Aquaforest vs Fauna Marin

[canadianeh]

I have set up a IM Fusion 40 tank and I am using Fauna Marin Professional Salt right now. There is no livestock in it yet as I am planning to wait at least one month before I put LS in it.

Using Exact Idip test kit, I found that the Alk, Cal, and Mag results are not even close to the Fauna Marin specs and I mix it at 1.026 SG.
For an example, Alk I got is 5.00 ppm and the box says over 8.0
Claude from Germany said that photometer test kit such as Idip does not work well to test fresh seawater.

How about you guys? Anyone ever tested freshly made AF Reef salt before dosing with Idip test kit?

[GoVols]

Don't know anything about "Exact Idip test kit.

Go to page 2 of this forum and read "Bad Batch" thread.

[Martin Kuhn]

Hi
I've used several buckets of this salt and all where extremely close to FM specs.

I don't know about the test kits you described, BUT
I'd suggest to better not rely on the test kits first.
Check them with reference solutions with known parameters

Best Rgds
martin




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[canadianeh]

Originally Posted by Martin Kuhn

Hi
I've used several buckets of this salt and all where extremely close to FM specs.

I don't know about the test kits you described, BUT
I'd suggest to better not rely on the test kits first.
Check them with reference solutions with known parameters

Best Rgds
martin




Gesendet von iPhone mit Tapatalk

Sorry what you mean by check with known parameters?

[GoVols]

Originally Posted by canadianeh

Sorry what you mean by check with known parameters?

He means to cross check against something like "Red Sea" Foundation Pro test kits.

[canadianeh]

Originally Posted by GoVols

He means to cross check against something like "Red Sea" Foundation Pro test kits.

Oh ok

Thanks

[GoVols]

A cheap API test kit will do for alk.

Or... Take sample to local Fish store and check your SG and all other parameters with known liquid test kits.

[canadianeh]

Originally Posted by GoVols

A cheap API test kit will do for alk.

Or... Take sample to local Fish store and check your SG and all other parameters with known liquid test kits.

I am in contact with Claude from Germany Fauna Marin. He is going to send me reference solution.

I have purchased Red Sea kits to test my water and I also will bring the water to LFS to test. This should give me enough results from different methods to make my decision.

[GoVols]

Please tell us your final results for each test method.

Thanks, GoVols

[GoVols]

FYI...

Red Sea has great (You Tube) video's on the pro test kits.

For the Alk test the video endpoint is pink. I think the new endpoint is as soon as the color turns orange.

[canadianeh]

Thanks. I will try my best.

[GoVols]

canadianeh,

Have you come to any final results?

Did you take sample to LFS?

Maybe you didn't mix to 1.026 SG?

[canadianeh]

Originally Posted by GoVols

canadianeh,

Have you come to any final results?

Did you take sample to LFS?

Maybe you didn't mix to 1.026 SG?

Not yet. I am still waiting for my Red Sea kits to arrive.

I am mixing it to 1.026. I use Milwaukee digital refractometer.

[GoVols]

Originally Posted by canadianeh

Not yet. I am still waiting for my Red Sea kits to arrive.

I am mixing it to 1.026. I use Milwaukee digital refractometer.

That's a great refractometer!

[canadianeh]

Originally Posted by GoVols

canadianeh,

Have you come to any final results?

Did you take sample to LFS?

Maybe you didn't mix to 1.026 SG?

I will post the results soon. I stayed up until 2 am last night to finished the test between Idip vs Red Sea test kit

[GoVols]

Originally Posted by canadianeh

I will post the results soon. I stayed up until 2 am last night to finished the test between Idip vs Red Sea test kit

Did you get the reference solution for the Idip?

Red Sea just posted the end point of the pro alk kit is peach/orange.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2611680

[canadianeh]

Originally Posted by GoVols

Did you get the reference solution for the Idip?

Red Sea just posted the end point of the pro alk kit is peach/orange.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2611680

I got the reference solution from Fauna Marin. I forgot to test it using Red Sea and Idip. I will do this before I post the results.

One thing I noticed was Idip results were similar to Red Sea. I was surprised by this. It could be due to the following either or both reasons:
-I left the fresh made saltwater for more than 48 hours before testing it
-Idip just recently updated my Idip application on my Ipad which could comes with improvements

[canadianeh]

Originally Posted by GoVols

Did you get the reference solution for the Idip?

Red Sea just posted the end point of the pro alk kit is peach/orange.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2611680

I posted a reply on the link that you posted. My card says the end colour is red/darker red

[GoVols]

Read slowly what Kev is saying on post #2. Kev represents Red Sea.

My end point is the peach/orange color but my card has a pink color.

Once I hit my color change it stays there no matter more fluid I keep adding.

As soon as I see the peach/orange I stop.

I've cross checked this to an API alk kit because the card confused me too.

Now if you can make it hit pink/red then that's another thing.

[GoVols]

I think RedSeaKev will respond to your post rather quickly and clear it up.

Perry, Is very good about it over here for AF.

[Martin Kuhn]

Originally Posted by canadianeh

Sorry what you mean by check with known parameters?

- Each reference solution tells you exactly which parameters it has
- You measure the reference solution an get "your test kits" values for the ref.solution
- Quite often the "waterparameters you measure" (from th eref.solution) are NOT "what the reference solutions water parameters really are"
...in this case you "calibrate" your test kits exacatly to the difference from your measurment results (which are quite often not trustable)

This exactly is the sense of using reference solutions AND this is what i meant by "check with known parameters"

[canadianeh]

Govols, here are the results

Subject of the test is 10 gallons of freshly made seawater with 1.027 salinity using Fauna Marin Professional Salt after 24 hours period mixing.
LFS test results
PH 8.2
Alkalinity 7 dkh
Calcium 360 ppm
No Magnesium test was performed. Not sure why, and I didn't ask
Red Sea Pro test kit results
PH 8.2
Alkalinity 9.1 dkh(not sure why it is much higher. I tested twice and asked second opinion on the color results)
Calcium 445 ppm
Magnesium 1600 ppm (again this is much higher. Performed the test twice with same result)
Exact Idip 570nm test kit results
PH 8.3
Alkalinity 7.12 dkh
Calcium 420 ppm
Magnesium 1131.93 ppm (it says on the screen "1131.93 ppm (as Mg +2). I don't know what "Mg +2" means)

I also test the Fauna Marin reference solution using Idip and Red Sea Pro. Here are the results:
Idip results
Alkalinity 5.5-5.94 dkh (on the bottle of reference solution says 6.6 dkh)
Calcium 296 ppm (on the bottle says 422 mg/l)
Magnesium 1029 ppm as Mg+2 (on the bottle says 1315 mg/l)
Red Sea Pro results
Alkalinity 7 dkh (on the bottle says 6.6 dkh)
Calcium 405 ppm (on the bottle says 422 mg/l)
Magnesium 1440 ppm (the bottle says 1315 mg/l)

Fauna Marin specs:
Chemical composition/Chemische Zusammensetzung
Magnesium: 1.250 - 1.340 mg/l
Calcium: 410 - 440 mg/l
Pottassium / Kalium: 380 - 400 mg/l
Natrium: 10.300 - 10.700 mg/l
Chloride: 19.100 – 19.800 mg/l
Sulphate / Sulfat: 2650 – 2750 mg/l
Alkalinität in dKH: 8,0–8,5°
pH-Wert: 8,0–8,4
Strontium: 7,0–9,0 mg/l

The Idip is picking Calcium and Alk number much closer to the Fauna Marin Professional salt specs. I don't know if this is due to Idip application software upgrade or something else. I don't roll the salt bucket each time I make a new mix. The Alk number is still under the manufacture's specs.

Let me know if you have any question.

[GoVols]

canadianeh, Looks like your results were for Fauna Marin Professional Salt.

Have you used Red Sea Pro kits and checked your #'s to the Aquaforst reef salt.

As for as your Idip reference solutions #'s it's beyond my knowledge.

I figure they help calibrate your Idip?

Do you still think you AF has low alk?

Read the end of this thread AF is saying that their working on each bucket of salt to hit what the batch read.

They are acknowledging that they have QC issues and trying to resolve.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...551525&page=11

[GoVols]

Sorry... Read post #69 from Aquaforest.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...2605639&page=3

[canadianeh]

Govols, I don't have Aquaforest and I am using Fauna Marin salt right now (first ever batch). I think due to its availability, my next batch I am thinking of switching to Red Sea Coral Pro salt or Aquaforest.