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evoracer

Seachem AquaVitro Salinity Review

Rating: 3 votes, 4.67 average.
9 Comments
by
evoracer
, 02-06-2010 at 09:58 AM (9940 Views)


So I got a hold of a bucket of the highly anticipated Salinity, the first of three buckets currently available on the Central Coast! Here's what Seachem says about it:
"salinity™ is a blend of salts specifically formulated for the reef aquarium that contains all essential major, minor, and trace components found in natural reef waters, but contains no toxic or non-essential components. Additionally, salinity™ is the most concentrated salt blend on the market. With a hydration level of <0.5% salinity™ will yield a greater volume of prepared saltwater at a salinity of 35‰ per unit of weight than any other salt mix currently on the market.
salinity™ is identical to the distribution of anions and cations found in Natural Sea Water (NSW). We have compiled data from all the oceans and seas on the Earth, and have targeted the midpoint of the range for each element. We guarantee to be within ± 3% of the midpoint."
First impression- this bucket is HEAVY! And huge, at least 5 gallons. Second impression, it is VERY dry, almost like powdered sugar.


Each bucket is stickered with the guaranteed values of 19 elements, including lab-certified results for each batch for the "big 4" (ph, Alk, Calcium, Magnesium) and Strontium.


There is a surprisingly detailed list of mixing instructions also, but once you cut through the excess it is straight-forward.


It is slightly more concentrated then other mixes, using slightly less then 1/2 cup per gallon (for my starting mix I used 7 cups for 15 gallons). They advise allowing it to mix for 24 hours to "achieve oxygen/carbon dioxide equilibrium", so tomorrow I will test to confirm the accuracy of their claims!

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Comments

  1. Pescaiolo's Avatar
    Thanks for sharing. I will be looking to buy salt again soon and my favorite has been their Reefsalt so I was really looking hard at this one. Can't wait to see what your tests say! Thanks again!
  2. MMoore0324's Avatar
    Nice review. Looking forward to seeing the params.
  3. melev's Avatar
    Let us know how it works out for your tank.
  4. evoracer's Avatar
    Ok, the results are in! First off, I mix in a high-strength molded, food-grade plastic container (read: trash can) designed to add adequate aeration to achieve a proper pH. In other words the return nozzle is above the water line and jets into the water.

    The temperature of the RO/DI is brought up to 79 degrees F before any salt is added. Testing was performed with new Salifert Profi-Tests, and each test was ran twice. I tested the RO first to ensure a level field- zero zero zero.
    The SG was brought to the recommended 1.026 (35ppt).
    Results:
    SG: 1.026
    pH: 8.2
    Alk: 3.31 meq/L (9.3 dkH)
    Cal: 370 ppm
    Mg: 1260 ppm

    The claimed values (at 1.026)
    pH: 8.4
    Alk: 3.8
    Cal: 435
    Mg: 1376

    So you can see my results were all a little low, but most were close. I will chalk this up to lab testing v. Salifert home tests. I am happy with the results, except Cal and Mg, because IMO 8.4 is a little high for pH, along with 3.8 for Alk.

    For grins I watered the mix down to 1.025 (~34 ppt).
    Results:
    pH: 8.2
    Alk: 3.2 meq/L (9.0 dkH)
    Cal: 350 ppm
    Mg: 1200 ppm

    So you can draw your own conclusions here, but IMO, it is a great salt overall, so far. FWIW it hasn't made it into a tank yet, as I am boosting the Mg and Ca to more desirable levels first. I can say it does dissolve very fast, no clumping at all. Hit the pH right on the nose, along with Alk (although contrary to their claimed numbers). I guess only time will truly tell if this salt is all they cracked it up to be!
  5. MMoore0324's Avatar
    Looks good. Did you happen to test Po4? Just currious.
  6. evoracer's Avatar
    Did not, but can. Also did not test NO3/NO2/NH4. Will run a full test again tomorrow before changing water.
  7. melev's Avatar
    Thank you for the updates so far. How do you know for sure if you are mixing to 1.026sg? Did you calibrate a refractometer?
  8. MeVsTheWorld's Avatar
    Are you still using this salt? Did you get the whole 225g from the mix? Any negative/positive effects to your tank/inhabitants?

    Thanks,
    Bill
  9. evoracer's Avatar
    I am no longer using this salt, my LFS never got any more in. Also I wanted to try the ESV B-Ionic 4 part. I really like this salt. I like the ability to fine tune your mix in terms or Alk/CA/Mag in the mix. My system sucks down the Alk, so it is nice to be able to mix it just a bit high to compensate.
    That being said it was overall a decent salt mix.