The Ultimate Salt Test

[Rick Mathew]

I should add, I used the caveat of "I think...." in regards to adjusting the salinities of the samples before making comparisons. Is that a valid conclusion? Then, can the adjustment be made mathematically, or would you need to start with samples that were all diluted to the same salinity? Math is not my forte (grin).

Jay

Jay...In my experience the mathematical adjustment is very close and is meaningful...I have used it many times in test development. As best as I can tell it is linear in behavior at lest in the ranges I have worked with.

 

[rtparty]

As a random update, I’ve been contacted by multiple people and/or companies stating they are sending me salt to add to this test.

Not one has followed through as of yet.

 

[KStatefan]

As a random update, I’ve been contacted by multiple people and/or companies stating they are sending me salt to add to this test.

Not one has followed through as of yet.

What salt are you wanting to add to this? Seems like Aqua Forrest gets mentioned a lot lately.

 

[rtparty]

What salt are you wanting to add to this? Seems like Aqua Forrest gets mentioned a lot lately.

I’ve had reps or hobbyists offer both Fritz, the new Aqua Forest salts, and Contiuum. Might be another I’m forgetting

I wonder if the new Red Sea formulas have anything drastically different that makes them worth testing again.

 

[TannerC91]

I’ve had reps or hobbyists offer both Fritz, the new Aqua Forest salts, and Contiuum. Might be another I’m forgetting

I wonder if the new Red Sea formulas have anything drastically different that makes them worth testing again.

+1 for aquaforest. I've been curious about the waterbox salts as well to throw another brand out. Thanks for the work. Surely it took a lot of time and money.

 

[TokenReefer]

Thanks for the work. Surely it took a lot of time and money

I second this. Much appreciated. I refer to this thread often. Very useful

 

[rtparty]

For those following along:

Do you think there is any value in adding a price per gallon to my testing "parameters?" I hesitate because prices can vary wildly depending on promos, sales, and vendors. I find budget to be one of the largest factors when purchasing salt so I wonder if a salt's value changes to some if the price doesn't meet the parameters, if that makes sense.

 

[Sean Clark]

I wouldn't bother with pricing. It's too volatile to add much value and at the end of the day if price was someone's driving decision factor then they likely won't be looking too hard at the rest of the data.

 

[TannerC91]

For those following along:

Do you think there is any value in adding a price per gallon to my testing "parameters?" I hesitate because prices can vary wildly depending on promos, sales, and vendors. I find budget to be one of the largest factors when purchasing salt so I wonder if a salt's value changes to some if the price doesn't meet the parameters, if that makes sense.

I do get curious about how much salt the bucket really makes. I see a lot of buckets rate at a low salinity and make significantly less than it says at say 35ppt. I just recently decided on the nyos salt which definitely isn't cheap but I like a lot about it.

 

[KStatefan]

For those following along:

Do you think there is any value in adding a price per gallon to my testing "parameters?" I hesitate because prices can vary wildly depending on promos, sales, and vendors. I find budget to be one of the largest factors when purchasing salt so I wonder if a salt's value changes to some if the price doesn't meet the parameters, if that makes sense.

It has two many options to be much value but something to normalize salt required for a 35ppt solution would be helpful

 

[spsick]

@rtparty has anyone sent you any TLF Accurasea1?

 

[rtparty]

@rtparty has anyone sent you any TLF Accurasea1?

No. Not one company followed through to send me their salt. I won’t blast them but one could easily infer who didn’t send me salt that said they would. Only a couple large brands are missing.

I’ve got three more salts to add to the sheet and then I’ll likely wrap this up

 

[MnFish1]

One issue is the amount of accuracy required. When it rains on a shallow reef the SG changes - perhaps significantly. I would not worry about a salinity of 34.5 vs 35

 

[MnFish1]

No. Not one company followed through to send me their salt. I won’t blast them but one could easily infer who didn’t send me salt that said they would. Only a couple large brands are missing.

I’ve got three more salts to add to the sheet and then I’ll likely wrap this up

Thanks for doing this

 

[TannerC91]

No. Not one company followed through to send me their salt. I won’t blast them but one could easily infer who didn’t send me salt that said they would. Only a couple large brands are missing.

Since I'm starting fully fresh builds I decided on nyos. Bought a bucket about 1 ½ months ago. They icp batch test and put on bucket but I haven't seen many people using this salt so not much user info on it. It's pretty clean but I haven't done any real testing myself yet. Pharma grade, icp, and able to store was a big factor for me. We'll see. If you want some let me know.

 

[rtparty]

Since I'm starting fully fresh builds I decided on nyos. Bought a bucket about 1 ½ months ago. They icp batch test and put on bucket but I haven't seen many people using this salt so not much user info on it. It's pretty clean but I haven't done any real testing myself yet. Pharma grade, icp, and able to store was a big factor for me. We'll see. If you want some let me know.

Already been tested

I haven’t updated the Google Sheet with all the latest results yet. Going back on the ReefDudes stream once I’ve completed this round.

Couple people on here are helping out by sending in some salts and ICP tests so it will be another month or so before I conclude this round

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Mixing dry powders with many different ingredients with different particle sizes and densities to get a uniform mix on the scale of a bucket is quite challenging, and I’m a bit surprised that many companies seem to do it reasonably well.

 

[TannerC91]

Already been tested

I haven’t updated the Google Sheet with all the latest results yet. Going back on the ReefDudes stream once I’ve completed this round.

Couple people on here are helping out by sending in some salts and ICP tests so it will be another month or so before I conclude this round

Looking forward to the stream

 

[mcgullen]

Thanks so much for these results! Curious: what exactly are those "u."? I am seeing both "u." and "0". Are they the same thing? Thanks.

 

[rtparty]

Thanks so much for these results! Curious: what exactly are those "u."? I am seeing both "u." and "0". Are they the same thing? Thanks.

I belive the u is Undetectable