Question about sea salt tests

Lugnut · #1 09/14/2006, 03:36 PM

I just finished reading your article about the Sea Salt tests being run by M.A.R.S.H.., and had a quick question. Was any thought given to duplicating at least a couple of the tanks exactly? While the point of the test is to control for as many variables as possible, and thus to show differences between salt mixes, it seems to me that such a situation would be valuable.

Lets say you duplicated 2 of the salts, adding two additional tanks for a total of 12. If at the end of the tests, you got identical results from both tanks using the same salts (in both instances of the duplicated tanks), it would go a long way towards convincing me that in fact the salt mix was the only difference between the ten tanks being measured. However, if you got different results from tanks with the exact same salt mix, then the results of the entire exercise would seem to be suspect.

Make sense?

Surf · #2 09/26/2006, 10:09 PM

Dunno why Eric or Kim haven't replied here, but I asked the same question of Eric back in November. If I understood his answer, each tank is it's OWN replicate. Remember there is a 100% water change each month. So rather than think of it as 10 tank experiments done for 10 months, think of it as 10 tank experiments done for one month, ten times over.

http://www.marshreef.com/modules.php...wtopic&t=11564

Hope that helps!

DrBegalke · #3 09/28/2006, 05:02 PM

Hmm, I'm glad the FDA doesn't test medications in this manner.

I understand there are finanical limitations, but the idea that a single tank (or person) can be used multiple times to increase "n" is simply incorrect. Any source of error (i.e. a rogue/diseased ramet) will be there throughout all 10 months....

For future studies, maybe funding could come from the salt manufacturers. i.e. Test 10 instant ocean tanks versus 10 natural sea water tanks, etc.

This study is essentially a case report with n=1 and will have to be taken with a grain of salt.

In any case, this is an excellent first attempt to scientifically study different salt mixes.

i8a224u · #4 04/23/2007, 06:14 PM

Hi, I also just read the article on the tests, I am very interested to know the results. Where can I view them?

Kevin