Are these numbers right for this salt?

cdraughon · #1 09/20/2005, 08:39 PM

I recently made up a new batch (5 gal) of IO's Reef Crystals salt. The Ca measured 350, KH was 11.8, Ph was 8.2.

Does the Ca seem right? I thought it would be higher. Could my Salifert test kit be expired? I've had it for a year, but the exp dae is 2008. How can I confirm this test?

Thanks, Chris

Randy Holmes-Farley · #2 09/21/2005, 05:58 AM

Salt mixes may vary, and test kits may not always give precisely accurate results, either due to kit problems or operator error.

I've not seen anyone post values for Reef Crystals recently.

That said, it is not far off of what Craig Bingman found:

The Composition Of Several Synthetic Seawater Mixes
http://web.archive.org/web/200306081.../1/default.asp

Hobster · #3 09/21/2005, 09:05 AM

That's about what my IO comes out as. It is made by the same company and should be a little higher in Ca and Mg (per the company)
What is your SG and how measured?

cdraughon · #4 09/21/2005, 10:35 AM

SG is 1.025 with a refractometer. Thanks for the replies. I would have thought the Ca would be higher, per the company's marketing.

Randy Holmes-Farley · #5 09/21/2005, 10:42 AM

With the salinity a tad below normal seawater (at your sg = 1.025), you should expect about 20 ppm less than if you had NSW salinity, but I agree that you still might expect to at least have 400 ppm based on the claims.

NoSchwag · #6 09/21/2005, 11:29 AM

Not for nothing but I just got a bag of IO from petsmart this week, and the calicum was 400 with ro/di water using salifert.

Hobster · #7 09/21/2005, 11:50 AM

FWIW.

Might find this interesting. This is part of an e mail exchange between myself and Aquarium Systems about a year ago (guess I should clean out my files

) I was questioning the levels of a 200 g bucket which were nowhere near these levels.

This is their response:

In order to know if the calcium and magnesium levels were low in your Instant Ocean sample I would need to know the specific gravity of the water you were testing. IO should yeild a solution that has 400mg/l Ca++ at 1.026spgr (35ppt sal) and 1340mg/l Mg++ at the same spgr. These are the same levels found in natural seawater which is 1.026spgr. Lower spgr water should have proportionately lower levels of Ca++ and Mg++ (and all other ions for that matter). Reef Crystals has calcium levels elevated about 10% above NSW so at 1.026 you should find ~440mg/l Ca++; magnesium is kept at NSW levels in RC so you should find the same Mg++ levels as IO.

Thank you,
XXXXXXXXX

Billybeau1 · #8 09/21/2005, 11:57 AM

I mixed up a gallon of Reef Crystals last week, aerated over night and tested all parameters. At 1.023 the calcium came in at about 500. Could very well be your test kit.

Hobster · #9 09/21/2005, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Billybeau1
I mixed up a gallon of Reef Crystals last week, aerated over night and tested all parameters. At 1.023 the calcium came in at about 500. Could very well be your test kit.

Perhaps. Or yours

Billybeau1 · #10 09/21/2005, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hobster
Perhaps. Or yours

Yea I would have said that too he did say his kit was a year old. Reef Crystals are suppose to have more calcium then IO. Thats why I did the test. IO tested at about 400 when I did the same test a few months back. Ah the wonderful world of Chemistry.

cdraughon · #11 09/21/2005, 03:59 PM

Thanks for the replies. Last night I made up 5 gal of Reef Crystals / Oceanic mix, and 5 gal of Tropic Marin. They have been aerating all day. I check the params later and report back.