some reason, it swings params.

 

[five.five-six]

It's shinanagains like this that make me want to investigate biopelets and other no waterchange solutions.

IO is going to find that they are stepping on their own balls.

 

[Neptune1707]

Time to switch to red sea. A bit of a price difference, but the stability,consistency, mixibility(made up word) is on point.

Agree with Mike....I used IO and IORC, never with any negative effects, but I didn’t like mix Time was usually 24 hours. I like how fast and clear Red Sea Coral Pro salt mixes up. So far my corals are doing great with no additional elements other than 2 part cal/alk additive. My first piece of purple stylo SPS is doing great.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

I run a pretty high alkalinity (9.5-11 dKH, with an average around 10.5), and I don't think that was it. I think it's something in the salt. I would've never questioned the salt except that one of my reefer buddies at work had the same thing happen, and he mentioned the possibility to me.

 

[jda]

I have used IO for more than two decades and it has never had any variance from bag to bag. It is the model of consistency, IMO. I use the whole bag - if you do not, then you need to dry mix any salt.

Some of the locals had Fritz mix up to like 3000 Mag, but who knows why... maybe they did not dry mix it.

 

[jda]

Usually MAP pricing and restricting online sales is an effort to bolster the local, independent shop. How is this intention a bad thing? Healthy LFSs are needed for a strong hobby. If anything, I will support them more if this is indeed true.

 

[BoomCorals]

I have used IO for more than two decades and it has never had any variance from bag to bag. It is the model of consistency, IMO. I use the whole bag - if you do not, then you need to dry mix any salt.

Some of the locals had Fritz mix up to like 3000 Mag, but who knows why... maybe they did not dry mix it.

Don't need to dry mix fritz. And I dry mixed the heck out of my IO, still had variances often. My only guess is bad mag tests or bad batch of fritz.

 

[BoomCorals]

Usually MAP pricing and restricting online sales is an effort to bolster the local, independent shop. How is this intention a bad thing? Healthy LFSs are needed for a strong hobby. If anything, I will support them more if this is indeed true.

On the same hand if you alienate the ee-commerce side of the hobby, the hobby as a whole will lose a lot of participants.

 

[jda]

They all say that you don't need to mix them, but I have never found that to be true. Tropic Marin is an awesome salt, but it needed the most mixing... perhaps since it had to be shipped the farthest and bounced around the most. I would mix every salt unless you use the whole bag/batch - uniform particle size is only part of the issue... I guess that weight and polarity can matter too, but I mostly forgot why Dr. Holmes Farley said that this happens.