Oceanic Sea Salt

[orion25]

Is there anyone using Oceanic Sea Salt? I used to use Instant Ocean but I decided to try Oceanic today because of the sealed container it comes in. It is much easier to store in that jug than the IO bag.

Please let me know what kind of experiences you have had with this salt. I have done only 1 5g water change with the Oceanic thus far.

Thanks

[Reefland]

orion25,

I have not used anything but IO since I have kept marine aquaria but if I were to ever switch to any other brand, it would be done very slowly, probably less than 5 gallons at a time over the course of 2 weeks in our 75 gallon. I have read too many stories of corals bleaching when switching salts to chance it.

I would caution you to switch very slowly.

[orion25]

Scott,


I will be switching slowly. I have a 55g aquarium that I do 5g water changes on every 2 weeks. If I see bad things happening I will revert to IO. But the Oceanic looks to be a great product. I only pay $2 more per 50g mix than IO and it comes in a resealable container.

I am hoping it works well. It has been about 4 hours since my last water change and everything looks good so far. We will see how it does in the long run.

Ryan

[Reefland]

Keep us updated on your conversion.

[orion25]

Will do!!

[kevinpo]

I've run more than 10 - 200gal buckets so far and for corals I like it much better than IO (which I have been using since 1985). I have been getting 415ppm calcium and 1300ppm magnesium with it. Calcium readings with IO always run about 350-360ppm. When I swiched over I mixed the last of my IO with the Oceanic without any problem.
Oceanic is less expensive too, which is an added bonus

HTH,
Kevin

[kenn157]

I use it too. Works fine for me! I do like the convient plastic container with screw on cap for sure! LOL!

[Jimbob]

fwiw, the new style buckets of IO (the 160G size) have a very nice screw-top lid on them too. I have used IO, Reef Crystals, and Tropic Marin. Given that I find each one of them to be partially deficient in at least one of the major ions found in NSW, I have been using nothing but IO for the past couple of years. The 160 gallon buckets of can be found locally for around $40, which is less expensive than all of the other brands are locally.

Plus, IO has treated me very well, it is always consistent, and everything grows very nicely in my tank. I guess I just kind of subscribe to the "don't fix what ain't broke" line of thinking.

[Ninong]

I've run more than 10 - 200gal buckets so far and for corals I like it much better than IO (which I have been using since 1985). I have been getting 415ppm calcium and 1300ppm magnesium with it.

Kevin,

What are you getting for pH and alkalinity? Are you testing for all the major parameters with each new batch of saltwater before making a water change? Are the calcium readings consistent or do they fluctuate wildly on the high side? Are you using it at work, too, or just at home?

I'm curious because I have read so many different "stories" about this salt from people using it. Virtually everyone has mentioned high calcium readings but some have complained of extremely high calcium readings. Most have mentioned low pH and relatively low alkalinity.

Calcium readings with IO always run about 350-360ppm. When I swiched over I mixed the last of my IO with the Oceanic without any problem.
Oceanic is less expensive too, which is an added bonus

The low price is almost certainly part of their marketing plan. This company is extremely large and I'm sure they are going after market domination. I'm curious why they came out with this salt right about the same time that they bought out Kent (January 2004). Does anyone know if Aquarium Systems is still making Kent in Mentor, Ohio?

A more interesting question would be does anyone know where Oceanic is made and if they set up new production facilities or simply contracted it out to someone else? Their advertising claims and comments they have made about their production methods make their product sound an awful lot like Red Sea -- all the talk about saltwater evaporation ponds, etc.

So now Central Garden & Pet owns Island Aquariums, All-Glass Aquariums, Oceanic Aquariums, Kent salt and Oceanic salt. Poor little old Aquaria, Inc., parent of Marineland which is the parent of Aquarium Systems, owns only Instant Ocean and Reef Crystals and produces Aqua-Medic. I guess they still make Kent but who knows now that Central Garden bought out Kent.

I just find it hard to believe that they actually set up a new production facility for this Oceanic salt. My guess is that it is being made for them by a "name" we all know. So far they have declined to release any assays whatsoever when people have requested a printed analysis, such as most other companies provide on their salt mixes. Could this be a well known brand with extra calcium and magnesium additions?

[Reefland]

I wondered the same thing. It seems that manufacturing synthetic sea salt would be a pretty expensive process, in regards to the equipment and the facility to do so along with the qualified team it would take to do so consitently.

That leads me to beleive that Oceanic is placing orders through another manufacturer, with slightly different compositions and branding it under their label.

[kevinpo]

I only check calcium and alkalinity. Calcium always runs 410-415 ppm. Alkalinity always runs a little low (I don't have the log in front of me now) I use it at both the store and home.

Over the last 3 months the wholesale price has been creeping up (as I also suspected it would). It is still slightly cheaper than IO at this point.

I don't know who is making Oceanic but it is very different in structure from anything currently on the market. It has micro crystals that dissolve very quickly. It also produces a lot of dust when you pour it into the water.

Regards,
Kevin

[dougc]

I started my tank with Oceanic and have gone through 3 buckets so far. I have not had any problems. I have not tested pH, but the alk is about 8, which is close to natural seawater. I have not had any problems with calcium, ph, or alkalinity in the tank, either. I am running a calcium reactor and have a low bioload at this point, so I don't have much in the way of demand. It seems like most people have problems when they try to switch brands, although it is probably easy to blame the salt, when in fact something else may have caused the problem.

[orion25]

It has been a long time, but........

How has the Oceanic experiences gone? I have switched back to IO due to an unexplained algae outbreak. The only thing that changed was my salt so that is all I have to blame.

IO never treated me wrong so I have returned to my roots. Although I do pour my IO into the Oceanic jug now. There is something to be said for easier storage!!

[Samper]

I wanted to update this thread cause I tested my change water tonight and wasn't too happy with what I saw.

At a SG of 1.025 via a refractometer and a temp of 78 degrees fahrenheit with a digital thermometer.

Ca - 380ppm Tested with a Salifert kit
Alk - 9dKH Tested with Tetra Kit
Ph - 8.16 Tested with pinpoint

[Ninong]

I wanted to update this thread cause I tested my change water tonight and wasn't too happy with what I saw.

At a SG of 1.025 via a refractometer and a temp of 78 degrees fahrenheit with a digital thermometer.

Ca - 380ppm Tested with a Salifert kit
Alk - 9dKH Tested with Tetra Kit
Ph - 8.16 Tested with pinpoint

What exactly are you not happy about? Those are perfectly good numbers for freshly mixed ASW. Most people would be thrilled with those numbers.

[Samper]

It's just the Ca that bothers me. NSW is 420 correct? Most reefers keep it between 420 and 450 some even higher. Oceanic is the only one to my knowledge that caters to the higher Ca level.

[Samper]

Seems like people wouldn't have to invest in all the 2 parts if they could just get a salt mix that will mix up their levels perfectly and as long as they didn't have too large of a Ca demand they could just drip limewater to maintain it.

[Ninong]

It's just the Ca that bothers me. NSW is 420 correct? Most reefers keep it between 420 and 450 some even higher. Oceanic is the only one to my knowledge that caters to the higher Ca level.

NSW varies but is ~400 ppm Ca. I try to keep my calcium between 425-475 ppm and my alkalinity around 10 dKH. My freshly mixed saltwater usually measures around 390-410 ppm Ca with alkalinity usually around 12-13 dKH.

There is nothing wrong with a salt mix that mixes up to 380 ppm Ca. You might test the same batch of saltwater with a different test kit and get a reading of 400 ppm. I wouldn't want a mix that routinely mixes up to only 350 ppm Ca or one that mixes up to a very high calcium level. And I certainly wouldn't want a mix that mixes up to extremely high alkalinity either. Check some of the threads on Reef Central and you will find examples of both of those problems. You want a salt mix that is consistent so that you don't have to test the water every time you make up a new batch.

[Ninong]

Seems like people wouldn't have to invest in all the 2 parts if they could just get a salt mix that will mix up their levels perfectly and as long as they didn't have too large of a Ca demand they could just drip limewater to maintain it.

I have been using nothing but limewater for more than 14 months now.

[Samper]

If your freshly mixed saltwater measures up to 390-410ppm and all you use is limewater how in the heck to you get your levels up to 425-475ppm? This is what I don't get, I have to routinely use a 2 part additive in my case Turbo Calcium and Pro Buffer by Kent to keep my Ca and Alk where I want them.

Ca 450ppm
Alk 10 dKH