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plack

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BIO SEA MARINE SEA SALT
Trace Elements in Synthetic Sea Water

(WHAT THE MANUFACTURER CLAIMS)


The subject of trace elements has received more attention than Bill and Monica. In regards to trace elements in marine salts, most of the information is at best bogus.

In the early 1970's hW Marinemix® told the world they had all 62 trace elements in their salt. Tropic Marin®told the world that they had all 70 elements in their salt. Instant Ocean® told the world they had all elements known to be essential. Forty Fathoms® (now Crystal Sea®) printed an "assay" that showed dozens and dozens of elements in their salt.

In Sea Scope™, the Aquarium Systems®, Inc. dealer/consumer handout was a front page article entitled... "Trace Element War". It appeared that the marine salt with the most trace elements was the winner. Quite simply, this made mundane reading for the average marine hobbyist and made no sense at all to qualified marine technicians. Was this an effort by Aquarium Systems® to cloud simple facts?
In the 1990's Reef Crystals® told the world that their salt contained "extra trace elements". Deep Ocean™ told the world they had "all necessary trace elements". Then, Red Sea® told the world their salt had "trace elements distributed by a NEW method". In short order, Coralife© told the world their salt was "rich in trace elements". Later, Kent® Salt muddied the waters ever more by telling the world his salt had "enhanced trace mineral content".



THE FACTS


The S-15â„¢ Reportâ„¢ reveals what qualified marine chemists have know for decades. All of the above statements made by various marine salt producers are: half truths, misleading or blatantly false. The reality is that ALL marine salts have the SAME NUMBER of TRACE ELEMENTS -- ALL trace elements. The issue is not existence, but proportionality.

A simple example would be for me to give you a hand full of common salts (sodium chloride). I could look you directly in the eyes and honestly tell you that this common salt contained all elements found in sea water. Or, better yet. I could honestly tell you that the salt you were holding contained all the elements on earth.

Even if common salt was refined to 99.99% pure, the remaining .01% of impurities contain all other elements. When manufacturing marine salts, some producers include these impurities as though they were part of the formula.

Example #1. A simple marine salt could be produced using only major elements/bulk salts. If these major components were mixed in a similar ratio to natural sea water (NSW), it would be suitable for the short term keeping of seafood in restaurant tanks. In the aquarium industry, such a product could be sold as product that was identical to NSW and contained all 70 elements.

The hW Marinemix® claim of having 62 trace elements is a half truth. Most of the elements are found as impurities, except for aluminum, lead and nickel. Al was 17.1 times higher, lead was 1,333 times higher, nickel was 12.8 times higher than NSW. Other "trace elements" were found at higher concentrations vs. NSW. In the same samples, essential calcium, a major ion, was chronically low.

The Tropic Marin® claim of having all 70 elements in exact proportion to NSW is blatantly false. Most of the elements are found at similar levels to other brands of marine salts -- with the exception of 13.2 times more aluminum, 4.8 times more iron, 8 times more zinc, 10 times more manganese and 333 times more lead vs. NSW. The same samples were chronically low in essential calcium, a major ion.

The Instant Ocean® claim of having all elements known to be essential is misleading. Just like other marine salts, all elements are present. However, the most costly elements are omitted and found only as impurities. Bromide found in NSW at 65 ppm is found as an impurity at 5.4 ppm. Trace impurities are found at concentrations similar to other marine Salts.

Crystal Sea®/Forty Fathoms© advertising showing an assay listing dozens of elements is a half truth. The elements listed are in the product. However, like other marine salts, they are found as impurities. Except for: 3.6 times more iron, 2 times more phosphate, 33% less bromide, some of the lowest levels of essential calcium and unbelievable variations from batch to batch vs. NSW.

Reef Crystals® claim of extra trace elements is misleading and blatantly false. It has the same number of trace elements as other marine salts. As with other Aquarium Systems® salts the costly elements are omitted and found only as impurities. Bromide found in NSW at 65 ppm is found at 6.8 to 9.0 ppm in two samples tested. Zinc, selenium, silver, nickel, lead, copper, cobalt, chromium, and cadmium are found at concentrations comparable with other marine salts. However, major elements such as calcium and potassium varied from sample to sample.

The Deep Oceanâ„¢ claim of having all necessary trace elements is misleading. The samples varied dramatically from batch to batch. Both samples were low in strontium and void of bromide. Sample #1 had 255 times more and sample #2 had ten times more manganese than NSW. Sample #2 had nine times more zinc than sample #1.





The RED SEA® claim of having trace elements distributed in a new method concerns experts. Sample #1 had over 133 times more boron than sample #2. Sample #1 had 20% less and sample #2 had 70% more strontium vs. NSW. Sample #1 had 14.6 times more and sample #2 had 1.6 time more copper vs. NSW. The S-15™ Report™ clearly shows this product varies dramatically to the point of defying the mixing procedure employed to produce this item.

The Coralife® claim of rich in trace elements is misleading. It contains the same number of trace elements as other marine salts. At the same time, major elements are either very low or vary dramatically from sample to sample. Bromide is found as an impurity. There are other statements on their package that are also false.

KENT SEA SALT® preliminary investigations indicate that this product is very similar to Reef Crystals®, which is similar to Instant Ocean®. Kent Sea Salt® has the same number of trace elements as other marine salts.



MISLEADING OR FALSE STATEMENTS


Statements like: contains all elements, 62 elements, 70 elements, rich in elements, and extra elements, or enhanced trace mineral content are misleading. All these elements are present as impurities.

Since there are a total of 70 elements in NSW, how could anyone add extra or enhance this number? As demonstrated in the S-15â„¢ Reportâ„¢, the answer is simple. These are not truthful or honest, or accurate statements. If a marine salt contained extra trace elements, it would win a Nobel Prize. If it had enhanced or richer amounts, it might be considered to be contaminated. Contaminants can be detrimental to all living things.



TRACE IMPURITIES AND THEIR VALUE


The concentration of most trace impurities is similar from brand to brand of marine salt. In some instances these impurities are similar to amounts found in NSW. Impurities usually do not stay in solution. Trace impurities can easily be removed from the closed system by: simple biological filtration, skimming, chemical filtration and lost through the normal metabolic process of the captive animals on display.



A SUPERIOR MARINE SALT OR SUPPLEMENTS AND ADDITIVES


With the understanding that most trace impurities could be depleted, removed or exhausted before most captive marine organisms can use them, we must search for a suitable remedy to this ongoing situation.

One simple remedy is to use Marine Environment® dual phase formula™. This product that was created to control this undesirable situation.

Another approach is to employ supplements or additives. However, it is essential to understand that a good marine salt that is in balance to NSW MUST be used. A good marine salt should not demonstrate excesses, deficiencies, contaminants or variations from batch to batch.

The S-15â„¢ Reportâ„¢ reveals that the majority of marine salts failed to meet this basic and simple, but totally necessary requirement.

Nothing -- lights, filters, foods, ozone, skimmers, supplements, controllers, etc. -- can remedy bad water.


A SUPERIOR MARINE SALT


Marine Environment® dual phase formula™ is a two part, limited production, high purity superior marine salt. It compensates for impurities being rendered useless. Part #1 Marine Environment® consistently contains major elements with moderately elevated amounts of calcium. Minor elements with consistently enhanced amounts of strontium, lithium, molybdenum and manganese.

Marine Environment® also contains the 62 trace elements found in other salts, at concentrations similar to NSW. However, this product does not rely on these impurities to stay in solution long enough to be of benefit to captive marine pets.

Part #2 Marine Environment® with the "little bottle, that makes the big difference"™ makes important differences in the working ability of this product vs. all others.

The "little bottle"â„¢ contains bromide as a carrier for essential trace elements. These trace elements are scientifically bound to stay in solution until they are metabolized by the captive organisms on display. These bound trace elements cannot be removed by simple aeration, filtration or skimming.

The "little bottle"™ also contains various water conditioners and stress and shock reducers. The "little bottle"™ with these Marine Environment® Supplements™ contains additives or supplements that are usually purchased separately.
Copyright © 2000 by Aqua Craft®, Inc. All rights reserved.




CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE BEST FOR THE SALT WATER AQUARIUM



The Facts About BIO SEA Salt





BIO-SEA® Marinemix
Net Wt: 15 lbs. (6.8 Kg)

Ideal for all salt water aquariums, marine fish, corals and reef life. De-chlorinates. Maintains pH. No phosphates. No nitrates. Highly soluble. PREMIUM SALTWATER FORMULA. GUARANTEED to contain all elements. Laboratory tested & certified. (The package then offers instructions for mixing and using the product.)

With the exception of slightly elevated levels of sulfate, BIO SEA® Marinemix is the only salt that consistently tested with major ions/elements in proportions similar to Natural Sea Water (NSW). Enhanced amounts of select minor elements are included for the positive growth of captive reef pets. All claims on the package are accurate. This salt is perfect for any salt water aquarium.

COMMENTS: pH. Both samples mixed to a normal pH. S04. Both samples contained slightly higher amounts of sulfate vs. NSW. Mg. Both samples tested perfect in magnesium vs. NSW. Ca. Both samples tested perfect in calcium vs. NSW. Br. Both samples tested perfect to bromide vs. NSW. Perfect is +/- 5% from NSW. PO4. Both samples tested lower in phosphate vs. NSW. Sr. Both samples tested slightly higher in strontium vs. NSW. Sr. has a natural interaction with calcium. Li (lithium), a metabolic stimulator has been included as well as molybdenum and manganese for the benefit of reef inhabitancies.

The rationale for producing BIO SEA® Marinemix was to offer a marine salt that faithfully reproduced the major ions found in NSW in the salt water aquarium, while slightly enhancing selected proven essential minor elements that benefit captive marine fish and reef animals in the closed system. This is accomplished without introducing contaminates such as heavy metals, silicates, nitrates, phosphates or ammonia. BIO-SEA® also includes a tap water dechlorinator.


http://www.northcoastmarines.com/salt_mixes.htm

:)

Paul
 
So what is the post about again :p

IMO, all salts have their downsides, as they are artificial salts. I will stick with IO..

Best,
Ilham
 
Hi Ilham,
This seems to claim to be better than all and has lab tests to prove the others are bad wich allot of us know But they claim to be better and not cost allot more!!
So if you read it you could see the up's and down's of the major salts as they list them !!
Has anyone ever tried this particular brand ?

:)

Paul
 
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I used it, almost crashed my tank & I was switching slowly, really flipped it upside down.
 
About one of the only places that carry that is "The Fish Store" on Roosevelt Way/Ave here in Seattle.

It isn't new salt, but they also have salts that you need to add something with (2 part)...Sounds fishy.

Best,
Ilham
 
more then likely the inpureties in the salts are from the machiney use to manufactur it...

like medication...

we just resonly made a pharmaceutical pump/ unit for a Co. called Novasep its a 18 million dollar machine that they use to mix all the mixtures for a lot of diffrent medicine.....

more then likely a lot of stuff you may of taken....

you know tho medicine commericials where they say "may cause head ache diarrhea, vomiting, bla bla bla"

all that is from inpureaties in the welds of the stainless steel tube..... to an extent.

so Id imageing that somewhere they use machinery to make the salts.... theres no sciencetice with a beaker mixing it...
its all auto controled by computer.....

the machine we made was ready to be wired to a computer and hooked up 2 a factory....

it was about the size of a small house..

just my though
 
if only it were true paul...more snake oil like mark weiss products...

this IS that bs salt with the chemical additive bottle they sell at the fish store...
this garbage might make good kitty litter...
but i wouldnt de-ice my driveway with it let alone put it in my tank.
this stuff belongs in a tank that has an eco-aqualizer and sea lab #28cubes.
and a berlin skimmer too:razz:
this crap has been around for years and years,
have you ever heard of a single person with a nice reef using this salt?
it looks like it's made in china...lol
 
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hey man whats wrong wit china!.. lol they make like everything...

hell are fish are probly made in china
 
If that's true about the 2 part salt sold at the Fish Store, then they sell 2 different 2 part salts there. They sold me one that you had to add a little bottle of trace minerals (in water) to. It was NOT this brand.
 
Hi Jan.

You were probably sold the "Marine Environment" salt. Both are made by Aqua Craft, Inc. That one has a mix-in liquid as well..Hopefully you didn't end up using that salt.

Best,
Ilham
 
Plack

That report is just a bunch of gibberish and is almost 15 years old and was gibberish when put out. By the way did you see this The S-15™ Report™Take note they have given that so called report a trademark....™ That is so funny :lol:

CHOSEN AS ONE OF THE BEST FOR THE SALT WATER AQUARIUM

By who ? If it is so good how come it has been out for 15 years and most have not heard of either. Is there anything wrong with it. No, no more wrong with it than any other salt as Elmos more or less stated. What ever salt seem to work for you the best is the salt to use.



Here are some more recent assays that show otherwise. Look at heavy metals. And even these reports really have little merit so to speak.

A Chemical Analysis of Select Trace Elements in Synthetic Sea Salts and Natural Seawater
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2004/feature.htm

Feature Article: Inland Reef Aquaria Salt Study, Part I
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/11/aafeature1

Feature Article: Inland Reef Aquaria Salt Study Part II
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/12/aafeature1
 
Thanks for this more recent info., Boomer.

Ilham, I did use a 50 gallon bag of that salt and part of a second one when I was first setting up my 40 gallon reef in January. Then I switched to Reef Crystals (and eventually settled on Seachem Pro Reef Salt)
 
The manufacturer of that salt, Michael Del Prete, (MDP is what he usually goes by on boards) has managed to enrage large numbers of the reefing community with incorrect information like that over the years.

Everyso often he comes out with a new list of propaganda, but he always bases his "information" on the S-15 report.....

If his salt was the only one on the market for keeping marine aquariums......
I'd quit the hobby.

Nick
 
Nick I beat him up on RC last month. The mods' s even threatened him to knock it OFF or else. He whinnied allot. I told him if he ever showed up here or RS he would be auto banned :D He was claiming I was trashing him unfairly ;)
 
I have used this salt previously and was invited to use it for the past few months, provided that I post results.

The manufacturer provided the salt, Elos test kits, and a few additives in case I needed them (Ca, alk, and pH additives.)

I used Bio Sea for the past 4 months. In this time, I measured just about every single batch I made; usually 12-15 gallons at a time. It is very consistent from batch to batch, bag to bag, and box to box. Really no variations; keep in mind that all of the salt provided was the same single batch as mixed by the manufacturer (this was for consistency purposes.) During this four months, my tank didn't crash, I didn't add any additives of any kind; no calcium, no alkalinity, no magnesium, and no pH additives. This is a handy feature if you are a lazy reefer like I am and can't be bothered with adding this and dosing that. It mixed very clean and completely dissolved in the mixing container.

I also prefer bags to buckets. With a bag, I can use the salt that I need and remove the air prior to sealing. This goes a LONG way to prevent "activating" and subsequent hardening of salt.
 
Do you follow me around or just look for post on Aqaucraft products for MDP :confused:

During this four months, my tank didn't crash, I didn't add any additives of any kind; no calcium, no alkalinity, no magnesium, and no pH additives.

You will find nobody here believing that kind of crap. Or did you forget to mention you do allot of water changes ? If you have corals/coralline growing in a reef tank and no additive where ever used/added and you never added or changed water where does the Ca++, Alk and Mg++ from the air or is it magic in that bag ? Or was it a FOT and you forgot to mention that ? I'll let you correct yourself ;)

It is very consistent from batch to batch, bag to bag, and box to box


I'm sure he made sure if that before he sent them out, JMHO

By the way I do not care to much for people that post a review on RAG and make it look like I posted it :mad::mad: Yeah, I was informed. And not only that, that Boomer over there with 40 posts is NOT ME and I see someone is not only using my screen name but my own profile and avatar. I would suggest you get someone to remove it or there will be trouble.

Biography:
40 years Seawater Aquariums. No current tanks. 32 years was enough.
Location:MN
Interests: Seawater Chemistry, Geology, ID Marine Life, Collecting Science books, Explosives Technology
Occupation:


And this is the kind of twits you hang out with ? As this is not part of my proifle and you say these guys are straight shooters. The below is right out of MDP flippin mouth. And I'm sure you all no it. That shows you the level MDP and his Klan, your Klan is really like. And what was it you said I'm parnoid about him. :lol: Just look at who is really paranoid :lol:


Spend most of my time online offering opinions and posting links to others information.

http://www.reefaquariumguide.com/forum/members/boomer.html
 
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You mean these arent your posts?

http://www.reefaquariumguide.com/forum/search.php?searchid=38977

only thing ive listened to over the past 2 days were Pantera/Damageplan cds.. defineitely an amazing guitarist lost...

I can honestly say.. I didnt sleep much that night after readin the news..:/ RIP Dime.. hope your havin a blast with some of the other past on great guitarists...

And I had you figured for a Pantera fan........

Interesting though that there was a two year gap between posting....

OSB,
If you're happy with the salt.....I'm happy for you.
I will personally not purchase anything made by Aquacraft because of MDP. I've seen him pull waaaayyyyyy too many stunts on boards, where he try's to drum business for his company by bashing the competition. If confronted with facts, he has consistantly resorted to name calling and sullen behavior.
I get enough drama at work, I refuse to put up with it for my hobby.
Having stated all of that, and getting my biases out in front for all to see....
I have some questions for you.


I used Bio Sea for the past 4 months. In this time, I measured just about every single batch I made; usually 12-15 gallons at a time. It is very consistent from batch to batch, bag to bag, and box to box. Really no variations; keep in mind that all of the salt provided was the same single batch as mixed by the manufacturer (this was for consistency purposes.)

Why did Aquacraft ,(AC), only send you samples from the same batch? If the object was to test for consistancy from bag to bag, sample to sample, it should have been from several different batches, randomly selected, to make the "test" more objective. How do several samples from the same batch mixed by the manufacturer allow you to test for consistancy objectively and scientifically?

During this four months, my tank didn't crash, I didn't add any additives of any kind; no calcium, no alkalinity, no magnesium, and no pH additives.

I would hope your tank wouldnt crash!
Could you please provide the specs of your tank? (size, age, inhabitants, equipment, and water parameters).
How often and at what times during the day did you test your tank? Did you test your tank, or only the newly mixed salt water?
How often did/do you change water in your tank?

Nick
 
Boomer,

Wasn't it you that recently invited me to come check out this site again? If you notice, I posted about Giessemann MH bulbs before hand; I just posted there again.

You have made it very clear that I am not welcome over here. I'm OK with that. I don't come on the internet to argue with people like you; it's not worth bringing myself down to such a childish level; I come to sites like this to offer my insight and to read about the insight of others. I find your attempts at intimidation to be humorous. (yawn) Tell you what, I will let you tell everyone that you also beat me up too. I've never been beaten up on the internet before. Does it hurt??

On another note, I found the idea of you going on to RAG and becoming a paying member quite clever and very amusing. Alas, it wasn't you or your idea. I will do what I can to allow other RAG members to know that this person is not you. I do this as a gesture of kindness, not because I have any concern over the "trouble" of which you spoke.

maxx,

I appreciate your point of view; at least everyone is aware of where you stand. I am a paying customer of ACP and was asked to take part in a vendor sponsored experiment. The original poster asked about the very same salt that I just recently completed a 4 month experiment in, so I thought I would offer what I found. So far, I seem to be one of two people that have actually tried this product; one had a tank crash, I did not. Some offered their biases towards the actual manufacturer in lieu of any real experience. It is no wonder that new hobbyists are confused; getting opinions on products from people who have never used said product. Maybe Motor Trend would like my review of the Ferrari Enzo because I drive to work every day.

I, along with four or five other people, were sent salt from the same batch and test kits from the same batch. This was for an experiment that had to do with using the same salt, same kits, and post mixing results. It was done in order to find out where some of the variables in the hobby come from. Technically, you might think that 5 people with the exact same salt and the same test kits would come up with the same results. The variations with refractometers, following instructions, and a few other things one would normally not think of, come in to play. One person reading 1200 Mg and the other 1400 Mg; finding out where this difference comes from was the beginning. As hobbyists, we tend to make mistakes that professionals do not. This became very apparent during the first few weeks.

I made 12-15 gallon water changes every week; about 135 gallon total water volume. This is not what I would consider excessive; in fact I find this to be pretty standard. Tank has two clams, about 50 lbs of LR, 7 small fish and two medium tangs. Normally, I just measured the mixed up water; seldom do I test my tank as the readings really don't fluctuate. Tank readings were really not that far off from the test results of each batch. This is why I never added any of the additives. Ca in the new mix was 425 and the tank was 400; it never fell below this before a water change was done. Same with alkalinity and pH; all measurements were done around noon time. For those with no hands on experience with Elos test kits, they tend to have a bit less resolution than other kits. When I say Ca of newly mixed water is 425, it's actually between 400 and 425. Tank water at 400, well it's really in between 375-400. Beings that the tank measurements are usually a bit lower than freshly mixed water, this is most likely due to being used up by tank inhabitants.
 
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