The advent of a synthetic sea salt formula that closely replicated the major characteristics of natural seawater (NSW) and proved successful for the care, spawning, and rearing of many types of marine organisms was pioneered by the founders of Aquarium Systems in the 1960s with the introduction of Instant Ocean®. Since that beginning, Instant Ocean (IO) has become the de facto standard synthetic sea salt formula and is used throughout the world in public aquaria, research institutes, and home aquaria. Manufactured to strict quality control standards, IO is a homogeneous mixture that is fast-dissolving and produces a seawater closely matching NSW, but with increased buffering ability and a low total organic carbon concentration.
