MattM":3k9m3mkk said:
Salifert":3k9m3mkk said:
Matt:
I heard that Mike del Prete of Aquacraft (MDPinUSA) has adviced you guys on how to do the tests.
Is this correct?
No, this is not correct.
I have not contacted him nor have I been contacted by him.
Where did you hear this?
Matt:
He wrote it on Reffaquarium guide (
http://www.reefaquariumguide.com/forums ... post275093 .
I have pasted the post here below and bolding is mine.
Looks like some people are thinking about marine salts...
a) snow storm. b) losing animals. c) inconsistent mix. d) some bad batches, should we switch. e) etc.
1) I cannot imagine buying a proported top brand of marine salt and having to add ca, mg and/or a buffer! Why not just use a decent salt initially?
I cannot imagine using a marine salt again and again that is inconsisent from package to package... sometimes contaminated with impurities that foment the undesireable growth of brown and or red and or slime algae.
But, hey, that is just me. LOL
2) Send all this over to RC and buckle up for one heck of a ride! The majorty of RC'ers are the ones that defend their position of total weakness I described in an earlier post. - Most suffer from "do what the others do. Forget common sense. Let all have the same problems".
3) I have been involved with independent labs and testing marine salts since 1980 to Nov. 2002. The results are printed for the world to see.
4) When I learned of Inlands proposed marine salt tests I contacted them and offered some thoughts as to their test. I believe they took most to heart.
However, spending $10,000 - $15,000 to test multiple samples of marine salts and have it comparable to one other validated test is simply not enough money.
Inland indicates at one time they would use a lab that employed ICP testing procedure. One person on Reefs.Org said... "ICP is good enough for me"... In reality, ICP is the considered reliable for testing a complex medium such as sea water.
5) There is one salt manufacturer that stamps a production code on each master carton. This code indicates the day of production and the crew that made it. And, a 500 gram sample from each batch is retained for QC.
If you use a marine salt that is of concern, and there is no batch number, WE have no way of knowing when it was produced, let alone having that manufacturer actually keep a sample for reference.
6) I have recent email communication with Habib. He indicates that Seatest (Hach made test kit) reads high in Ca and LaMotte suffers from accurate readings via dilution problems.
I.e. From what I read, he says that other test kits are wrong and Salifert is correct.
I have tested IO and TM for Ca with Salifert, Seatest, Lamotte and sent the same samples to outside labs. The results are similar.
I tested another manufacturers brand for Ca with Seatest and LaMotte and send the same sample to an outside source and the results were comparable.... However, when I tested the SAME sample with Salifert it showed 42% lower in Ca.
This is when I emailed Habib. I asked simple questions. His reply was nothing less than I expected.. e.g. My test kit is correct, others are incorrect. -- OK.... anyone ready for the Test Kit War?
I do not make test kits. I have no plans to make test kits. I have no vested interest in test kits... I have no axe to grind... But I would like to be able to use a resonably priced test kit and get resonable results.
7) I must say that this group is one of the best groups I have communicated with. Thus far, no cussing, no personal attacks... nothing like posting on RC.
Thank you all for viewing my input.
8) I wish interested individuals could meet at one time in a chat room/channel and discuss this matter. Posting and waiting for replies takes a lot of time. -- Sooner or later the basic topic of this thread will be lost.
MDP
__________________
Michael Del Prete
CEO Aqua Craft.Inc.
Direct donations can still be made at Inland Reefs's Salt Study webpage: 
