The last batch i got was from Jays,he had the 300 gallon boxes for $54(salt special price)
$75 for 150 gallon case of the Formula 2 salt? I'm looking at ~ 350-400 gallons total volume. It won't be cheap. Is shipping reasonable?
Shipping was 29.00. pretty pricey IMO. It would cost you 208.00 for 300 gallons worth of salt. I would start up with something cheaper first. Then after you cycle and start adding corals I would give this a try. This is at 1.026 salinity though if this matters. Generally a bucket of salt I am using now will make 160 gallons but at 1.024 salinity. One of this guys argument is you are getting more out of his 150 gallon box.
Dont get me wrong I have paid 90.00 for Tropic Marine Pro Reef salt at local LFS. But I like what he had to say about his product and I thought I would give it a try. If I see results I will not mind paying for it. If it is as consistent as far as the levels for Alk, Calcium and Magnesium I will not dose as much, seeings how I do a 20 gallon water change once a week anyways. Typically I have to raise my levels to get them where I want them to be. This seems like it would be easier in my situation to use a salt like this, I do not have the high demands of a primary SPS system. And if I keep up on my water changes I find it is the most beneficial thing I can do to keep all my inhabitants happy.
Very thoughtful post, bro. How have you been?
I think I've got a bucket of TM Pro Reef somewhere around here. I was planning on using a little of that at a time until it's gone and then staying with a cheaper brand of salt. Apparently lots of Zeo users are happy with Coralife salt. This Formula 2 sounds great, but the Coralife price is tough to beat.
I am doing great, been kind of lurking more than anything.
I have been using the seachem reef salt for about a year myself. It seems to be one of the only salts that did not grow some form of scum on the inside of the barrel in my make up water. I went through alot of commonly used salts and found it to be one of my favorites. Not a bad price from Dr. Foster.
This is my logic about the formula salt, tell me what you think. I generally have a low alk 7.0 and dose to bring it up and dose to keep it there. Well the same is with the Mag and the Calcium. So every week I do a water change and do it all over again. Lets say I go with the Formula 1 this has a higher ALK at 10 DKH and Mag is 1350 where I like to keep it and does not delplete as fast. Calcium is at 450 and I will supplement when I fnd out how much the tank is utilizing with this new salt. Already with those parameters Alk seems high but I am doing a 20 gallon water change out of a 120 gallon tank. So my Alk will not be 10 but it will raise probably to 8 or 8.5 (guess) every time I do a water change. Then gradully it will fall until my next water change. Does this seem as though this would be less dosing in the long run. Or ultimatly are we just a slave to the parameter game? In this scenerio it seems as though I would not be dosing as much because the parameters are closer to where I maintain them.
You're asking the wrong guy. To a degree, it sounds like six of one, half dozen of the other to me. With the Formula 1, as long as it's consistent, someone else is doing the majority of the dosing for you. But you're paying a little bit of a premium for it. If you dose to bring the params to where you want them yourself, it's more work and you're having to keep those supplements on hand. But that's probably a good thing. Plus you strike me as the type of guy who likes to do things himself.
it gives me an excuse to get off my butt.
Pssh. I don't think that's a problem for you. You're tank is IMMACULATE.
So are you guys testing for potasium?
Where do you get a test kit for that, never seen one?
Is this the stuff you guys are talking about adding.
How does one go about mixing and dosing potasium?
Now that I am going to be setting my sps tank up again I want to start reading on all these new things like Zeovit and such.
Can yall point me towards some good reading material?
Questions, questions questions .... always too many questions!