Changing to IO salt mix. Is this a really good price?

[Brenden]

I found 160 gallon buckets of instant ocean for $30 shipped to my house. Is this a good enough to buy a lot of extra or do places put this stuff on sale like this pretty often?

 

[MT79]

I think I know the sale -$28.79 to be exact right? I just got a bucket for myself. I usually buy 50gal bags but I really liked this price for the bucket. Great deal IMO.

 

[Joshsmit56001]

That is a pretty good deal. I bought mine at the LFS for like $50. By the way, where is this store at that you can get it so cheap?


Josh

 

[MT79]

By the way, where is this store at that you can get it so cheap?

drsfostersmith.com

 

[sdellin]

Don't forget to add shipping, it's like something per pound, can't remember.

 

[MT79]

Don't forget to add shipping, it's like something per pound

They waived the shipping weight fee for the sale and reduced the price by 10%. Shipping was $8.99 for a 160gal bucket and a Ca test kit for me.

 

[malkore]

Good price, yes. But I don't care for that salt at all. Low calcium, high alkalinity, doesn't dissolve fully even after 24 hours of mixing...but the choice is yours.

 

[MT79]

But I don't care for that salt at all. Low Ca, high Alk...

Maybe that's why they are getting rid of it so cheaply

Low calcium,

I'll agree w/ that-about 350 ppm. Although 350 ppm is not too bad IMO once stony corals etc. start drawing from it, it can drop to an undesirable concentration quickly.

high alkalinity,

I Disagree. It test at 4 meg/l, Steve-S recently posted Kent's has 4.27meg/l Alk. I think IO at 4 is par for the course among salt mixes. It has always worked for me- w/ alittle Ca tweaking since adding SPS.

 

[Phyl]

Buy the IO Reef Crystals instead. A little more money and you get the calcium bumped up to 400 and the alk around 10 (DkH, I have no idea why I latched onto that number rather than the meg/l that everyone else uses, lol).

Better yet take the ad to a Petco and get it for that price in the store and pay no shipping at all on it

 

[MT79]

Better yet take the ad to a Petco and get it for that price in the store and pay no shipping at all on it

All Petcos will do that??

 

[Phyl]

Don't petco's price match online prices? I'm pretty sure that's who does it... Can someone confirm this?!

 

[malkore]

It depends on the current PetCo manager. Some will honor an internet price, some will not.
but if you happen to have a catalog with that price...you'll likely get it.

My IO salt gave me 3.5 meq/l, and only 300ppm calcium. maybe I had a bad batch.
4meq/l is high though. According to my alk/cal balance chart, you need 440ppm of calcium to balance 4.0meq/l

 

[MT79]

According to my alk/cal balance chart, you need 440ppm of calcium to balance 4.0meq/l

I run 425-435 ppm Ca. This is good for me b/c my tank uses 10-12 ppm Ca daily so it allows for some room to swing(I use a 2 part additive daily b/c I have no sump). As I said Steve-S recently posted Kent's numbers- Ca approx. 425ppm and 4.27 meg/l Alk. I don't feel 4 is high anymore or too much out of balance although I did really consider switching salts. NSW is approx. 2.0-2.5 meg/l Alk which many would say is low. I've been using IO ever since I started in '03 with no problems. To each is own I guess .
I'm just curious Malkore what salt mix do you use and what are the numbers right out of the bag?

 

[MT79]

but if you happen to have a catalog with that price...you'll likely get it.

I do have a catalog but the sale will be long over before I need more salt. If anyone tries this please post what happens. My local petco charges $22.something for a 50 gal bag of IO. Thanks Phyllis and Malkore.

 

[saltwatersmac]

I have taken online ads to PetSmart and they matched the price. Ironically it was their own ad.

 

[Ricky@3rdshift]

My LFS is about 17.00 for a 50 gallon bag of salt and the Local Petco is 21.50. Won't match prices at all.

 

[sdellin]

my lfs is $13 for 50 gallon bag, my petco is $22, Petco here also charges $50 for the bucket of salt mix.

 

[MT79]

My LFS is about 17.00 for a 50 gallon bag of salt and the Local Petco is 21.50.

my lfs is $13 for 50 gallon bag, my petco is $22

It looks like Petco has a price demand that is not even closely competive w/ other LFS. I'll continue to buy online-premiumaquatics.com lol. Even w/ the shipping cost the salt mix is less (compared to my local petco/LFS).

 

[sdellin]

Petco is a ripoff! But they usually always have crickets for my lizard!

 

[Ricky@3rdshift]

My local Petco doesn't have but 4 SW tanks and like 24 freshwater. Only thing I have ever seen there are Clowns, eels, and tangs. 1 time I seen a puffer, and 1 time I seen a fox something or another.