Tony, the sad thing is I've used many other salts, well not many but at least 4 others and I can tell you something, Kent/IO have always been consistant for me from one batch to the other where the others have all ways been all over the place.
A few years ago I tried one of those salts by the guy who sponsored that big study that I'm sure you know who I'm talking about. I tried his salt with the little bottle. The first bag I had alot of trouble with my pH, my Ca and my Alk were all over the place from one batch to another. I figured it was my fault with the little bottle. I did some reading and found out what folks did was mix up the salt in a super saline solution and add the bottle and then make sure it's mixed up really good. Then take some of that soup to make up the water for the water change so I did that with my next bag. That bag when mixed for the right SG had a pH of 7.6 and a Ca level of 240ish. So I figured I did something wrong again tried the same thing again, next bag had a pH of over 9 and a Ca level of well over 500. I tried their next brand (the not so premium) same things all over the place. So I tried another manufacturers salt, a name brand, very low Ca levels. Tried one other, got my free T shirt, salt didn't mix well, always lots of stuff left over in the mixing tank.
Then I tried Kent, mixed up 10 gallons and pH was 8.2ish, Ca was 400ish, Alk was 11dKH. I thought wow, that was easy, couple weeks later mixed up 10 more gallons same thing, and again and again and again.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is, in my opinion Kent/IO is the best salt we've got available out here in my opinion, perhaps in controversy to the coughcovetedcough S-15 report. I was lucky I didn't get any of that bad salt last year. But then again, I haven't had any problems with Rio power heads either.
Doug
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