I have been using it since I first setup my tank in early Feb. This is my first tank, so unfortunately, I cannot compare it to others, but I can say that my chemistry has been very good.
I also got it at Aquarium Concepts in Dublin. For the can that I have 2 1/8 cups makes 5 gallons 1.026 SG at 78 degrees. My pH has been a constant 8.2 and the things that I can test for are good. I sent my water to a "pro" lab (AWT: aquariumwatertesting.com). This is not the test for a new batch of water, but I wanted a baseline for my tank after it had been setup for 6 weeks. I took this test the day after I changed 10 gallons. I have put my own tests to the right. I did these the same time I took the sample to send to the lab.
Code:
Test OK? Value "Acceptable" My Test (API)
Ammonia (NH3-4) Good 0.010 mg/L [0.000 - 0.050] 0.00
Nitrite (NO2) Good 0.005 mg/L [0.000 - 0.100] 0.00
Nitrate (NO3) Good 0.4 mg/L [0.000 - 25.00] 0.00
Phosphate (PO4) High 0.38 mg/L [0.000 - 0.250] 0.00
Silica (SiO2-3) High 1.8 mg/L [0.000 - 0.500]
Potassium (K) Low 323 mg/L [350 - 450]
Calcium (Ca) Good 370 mg/L [350 - 450] 380
Boron (B) Good 3.9 mg/L [3.00 - 6.00]
Molybdenum (Mo) High 0.1 mg/L [0.00 - 0.12]
Strontium (Sr) Good 8.8 mg/L [5.0 - 12.0]
Magnesium (Mg) Good 1363 mg/L [1100 - 1400] 1260 (Salifert)
Iodine (I¯) Low 0.01 mg/L [0.030 - 0.090]
Copper (Cu++) Good 0.02 mg/L [0.000 - 0.030]
Alkalinity Good 2.79 meq/L [2.50 - 5.00] 3.21 (my test was 9 to their 7.75 in dKH)
Not sure why my iodine and potassium are low. My yellow polyps, green button zoas, and the kenya tree all need iodine, so maybe I need to dose for this. I use RO water from the LFS (not RO/DI), so the high silicates may be in the RO water.
Here is the label from my SeaChem Salinity container:
the Alkalinity of 3.8 meq/L is about 10.75 dKH