Crystal Sea®/Forty Fathoms® Marinemix
manufactured by Marine Enterprises International
(What the manufacturer claims)
(printing on the 50 U5 gallon/189 Liter box)
Net Wt: 14 lbs. 8 oz.
ONE SALT DOES IT ALL. Scientifically blended. For high solubility. No nitrates. No phosphates (1). Removes chlorine instantly. Crystal Sea® is manufactured under the most stringent quality control guidelines using superior computer controlled blending system (2) . This insures exact mixing of dry anhydrous ingredients throughout every individual batch (3) … automatically adjusts pH to 8.3 (4) … Brings hydrometer reading to 1.023 (about 1 lb./ Marinemix per 4 gallons of tap water (5) .)

The Quality Assurance Statement on the package is utterly false. The product is: underweight, mixes to a high pH, varies dramatically from batch to batch and can be considered to be poorly made.

COMMENTS: 1) Phosphate is of great concern for marine fish and reef keepers. The package indicates there are no phosphate. Sample #2 contained twice as much phosphate as found in NSW. Crystal Sea®/Forty Fathoms®was the only brand that tested for more phosphate than found in NSW. 2. CA. Calcium, sample #1 was 38% less and sample #2 was 20% less than NSW. It would be most difficult to standardize a calcium addition program due to the radical differences in calcium amounts between packages. K. Potassium in sample #1 was 9% less and sample #2 was 31.5% more than NSW. There are no hobby test kits for potassium. 3) Poorly made. The claim of exact mixing from batch to batch is false. The dramatic differences between sample #1 and #2 indicate this product is poorly produced. 4. pH. Both samples mixed to potentially dangerous high pH values. The claims of automatically adjusting pH to 8.3 is false. 5) Specific Gravity. Crystal Sea® is sold under weight. The 50 US gallon package actually hydrates 47 US gallons of a working solution with a SG 1.022, or would make 50 gallon solutions with a SG of 1.019 at 78°F. Value #6. With dramatic differences between batches and the presence of high phosphate, this product must be carefully considered prior to purchase.

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