The Tropic Marin Nano Shake & Make Experience

The concept of Tropic Marin's Nano Shake & Make saltwater dispenser had me pretty excited at MACNA I have to admit. I really thought it was a novel concept. The container comes out of the box with the exact amount of salt you need for it. Just add water. And when it is time for your next one, just procure the new Tropic Marin 10L salt packet and do it again. It seemed bullet-proof and made me think perhaps Tropic Marin found a niche here with the nano crowd. However then I decided to give this a go and found sometimes the simple things aren't so simple. Details below.



I have to start by talking about the dispenser. Plastic with accordion-like expanding ribs, the dispenser is a big component of the big idea. Empty, it requires minimal packaging and is easy to ship. Pluses there. But I recall wondering at MACNA about strength when full of water. More on this in a bit.

A quick negative showed up when I looked close at the dispenser for the water fill-line. It doesn't have one. Umm, what? To me this is no-brainer and a big omission. Apparently Tropic Marin thought that a big arrow on the packaging was enough. I disagree. And frankly where the arrow landed was subject to interpretation and led to some fiddling on my part. And if you plan on reusing this, a fill-line would be a nice reference after you have thrown out the packaging.

Then there is the numbers problem. Tropic Marin is a German company and their preferences lean European in their products. So one of the first questions I had with the Tropic Marin Nano Shake & Make is how and the heck am I going to measure exactly 2.64 gallons of water from my aquarium? They would say, well it is exactly 10 liters. Great, but I stopped drinking from 2 liter soda bottles a long time ago. How to measure? How many liters are in a gallon? So conversion calculators were on my mind. If Tropic Marin goes to a version 2, they should make a USA version that is exactly 3 gallons. Or exactly 2. Just nothing at .64 please.




The fill-line is not found on the container but on the packaging




I began to fill the dispenser with water. I was curious to watch it expand and see how it would stand full of water. Before getting to that point though, I tinkered with my aquarium and nearly forgot I was filling up the Shake & Make. This highlighted another issue. If I had forgotten and it overflowed, the salinity would be diluted. I think this is why Tropic Marin asks that you add salt AFTER water upon re-use. However that is not ideal either as I think it would be a bit of a mess getting the salt into the dispenser opening and there is not much air-space when full of water.

Worried about spillage, I hovered around the Shake & Make for the last gallon. And this led to the exciting concluding dilemma - where is that fill-line really?

I stopped the water where I thought it was and began to get my shake & make dance on. Mixing the salt actually was a positive experience. The ribs on the dispenser assisted greatly and I was done rather quickly.

Then I broke out the trusty refractometer. 1.031. I was salty and my first guess was off. I had to add more water. This surprised me as there was not much more room. Only the neck before the threads was left.

Before the 2nd fill attempt, I came to another big problem with the Shake & Make when I attempted to let the dispenser stand free on its own. It can't. The weird diamond shape when full collapses on the corners. Was there not a way to make a rectangular shape with 4 corners? Um, didn't this cross the great minds at Tropic Marin? Some MBA type must have brought up ease of shipping and stifled the outcry. It was quite a trick to snap this photo. Then it promptly fell down.


It took a lot to snap this photo of the Shake & Make standing. It didn't want to.



Once filled to just an inch or so below the threads, I mixed and used the refractometer - 1.027. A match with my tank, I was good to go.

The Tropic Marin Nano Shake & Make was an interesting experience. It really highlighted to me that until you try something, you just never know. I still believe it is a great idea. Unfortunately version 1 is a great idea, poorly executed. More so with the USA market and the 2.64 gallon issue.

That said, the Shake & Make may be novel enough to get people to try Tropic Marin salt so they may win there. I used Tropic Marin salt on my first aquarium nearly 20 years ago and I personally know it is a damn good salt mix. Fortunately my 1st experience with Tropic Marin was not with the Shake & Make. If it had been, perhaps I may think otherwise. It is a good idea, half-baked.


My Version 2 Wish-list:

• A container that stands on its own
• A water fill-line on the container
• Make a USA Version that is an even gallon amount
• A quick-connect for RO lines with a by-pass drain when full to avoid dilution

Tropic Marin Web site:
index

 

thats an interesting idea to say the least but seems like alot of work compared to a bucket and powerhead

but again if you only need a little bit of water to do a WC that sounds like a cool idea

thanks for being the guine pig ;D

 

Very cool idea! I wonder how I can get my hands on one of these.

I love to try it once and keep the container for future water changes.

 

ummmm, I use a gallon jug to mix water all the time. I really don't get it, why pay money for something you most likely already have lying around the house.

 

What is the cost on this? I can only assume I can get a refrigerator water jug with faucet for cheaper.

3Gals:


1.25/2.5

 

I think you guys are missing the point here, it comes nearly flat with salt already inside. All the nano user needs to do is fill, shake and pour into the tank. Some people don't have space or extra storage for buckets/jugs.

I really enjoy the idea of the expanding jug idea, with my limited space I think this is a phenomenal idea.

 

excellent review Matt, very impressed

I was wondering about those as I failed to grab one to try out.

 

Haven't seen anything official, but have heard rumors of $30 retail for the jug. Not sure on the refill salt packets.

 

I came down hard on this item in my review and stand by my criticisms, but I have to say it is warming up on me a bit. This last weekend I was doing some sump cleaning and ended up removing about a gallon of water siphoning out debris. I was happy when I realized I had this sitting in my closet ready to go. I was able to add water into the sump rather easily with the spout and it fit in the tight space between the sump and stand to do so.

I will use it again and would buy some salt-packets for it when I see them so I can keep this on stand by..... leaning against my closet wall.

matt