New Earth Friendly Boxes For Instant Ocean and Reef Crystals Salt

[DFS/LA1]

We now have 200 gallon Professional size Instant Ocean and Reef Crystals salt in NEW earth friendly boxes which reduce the amount of packaging and processing of plastics. Please check out the link below.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4685+4856&pcatid=4856

Russ D.
LiveAquaria (http://www.liveaquaria.com/)
Drs. Foster and Smith (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/)

[gbothepro]

Great!! But im a new reefer. So would I have to purchase a 160 gallon bucket first? Can I order the 200 gallon and get a free bucket?

[dfs/la2]

gbothepro,

Thank you for your post. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, however the 200 Gallon Mix of Instant Ocean and Reef Crystals are only sold in boxes at this time. Unfortunately, we do not have any extra buckets available. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.

Dallas R.
LiveAquaria (http://www.liveaquaria.com/default.cfm?siteid=20)
Drs. Foster & Smith (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/)

[jman77]

gbothepro - Home Depot sells 5 gal buckets ...

dfs/la2 ---- This is GREAT! , i ran out of things to do with all empty buckets .... !

I'm assuming these boxes are filled at the same location the buckets are and there are no "issues" with the parameters in the mix ?

[dfs/la2]

jman77,

Thank you for your post. Only the packaging of the Instant Ocean & Reef Crystals Synthetic Sea Salt 200 gallon mix is different. The parameters should be the same regardless of the package size. Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Dallas R.
LiveAquaria (http://www.liveaquaria.com/default.cfm?siteid=20)
Drs. Foster & Smith (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/)

[GoingPostal]

Nice!! My buckets are piling up and I don't need anymore.

[pIankton]

Dumb question - is the boxed salt packaged in 1 large bag, or is it packaged into say 3 or 4 individual bags within the box?

Excellent deal BTW!

[dfs/la2]

pIankton,

Thank you for your inquiry. The 200 gallon box of both the Reef Crystals and the Instant Ocean salt has only one bag containing the salt, in order to further minimize the effect of the packaging on the environment. Please feel free to contact us with any further questions.

Sandy C.
LiveAquaria (liveaquaria.com)
Drs. Foster and Smith (drsfostersmith.com)

[Lightsluvr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14228653#post14228653 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gbothepro
Great!! But im a new reefer. So would I have to purchase a 160 gallon bucket first? Can I order the 200 gallon and get a free bucket?

Check with your local aquarists' club. Usually there are folks with a dozen empties in the garage... I am sure you can find someone to give you several buckets...

LL

[Lightsluvr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14265684#post14265684 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dfs/la2
pIankton,

Thank you for your inquiry. The 200 gallon box of both the Reef Crystals and the Instant Ocean salt has only one bag containing the salt, in order to further minimize the effect of the packaging on the environment. Please feel free to contact us with any further questions.

Sandy C.
LiveAquaria (liveaquaria.com)
Drs. Foster and Smith (drsfostersmith.com)

I just received two boxes of the Reef Crystals salt. Actually there are (4) clear plastic bags containing 50 lbs. salt mix in each box. Very convenient, though I immediately poured the mixture into empty Reef Crystals buckets that I keep around the house...

Thanks, DFS! A good deal.

LL

[dfs/la2]

Lightsluvr,

Thank you for your order and posting about the new packaging for the Reef Crystals 200 gallon box. You are correct; there are 4 clear plastic bags in each box. We apologize for the mistake on a previous post and appreciate you taking the time to contact us.

You are a valued customer, and we look forward to hearing from you again.

Pat S.
Drs. Foster and Smith (http://www.drsfostersmith.com)
Technical Support

[BlakDuc]

I am disappointed with the raise in price on the IO and RC salt. Why did the bucket go up $10? I will just order Seachem from Aqua Cave and save on shipping from now on.

[dfs/la2]

BlackDuc,

Thank you for your post. We appreciate the opportunity to explain our prices including shipping costs as oftentimes we may not be the lowest but we are always competitive. When comparing our overall pricing with Aquacave, we have found that our rates are still competitive. If you were to purchase a single bucket of Red Sea Coral Pro Salt, Aquacave charges $19.99 for overweight ground shipping, bringing the total to $68.95. Our cost for one bucket is $59.98 including shipping. We are excited to offer no additional shipping costs for oversized or overweight items, so when ordering multiple buckets from us, the savings increase.

Mike S.
Technical Support
Drs. Foster and Smith (http://www.drsfostersmith.com)

[BlakDuc]

Good thing I live 5 miles south of them in Waukegan, IL then.

I am not the only one complaining of the new price. The salt price was really the only reason I ordered from you guys, now with the increase, I won't bother. I can get the bucket for $46 from Aqua Cave and have it that day.

You guys pretty much had the salt market cornered with the low price and good shipping rates, and it caused a lot of people to order other stuff that they normally wouldn't, but I predict that most will go pay $50 from a LFS than to wait and have to pay shipping.

Thanks for the years of good service, Joe Cude.

[GoingPostal]

Still a whole lot cheaper than around here, I get to drive 3 hours one way to pay $80 for a bucket.

[lilchris]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14357215#post14357215 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GoingPostal
Still a whole lot cheaper than around here, I get to drive 3 hours one way to pay $80 for a bucket.

Have you tried Saltwater Empire in Minneapolis? I think they are selling the Reef crystals for $45 to $50 bucks. The last time i was there was a year ago, so maybe their prices have went up.

[GoingPostal]

That's a 5 hour one way drive! :lol: I'm way up north.

[Harry_Fish]

Wal-Mart also sells 5 gallon buckets and lids

I buy different colors for different thinghs

[Norm R]

<a>Originally posted</a> by dfs/la2
We are excited to offer no additional shipping costs for oversized or overweight items, so when ordering multiple buckets from us, the savings increase.

Mike S.
Technical Support
Drs. Foster and Smith (http://www.drsfostersmith.com)

I use a LOT of salt and have been purchsing it almost exclusively from DFS for quite some time. You are correct in referencing that the savings increase as you order a higher quantity of buckets. This is great and it has kept me coming back.

Unfortunately, my last two orders (both in 2009) have had issues relative to it being shipped common carrier vs. FedEx. When I had the issue with 10 buckets ordered in January, I was instructed to order 9 buckets or fewer to get FedEx shipping. I ordered 9 this week but got a call that it was shipping common carrier again (at least you called this time). I put up a fuss and eventually they rerouted it FedEx...."this time" I do not particularly care how it arrives but with common carrier you have to be available to unload it from the truck (unless you want it left at the end of your driveway). My wife is home but does not have the ability to unload due to health limitations...so FedEx is crucial to me. I took a vacation day in January to accomodate receipt of the shipment. Unfortunately, there is no mention of this on your website when you place the order. This is problematic and from what I can tell it is left up to chance as to how it will actually ship. This may not be important to most but is to me and I am hopeful you have a solution before my next order. Ordering from DFS and Live Aquaria has always been simple and reliable...until this current wrinkle.

Thank you.

[dfs/la2]

Norm R,

Thank you for your post. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you and would be happy to look into this for you. Please PM us with your order or customer information at your convenience.

Dallas M.
LiveAquaria (http://www.liveaquaria.com/default.cfm?siteid=20)
Drs. Foster & Smith (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/)

[Norm R]

I would appreciate that. I will PM my order info when I get home tonight. While this may not be an issue for all who order large quantities, I suspect I am not alone relative to this challenge. Thanks.

[DFS/LA1]

Dear Norm R,

Thank you for your post and for taking the time to express your concerns about your recent order and shipping methods utilized on your order of 9 buckets of salt. Due to the high cost of shipping these heavy items and to continue with competitive pricing, we recently have had to re-evaluate methods of shipping on orders with larger items or high quantities. Orders of 6 buckets/boxes or more of salt will be shipped using freight companies or common couriers, and orders of 5 buckets/boxes or less will ship FedEx with the standard delivery method. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and look forward to continuing to supply you with your aquatic needs.

Sincerely,

Linda T
Supervisor
Drs. Foster & Smith
LiveAquaria.com

[Norm R]

Linda,

Thanks for the response. I will follow this in the future.

It would be good if you could disclose this aspect of shipping on your website. It would cut down on surprises. It would also allow you to update buyers easily if the policy changes again in the future.

Norm

[glparr]

I order Reef Crystals exclusively and regularly from DFS and appreciate the shipping cost savings and always prompt service. I just received an order of two of the new 200-gal. box packages and am glad this is being offered. I have the buckets and get tired of them accumulating in the garage. The plastic bags are also much easier to store than buckets. Thanks to DFS for continued excellent service.
Gary

[DFS/LA1]

Dear Norm R,

Thank you for your post. We appreciate any suggestions and feedback from our customers. Posting the possible variations of shipping of buckets\boxes of salt is something that is under consideration and I will definitely forward your suggestion on to management.

Sincerely,

Linda T
Supervisor
Customer Care
LiveAquaria.com

[sjm817]

I blew it! I recently ordered 7 160G buckets of Reef Crystals. This is enough to last me a very long time with normal water changes.

I use a 44G Brute for water changes. I had a 50G bag of IO kicking around that I wanted to use up. I filled the 44G Brute to ~ 1" from the top and dumped the bag in, mixed for a few hr. It mixes up to 35 PPT. The 50G bag and the 44G Brute are a perfect match! I wish I would have got the 200# boxes. The 50G bags would have been so nice and convenient.

Oh well.