Anthrax & Gangs! 50G SCA

[jedimasterben]

You can find it usually for $65 per 150 gallon bucket. It's one of the more expensive salts but worth every penny. Using jedis fancy formula it costs $0.43 per gallon at 35ppt.

Does the bucket actually make 150 gallons at 35ppt?

[ninjamyst]

I used to use IO, because salt is salt lol, but I found a place that sells Red Sea salt for just a bit more. The '160 gallon' bucket of Instant Ocean is $45, which makes it seem like it is only about $0.28/gal - but the quoted volume of water is only at 25ppt, not 35ppt. It only makes 133 gallons of 35ppt water, which brings the cost to $0.34/gal. Red Sea salt makes 175 gallons at 34ppt and costs $65 for that bucket, so the total cost is only $0.37/gal. It mixes up very quickly (just a few minutes) and doesn't have the same organics that IO and RC do, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it keeps the mixing vessel cleaner

Thanks! I may switch to Red Sea after I use my 4 boxes of RC. I bought RC cuz it's cheaper but it's really not THAT much cheaper as you stated in your analysis.

[CronicReefer]

Does the bucket actually make 150 gallons at 35ppt?

I would say it does. If I measure out 135grams it mixes to exactly 35ppt 1300mg 425cal 8kh.

[thecoralbeauty]

well, i know what my next amazon order is going to be... don't have that much IO to use up either.

[SunWyrm]

I used to use IO, because salt is salt lol, but I found a place that sells Red Sea salt for just a bit more. The '160 gallon' bucket of Instant Ocean is $45, which makes it seem like it is only about $0.28/gal - but the quoted volume of water is only at 25ppt, not 35ppt. It only makes 133 gallons of 35ppt water, which brings the cost to $0.34/gal. Red Sea salt makes 175 gallons at 34ppt and costs $65 for that bucket, so the total cost is only $0.37/gal. It mixes up very quickly (just a few minutes) and doesn't have the same organics that IO and RC do, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it keeps the mixing vessel cleaner

I use Red Sea and love it. So easy to mix, and no icky containers.

[jedimasterben]

Thanks! I may switch to Red Sea after I use my 4 boxes of RC. I bought RC cuz it's cheaper but it's really not THAT much cheaper as you stated in your analysis.

If you buy the boxes, it is actually cheaper, but then you deal with individual bags that you can't really seal vs a bucket you can seal, so there is that

[ninjamyst]

If you buy the boxes, it is actually cheaper, but then you deal with individual bags that you can't really seal vs a bucket you can seal, so there is that

I pour the bag into my own air seal bucket =).

[SunWyrm]

They also have mini buckets! Not that that's useful to anyone with a larger tank...

[thecoralbeauty]

This is the largest tank i've owned. I'm still wrapping my head around salt mix coming in a bucket as opposed to a bag. or a box full of bags.

[WRX]

I recently purchased a 120G bucket of salinity for $65. It says it will make that amount at 35ppt but I haven't used it yet.

[RollaJase]

I've been using Red Sea from day one and love how it mixes. Was using Coral Pro but changed to Blue Bucket after difficulties maintaining the high Alk levels of Coral Pro.

[thecoralbeauty]

Params today:

 

Ca- 480

Alk- 9.6

 

 

Water change mixing to finish the chemiclean treatment. Definitely have diatoms. And I wish I had more patience for them haha

[thecoralbeauty]

Oh dear....

I went to check my dosing pump (Jebao) and it flashed "pump 2" and then stopped responding. I unplugged and replugged in and now it's screen is lit up, just totally blank.

 

nothing mentions this is the manual.... help!?

[thecoralbeauty]

never mind.... i got frustrated and whacked it with my hand... now it works....

[jedimasterben]

It's amazing how we can force electronics to do our bidding by force

[HarryPotter]

never mind.... i got frustrated and whacked it with my hand... now it works....

 

YAY FOR ABUSING DOSERS

 

Mine is still going strong. if pump 1 or 2 ever break I would switch to 3 or 4

[thecoralbeauty]

 

YAY FOR ABUSING DOSERS

 

Mine is still going strong. if pump 1 or 2 ever break I would switch to 3 or 4

 

yep- and mine came with an extra

[metrokat]

I used to use IO and RC but found the alkalinity was always 10 or higher and magnesium was usually low. I use Brightwell NeoMarine now and I love it. Mixes to 7.5-8 alkalinity everytime and magnesium always at 1300 and cal at 425. Really consistent stuff every batch.

I use Brightwell also.

[HarryPotter]

Im a weirdo that still uses filtered ocean water for $.25 a gallon

[thecoralbeauty]

Browsing amazon while salt is mixing... red sea has a black and a blue bucket of salt... which is what?

[metrokat]

the names are diff. RSCP is super high alk and calcium and no you do not want that salt.

[thecoralbeauty]

haha ok, so no coral pro. no black bucket.

[teenyreef]

I actually combine the RSBB (blue bucket) with Reef Crystals. I end up a mix that's got alk right at 9 and calcium at 410. I add a little magnesium to bring it up to 1300, and a little calcium.

 

So now I have a perfect salt mix that perfectly matches my target parameters and my obsessive compulsive disorder is satisfied.

 

And I hate my life just a little bit every time I mix salt

[metrokat]

I actually combine the RSBB (blue bucket) with Reef Crystals. I end up a mix that's got alk right at 9 and calcium at 410. I add a little magnesium to bring it up to 1300, and a little calcium.

 

So now I have a perfect salt mix that perfectly matches my target parameters and my obsessive compulsive disorder is satisfied.

 

And I hate my life just a little bit every time I mix salt

[thecoralbeauty]

I actually combine the RSBB (blue bucket) with Reef Crystals. I end up a mix that's got alk right at 9 and calcium at 410. I add a little magnesium to bring it up to 1300, and a little calcium.

 

So now I have a perfect salt mix that perfectly matches my target parameters and my obsessive compulsive disorder is satisfied.

 

And I hate my life just a little bit every time I mix salt

 

that seems..... like a ton of work.

 

i mean I'm not dissatisfied with IO... but I'm interested in shopping around for something if its potentially a better mix in the long run. have you always used brightwell, kat?