Prepared Kent SW has a Alk of 0.6 dkh. Is this normal for SW mixes?

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Melev......Eagerly awaiting test results for "OceanPure"!

[pfish]

tagging along
Just tested my kent 1.03 meg/l alk
very dissapointed.

[melev]

Eagles - I ordered it about a week ago, and it should be in pretty soon. I'm thinking by this weekend perhaps.

James - it would be just as easy to post a link to this thread in Reef Discussion. I'll go do it now.

EDIT: done. http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...hreadid=807046

[Amphiprion]

Mine tested around 1.5. Needless to say, i stopped using it.

[Shaun120]

Geez...Haven't checked this thread for awhile. I truly can not believe that there are Kent sympathizers out there!

Give Kent the benefit of the doubt...what doubt?

While I totally support different opinions and point of views, you really can not be paying attention to what has transpired in this situation to give truly give anything to Kent.

Please do not take my comments as defamatory or personal slams but, you must really not care about the animals in you aquariums, have so much money that you don’t care about throwing it away, or you work for Kent to make any supporting comments for a dishonest company. Maybe that is where America is headed.

Sorry if I offended anyone except Kent!

[hyperfocal]

I give. You win. Kent is Evil.

Also, this is a one-time event and no other company will ever have something like this happen to them... so don't bother testing anything prior to using it. That'd just be a foolish waste of time.

And how could anyone take "must really not care about the animals in you aquariums, have so much money that you don’t care about throwing it away, or you work for Kent to make any supporting comments for a dishonest company" as a personal slam? Particularly from someone who "totally support(s) different opinions and point of views" and is "Sorry if I offended anyone"? Not I, that's for sure!

Honestly, I think being accused of being a) cruel, b) a fool or c) a liar are *actually* compliments. That's how I'm taking them, at least.

Good day, and good luck with your tanks.

[AustinVines]

Shaun (and others who can't understand why everyone doesn't want to throw Kent under the bus),

I have no idea how large a manufacturer Kent is but assume it is very large. By this time, even they realize they had a significant production defect. However, when this began, what 6 weeks ago(?) that probably wasn't known. You have one employee hearing one comment from a LFS owner and then denying he had heard anything to one customer a week later. Is that a bad practice? Yes.

Does it mean that Kent as a company can never be trusted again? I don't know, and don't think you do either. Kent has been around for years apparently and made good products that lots of people used without incident. For those people, ditching a trusted company because of one production defect may be too strong a reaction. I don't think saying these people must not care about their animals, have tons of cash to waste, or are company plants explains the range of possibilities at all.

Hopefully, Kent gets information out answering all the obvious questions (how many buckets/bags were messed up; time periods in doubt, etc). Their product comes with warranties that cannot be easily waived and if they advertised this salt as great for reefs, they have problems if Alk is so low that it cannot support a reef or even fish well/at all. I do think companies need to QC their product and that not all testing/verification should be left to the consumer though.

This is a passionate issue but keep it in perspective - no one likes to read that their POV can only be held by idiots or shills.

[snowstar]

Hey folks --- I sooo hate to hear what has been going on with Kent salt. Up front let me say I absolutely hate that anyone may have lost fish & corals due to a manufacturing screw up and then a cover up. I'm really wishing I could find a way to forgive Kent for their behavior but at this point I can not. I know manufacturing accidents happen - BUT a lot is learned about a company in how they plan for accidents and how they behave after said accident happens. I have never used Kent salt - I'm Tropic Marin Pro Reef kinda reef keeper.... So here is my quandry - I went to scope out my buckets of TMPro and found a barcode does anyone know if a lot # is encoded there or manufacture date? I looked at a bucket of Instant Ocean I am using to cook a barrel of rock and found a bucket # barcode and what appers to be other manufacturing date type identifers. This may have been implemented after IO had their accident a few years ago...

Anyway - just thinking - that type of identifer would be a good sign that a company at least has a plan in place for IF something goes wrong. My 3 cents - oh and yes I plan on never purchasing from Kent again, and I had given up on their sister company coralife a long long time ago....

Good luck to those that have had problems due to this and I hope your tanks pull through!!!

[IBASSFSH]

Barcodes usually do not have batch information I believe, but could be wrong. Its usually the same number on every bucket or bag. I make beverage cartons at work and every carton has the same barcode, and I say that meaning 12-12 Bud light cartons all have the same barcode as long as it is the same style carton. Every different flavor type has its own barcode. Its what stores program into their computers to track sales on certain items and prices for the registers.

[steve the plumb]

I have used kent products in the past and I have never had a problem with there products.I have never used kent salt.For people using this salt that have had corals or fish die due to this bad batch of salt,will kent even offer to pay for lost species of corals or fish?If you say your product has a warranty and you very well know someone is using it in there fish tank,some fish tanks have $100 worth of specimens when others have thousands.How can you make a product and don't even bother to test it.Most people on this forum spend alot of money on this hobby.If people got sick using this product someone would more than likely sue.Because its just a bunch of fish hey what the hell lets say it never happened wasn't serious lets move on and by the way keep buying our products so we can make money and have our jobs.To me this is just bad business.I don't know how much money is spent on this hobby but I have seen many a person on this web site with alot of pricy tanks that they take pride in and worry about when something isn't going right.I wouldn't blame anyone for not buying anymore of kents product.Its the only way to show a company that if your going to break a customer trust there will be a price to pay.

[Atomahawk]

Barcodes are product identifiers and not related to batch’s or lot numbers. As mention they simply tell you what the product is. This number at the manufacture, wholesaler and retail is used to simplify exchange of goods for order processing. Exp. 1263589021 = 8 oz. of brand X beans. Barcodes are already printed prior to the labeling process which the manufacturer gets from the printer, or in the case of buckets the screen printer that did them. Lot # and expiry dates are done in house (manufacturer) at the time of packaging. Depending on the labeling machine it can be printed right on the label prior to application to the product or it could be another label (old method) that’s placed on the products main label. On a bucket it would most likely be another label placed on the bucket somewhere, I doubt many manufacturers could screen print a bucket on the fly, maybe it could be thermally transferred somehow, I would love to see that if it existed.

Hyper, I understand your point of view about defective products etc etc. and we should be testing and no company is perfect. I don’t think anyone’s arguing your point that manufacturing carries risk and even you admitted they handled the situation poorly. Poorly is one thing, doing the right thing after is another.

I’m not an apologist , but I would certainly be content to have an honest admittance, a recall or minimum a warning be published on there web sight as to how the consumer should handle the situation. Go look at there sight tell me where they are doing the right thing?

Mistakes happen and I think everyone is entitled to some slack, but the first report here was almost 2 months ago. How many consumers purchased this product prior to us finding out about it and how many will never know their reef or fish tanks problems are salt related? How many more buckets are in the channels (now the bags).

A company that says “Manufacturer’s Reputation: Look at other products that the manufacturer makes. Are quality standards evident in those products? I recently heard an aquarist say " I won't use their liquid supplements, but I use their salt." Does it make any sense that their salt would be made to any higher standard than their other products?� But won’t stand behind there own customers when their own alleged higher standards than their competitor’s is not met.
I loved this line, “Kent Sea Salt is manufactured in one of the finest facilities in the world, insuring consistent mixes batch after batch.� Even if this were true, they should have added “But we can’t verify these batch’s unless consumers send us samples since we sell so much salt we can’t possibly keep 2 or 3 pounds to quality control or verify our own product� I feel comfortable saying if you can’t quality control a complex formulation like salt then what guarantees do we get with repackaged calcium chloride or the handful of other repackaged stuff that they sell?

The facts are pretty obvious, They lied to consumers (verifiable) about the defective product that also caused undue hardship on a LFS owners show tank. To this day they continue to ask for samples when they obviously know theirs a serious problem. 2 months later no tangible effort to have the facts known. Now we have the bags with the same issue, Hmmm same batch, new batch, who knows? Either way
Most likely there are hundreds of stressed tanks (if not thousands) because of this mistake and a lot of consumers are having issues without having a clue it’s the salt. Advance saltwater hobbyist may come here and find out, some may find out on there own, but I can guarantee most will never know what’s going on. The sad part is I know Kent is counting on it.
I say if that’s their attitude, then they lost a customer and that goes for all their products. If you chose to continue to support them that’s your choice, personally I have much higher standards when I do business with a company.

Austin “ Kent marine would be considered a small manufacturer in the pet industry, but they are owned by a much bigger player.

[sherm71tank]

Originally posted by Atomahawk

I loved this line, “Kent Sea Salt is manufactured in one of the finest facilities in the world, insuring consistent mixes batch after batch.�

That should say, "Kent Sea Salt WAS manufactured in one of the finest facilities in the world, insuring consistent mixes batch after batch, but we were bought out and make no claim as to its suitability for your tank or organisms and frankly we are to big to really care.�

[DeLong20]

Originally posted by sherm71tank
That should say, "Kent Sea Salt WAS manufactured in one of the finest facilities in the world, insuring consistent mixes batch after batch, but we were bought out and make no claim as to its suitability for your tank or organisms and frankly we are to big to really care.�

Can I get an AMEN!!!!!!!

[izzypop]

mixed up a batch of Kent I just got with the yellow writting and bag inside the 200gal bucket and mixed up at 4.8dkh using salifert kit. The person I bought my buckets through said Kent is speaking with them about it and will make good. I find out tonight.

[jmicky41]

UPS picked up my sample a few weeks ago. Today I talked with John and he admitted the salt was substandard (1.3 dkh) and told me to destroy it. They are sending me a replacement bucket - which he assured me is up to previous standards. After I hung up with him I started thinking that maybe I should have asked for something else instead, perhaps an RO membrane.

[sherm71tank]

Do you like Coralife salt?

[melev]

jmicky41, getting a new bucket of good salt sounds like an amicable solution.

[jmicky41]

I think so too, he admitted the stuff was no good and asked me what I wanted. I am tempted though to try to use the "bad salt" - I have 3/4 of a bucket. I'd bet that a healthy shot of buffer would bring it up to snuff. It is for a FOWLR tank, so if some component isn't spot on it won't make too much of a difference.

[Atomahawk]

jmicky41,

Food for thought, what if it's missing more than just ALK buffers?
What if something else is out of range, something were not testing. Without a written analysis from Kent it's really hard to say. We assume that something was forgotten when they mixed that batch up. The truth could be anything at this point in time. They may have received a really bad batch of buffer. Until Kent is a little more forthcoming on what the real problem is it's definitely use at your own risk. Personally I wouldn't take a chance with it even if it were for 1 damsel, but that’s just me.

[Hans-Werner]

Hello Snowstar,

there is a stamp on the underside of the lid, that´s the batch number. On boxes it is an imprint on the upper side near the barcode.

Kind regards

Hans-Werner

[snowstar]

Thanks for the reply Hans-Werner! That is really good to know, I wasn't that worried about about my buckets of Tropic Marin - different compay different salt and all that, but it is very reassuring that there is a mothod in place for a recall IF there ever is a problem. A company that plans - it's nice.

Now if Kent only had lot numbers - they could relieve the anxiety of a lot of folks on the boards AND have a method in place for a recall....

[izzypop]

My 3 new buckets are being replaced by Kent no problems. That is all I expect. I am a happy customer.

[umpire]

I want to say I am sorry to the Mods in advance here. I have tried to be PC and business like about this. If you can tolerate this post, I will be nice again. I am not real proud of this post, just confused on how a few people are just going to let this go away.

I suspect the results will be out on the salt soon and then I and this Kent salt blunder will all go bye-bye.


And here is what Kent is counting on. Customers that get there salt replaced and all is well. Just like nothing happened. But it did. Just like they where never told about the problem, but they were, and proceded to do nothing about it. Just like they never lied about knowing about the problem, but they did. You think they are doing a great job. Wake up! They ***ked up, lied about it, and did the best they could to keep it under the rug.

And now you get your salt replaced and you are a happy satisfied customer. That's funny!

Sorry to be rude. But IMO you have missed the point. Can I come over tonight and pour the posion of my choice in your tank tonight. It will be OK. I'll tell you I didn't do it.

It is proven once again that any group is only as strong as the weakest link. And there are some pretty weak links out there looks like to me. With that type of indifference, Kent will win.

To those of you that choose to support good and honest companies of your choice, all the best.


Sincerely,

James Tucker

[izzypop]

unfortunately i have had bad ballasts, skimmers, controllers and pumps all from the top of the line companies within the last year and they all failed when bought new. All I got for my trouble is a warranty. With that I pay for shipping to send the product back and they send me a new product that works.
I hate that too but that is the way it works and with Kent it has been no different. I am thankful that this post was here so I knew to test otherwise you are right I would have had a problem but I didn't.

I know the companies I bought the faulty equipment from knew about the problems and didn't issue a recall either. They just took the product back.

I am in no way saying you are wrong or not justified. If I was you I would be furious but I do have to post my experience for others that may have a bad bucket of salt don't you think? I am not going to jump all over Kent about "your experience" with them. I had a normal warranty problem with the salt and they replaced it. That is not funny that is the warranty that they give.

[The Ecosystem]

Hi, I line in the UK. I have not read all this thread but I'd like to say that I too have this problem with the 200g bucket of kent salt.

My alk is 0.34 meq/L, pH is 7.4. I am new to marine keeping, infact the only thing I'm keeping is water.

I made up my water with DI water and because of the low pH I haven't been able to add anything. I have spoken to Kent and waiting for a resolution. At least I know there is a genuine problem with this salt batch. Luckily I have no livestock that would have suffered.