What Salt do you use?

[Jason McK]

I know this one has been flogged to death, But I'm currently running Ocean Pure Pro and am finding the Alk to be around 4Kh. I have an amazing Oregon tort that is RTNing as we speak so I thought I'd see what every one else is using for salt

[RonPeter]

I use Tropic Marine Pro which isn't on your list.

[Jason McK]

Sorry Ron I should have put that one in there but I didn't know anyone had that kinda cash LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

J

[RonPeter]

LOL Ya it is a bit pricier than Instant Ocean that's for sure but it has good levels of magnesium, alk and calcium.

[Murminator]

I use Red Sea which I don't see either :mrgreen:

[andresont]

Tropic Marine Pro here too,it was interestin to observe coral when changed from Instant Ocean.
However now its just "a" salt, so whatever works, not much difference

[Ruth]

I also use Tropic Marin Pro salt on most of my tanks. Also use Seachem Reef Salt on another (190g) but when the 6 buckets :mrgreen: of that salt are gone I will use Tropic Marin Pro on all my tanks.

[Jason McK]

Really Ok Let me ask a question.


IO sells for $39.00 and TMP $90.00

Is it really worth 2X the cost.
I'm doing 40G water changes/week so I'm going through a bucket of salt a month. It would be hard to justify double the cost per month

J

[Ruth]

I do about 70g a week water changes and IMO it is worth it. I had the misfortune to get in on the bad batch of IO salt a couple of years ago and it wiped out my entire tank. Then there was the Kent salt fiasco of last year. Compared to some other things I buy for my obsession salt is really a small fraction.

[PoonTang]

I use SeaChem Reef Salt, not on the list either.

[Snappy]

I normally use Reef Crystals but bought a bunch of Reef Pure Pro at a boxing day sale. I generally mix the two as I don't notice much difference between them.

[BMW Rider]

Used to use Kent until the low alk issue. That made me leary of their QC, so I switched to Reef Crystals. I found that the MG, Alk and CA levels are sub standard in it, so I'm looking for a new brand again. If the Tropic Marine Pro has decent levels of those elements (not to mention who knows what else is lacking in some brands) then the extra cost will be saved in all the additives needed to bring the other cheaper brands up to standard.

Anyone have another good reccomendation and place to purchase in Calgary. I'm pretty much out, and will need to pick up a bucket asap.

[geobee]

i am using oceanpure pro,,,and i too am having high alk

[Jason McK]

i am using oceanpure pro,,,and i too am having high alk

High Alk? I'm having very low Alk 4Kh is what I get from a fresh batch mixed to 1.026sg

J

[christyf5]

I waffled between Kent and IO mostly due to availability on the island. I missed out on all those problems they were having <whew!>I usually bought IO because I hated those Kent lids (fingernail busters :razz:) but since they've switched their buckets to something easier to open I'm back to Kent (for now) :biggrin:

[fishface]

i am using oceanpure pro,,,and i too am having high alk

i just started using this stuff and get a Ca of 370 and alk of 6.2dKH. i emailed them telling them i was pretty disappointed that i have to supplement before i use it and they told me they'd send me a new bag.

[Jason McK]

Really, I would be very interested in your results from the replacment bag.

J

[Swags]

I too use Tropic Marine Pro. Great salt and well worth the extra cost. I have tried all types of salts over the last 15 years, and this is the best I have ever found (in Canada). When I started in '92, I remember having to pay $50 for a bag of IO that made 50 gallons! Salt prices are cheap considering it is the most important element we add to our reefs. For me $90 for 200 gallons is cheap cheap cheap. All my corals love it too!

Phil

[danny zubot]

Ocean Pure Pro for me, highest Mg out of any salt I've tried.

[Jason McK]

Ocean Pure Pro for me, highest Mg out of any salt I've tried.

What is your ALK?

J

[danny zubot]

Never tested ALk right after a water change to see how much it is raised. I just might have to do that this weekend for Ca, Alk & Mg.

[Quagmire]

Im useing ocean pure pro.Anytime Ive tested the alk of a fresh batch,its up around 11-12 dkh.Thats after a day of mixing.But I haven't tested the new stuff in over a month so maybe things have changed? Dont know.My tank alk is reasonably steady.

[michika]

I use Red Sea Coral Pro, I never have to add anything to freshly mixed salt. I've gotten great growth since I switched from regular Red Sea to Red Sea Coral Pro. Only one store in town sells the stuff, and both types are $69.99.

[Pescador]

I also use Tropic Marin Pro, it dissolves completely, no precipitates covering everything in the mixing barrel, and I'm sure it was one of the factors in beating hair algae in my 120g.

[prodogg02]

i swiched from reef crystals to crystal sea and hav been having really high alk and white film on rock about 2 days after water change going to switch back to reef crystals and see if there is any diff.

[geobee]

High Alk? I'm having very low Alk 4Kh is what I get from a fresh batch mixed to 1.026sg

J

my alk is 14 dkh,,,which would be 5 meq/L ...are you meaning 4dkh or 4meq/L??,i would agree 4 dkh is really low, wow, but do keep in mind i am using API test kits!

*EDIT* also that is mixed @ 1.023 (coralife deep 6 hydrometer)

[Jason McK]

I'm using an Elos KH test kit (and verified by Salifert) to be 4kH @ 1.026

I'm buying a pal of TM tomorrow

J

[kwirky]

when I mix ocean pure pro in a new batch at 1.025 salinity, I get 420ppm calcium, 7dkh ALK, 1550 mag. Sometimes I get around 6 dkh/380 calcium, so I just add a little two part using a calculator before-hand.

I test all my change water before adding it to the tank. I also make sure the water is aerated/heated for a day before I add the salt, then aerate/heat it for another day. I think quickly heating the water while dissolving the salt lowers it's levels, or adding it to freshly made RO/DI water is detrimental because of the high CO2 content causing an out of whack pH. Plus it doesn't hurt to do it the slow way :)

[danny zubot]

Originally Posted by danny zubot http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=243560#post243560)
Ocean Pure Pro for me, highest Mg out of any salt I've tried.
What is your ALK?


I tested my tank levels last night before and after a 20% water change and here are my results with OPP.
Before/After
CA 460ppm/520ppm
MG 1310ppm/1380ppm
Alk 7.4KH/7.4KH
PH 8.035/8.12

I was surprised that my ALK didn't change after the water change, but reading above that OPP tests at 7KH itself makes my results valid IMO.

Danny

[Jason McK]

Well I bit the bullet on Saturday and picked up a bucket on Tropic Marin Pro.
I'll be using it from now one.
ALK 8.2DKH
CA 420
PH 8.3
MAG 1400

J

[andsoitgoes]

Picked up a bag of OPP, was on sale at Hidden Reef. be interesting to see how it turns out... I'd like to say I test like crazy, but I'll just see what my corals think ;)

[kwirky]

so how come so many people use instant ocean? is it the brand name being around longer as a quality product? I could see lots of people using it because it's been known for a long time as a good quality salt.

[Jason McK]

It's the free t-shirts or the plastic plants :)

J

[danny zubot]

For some people I'm sure the price is the big selling point for IO salt. My thoughts are that I pay a bit more for a higher quality salt, and do less water changes because of it, so the price thing is relative IMO.

[Chin_Lee]

I'm cheap. I buy cheap salt (whatever's available and cheap on boxing day sales or whatever/wherever salt sales) and I use the reef calculators to bring the numbers up to what I want them to be.
I follow Ben's suggestion http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=26590

I instantly increase Mg by about 200ppm, then Cal by about 100 ppm, then add salt to 1.023. Then I test and bring the alk up to 9-10 at the end. The numbers end up being a little higher than the numbers posted and it doesnt' affect my tanks when the water change is only 10% of the total water volume.
With the above noted method, I had used up 6 buckets of the bad batch of Kent salt, right now I'm using up the 6 replacement buckets of good batch of Kent salt. I've recently bought 10(+1) bags of Oceanpure from Hidden Reef and I'll be using that up next.
I cannot justify spending $90 for a bucket of salt when I'm unable to visually see any side effects of the method I'm using. So for me, its whatever is cheap and available (although cheap does not include the Red Sea Marin brand)

[danny zubot]

I suppose if I had a larger tank like yours Chin, I'd be inclined to use a lower priced salt as well. I'm assuming that you use a Calcium reactor too, which I don't have, so supplimentation is a must.

[christyf5]

It's the free t-shirts or the plastic plants :)

J

Dude, those plastic plants were sweet! I think at one point I had 6 or 7 of those minijet pumps too :razz:

I use IO/Kent because of availability on the island (Nanaimo). The only thing I could get in Nanaimo for the longest time was the 50gal bag of IO for like $30. Hence the car trips to Van every 3 months or so (or hardly doing water changes) :razz: Now there are other stores (new to me) and such that carry other brands but I'm fine with Kent.

[Jason McK]

I'm cheap. I buy cheap salt (whatever's available and cheap on boxing day sales or whatever/wherever salt sales) and I use the reef calculators to bring the numbers up to what I want them to be.
I follow Ben's suggestion http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=26590

I instantly increase Mg by about 200ppm, then Cal by about 100 ppm, then add salt to 1.023. Then I test and bring the alk up to 9-10 at the end. The numbers end up being a little higher than the numbers posted and it doesnt' affect my tanks when the water change is only 10% of the total water volume.
With the above noted method, I had used up 6 buckets of the bad batch of Kent salt, right now I'm using up the 6 replacement buckets of good batch of Kent salt. I've recently bought 10(+1) bags of Oceanpure from Hidden Reef and I'll be using that up next.
I cannot justify spending $90 for a bucket of salt when I'm unable to visually see any side effects of the method I'm using. So for me, its whatever is cheap and available (although cheap does not include the Red Sea Marin brand)

Don't you feel in the long run with all the testing and addition of supplements and your time it ends up costing you more.

I was of the same mind set as you, until I started to read about the fillers that are in the salts that may boost measures numbers like CA or ALK but have no benefit to corals. I also took a close look at the amount of time I spend getting my water change water perfect. 3 or 4 tests for Mg, ALK and CA while adjusting between each.
What prompted this thread was a need to find out what everyone else was doing (It was successful) but the reason I was wondering was because despite my best I still had a display tank that was reading 4KH. This was do to the inconsistency of the salt I was using. So I'm assuming now there is no way I can read my make up water 2 or 3 times and if it's good Assume it will always be good.
I'm on Tropic Marin now and will measure the 3 basics each time I make a new batch but if I'm forced to add any supplements I will return to a cheaper salt.

[marie]

I've used IO for the last 15yrs and have never had any issues that would make me want to change. I do bump up the calcium a bit but I don't bother with Mg. For some reason magnesium has not been a big issue in my tank, I think I've only had to supplement once on my 175g because it dropped below 1250 :biggrin:

[Chin_Lee]

Jason
If you are measuring the basics each time, i don't see any real benefit over the use of one of the cheaper salts. I also measure the basics each time to determine if there are any deficiencies. I then use the supplement calculators to bump it up accordingly. After I add the supplements, i don't re-measure and its pumped into the sump during the water change.

To save time, I've written up on the wall above my 60g water tanks on how much of each supplement to add to increase 10ppm in 60g of water. So if I'm 100ppm short on Mg, I multiply that number by 10, measure that amount of Mg, and dump it into the water. (2 minutes maximum for bumping up one supplement)

On $40-50 difference per bucket in salt prices, thats enough Mg/Ca from Mr. ChemMaster to boost the Mg/Ca for 20-30 buckets of salt (no i'm not getting any commission on sales :biggrin: i just feel that his product is very good quality stuff).

In addition, $40-50 for 5 minutes of your time is really not that bad of a trade off. I know I don't even make close to $40 in five minutes even on overtime wages (that $9-10 per minute). On the other hand, has Tropic Marin made an additional $40-50 for the 5 minutes that you've saved?

Since we may have thousands invested in livestock and taking into consideration the number of bad batches of salt by some bigger salt manufacturers, i strongly believe that testing the alk/mg/ca is always required on all salts regardless how much we've paid for it. I guess my point is:
if we are testing once already, and to save $40-50, why not add the supplements (if required and especially if you have a quick reference system set up already).

If I were to pay an extra $40-50 per bucket of salt, I would expect the following from the salt manufacturer:
- no need to measure the basics
- guaranteed %min. on the good elements
- guarantted %max. on the bad elements
- livestock replacement guarantee if any of the % min/max analysis was not met and the use of the salt caused the death of the livestock(s)
Otherwise, i'll take that $40-50 to spend on something else with this hobby.


Don't you feel in the long run with all the testing and addition of supplements and your time it ends up costing you more.

I was of the same mind set as you, until I started to read about the fillers that are in the salts that may boost measures numbers like CA or ALK but have no benefit to corals. I also took a close look at the amount of time I spend getting my water change water perfect. 3 or 4 tests for Mg, ALK and CA while adjusting between each.
What prompted this thread was a need to find out what everyone else was doing (It was successful) but the reason I was wondering was because despite my best I still had a display tank that was reading 4KH. This was do to the inconsistency of the salt I was using. So I'm assuming now there is no way I can read my make up water 2 or 3 times and if it's good Assume it will always be good.
I'm on Tropic Marin now and will measure the 3 basics each time I make a new batch but if I'm forced to add any supplements I will return to a cheaper salt.

[Jason McK]

Very good system Chin. I guess I don't trust myself enough to add a perscribed dose of something without measureing again. I'm wrong too often. :)

[untamed]

I'm getting 7.4dKH on the batch of Ocean Pure Pro that is in the mixer right now. I also checked the salinity, and I'm a bit low. I assume that if I add additional salt, I'll get some rise in this number.

It's made me realize that I can't just put 50 gallons of water and 1 bag of salt and expect the salinity to be correct. I never accurately calibrated the 50 gallon mark on my mixer....maybe it's not exactly right.

[danny zubot]

I assume that if I add additional salt, I'll get some rise in this number.


Maybe, but I didn't get any rise when I did my change last weekend after I corrected my salinity. It still read 7.4.

[Reefer Rob]

So if IO salt is that much out on the levels we test for, we can only assume the trace elements we don't test for are out as well! Even though I'm not having any problems, I think I'll try some TMP next time. What is everyone getting for reading with Reef Crystals? This is supposed to be their "better" salt.

[littlesilvermax]

Thanks for the kind words Chin.

This is my theory:

You cannot just use dehydrated seawater to make sea-salt, as it goes through a chemical change when it dries that is not reversible, so it has to be synthetic.

Some companies use stuff that dissolves very fast and is proven to work fairly well, like IO. In fact I can have a full 45 gallons of water made up (not including time to make the RO/DI water) in 1/2 hour, and it is clear! That includes adding the magnesium and calcium.

Other companies try to get higher levels of magnesium and calcium but then it makes the whole thing harder to dissolve and much more expensive. Of course salt making companies would never introduce a salt that required 2 or 3 steps to make, even if that is a better procedure, which I believe it is.

I have read too many stories of the "reef" salts causing problems long term. Although there have been a few complaints from IO, for the most part there are many fantastic reef tanks that use it w/o problems.

So, what if a 2 or 3 step process is better? What does it cost? How easy is it?

Well I buy a couple of skids of IO every year for the locals and I test one pail for alk, cal, and mag. I have always come up with around 10, 350, 1180.

That is the only testing I have done for the last 5 years on my salt, once a year! I mix up my water 45 gallons at a time. I use 6 teaspoons of calcium and about 350 ml of magnesium that I mix into the water before adding salt. Then the next day (or an hour later, whatever, as long as it is mixed, FWIW I use 2 large submersible pumps to mix and heat my water so it goes really fast!) I add the salt. It literally takes me less then 45 seconds to add the magnesium and calcium, and it costs about $2 a pail!!!!!!!!!!

I don't have the best tank around, but I am close. I get about 3 lbs of growth a month out of my SPS and clams in my 250.

Take it for what it is worth, but to me the above procedure just makes sense. I had to bang my head in the wall many times to get it all figured out when I was first getting into reefing, but now it is super easy!

[Reefer Rob]

What about strontium and iodine, have you tested for those? It's still up in the air how important these are, but it's a good idea to keep everything as close to NSW as possible IMO.

[Chin_Lee]

OK Ben I need to ask how you measure 3 lbs of growth in a month?
And interesting thing about testing the pallet of salt only once to get the baseline readings. Do you check for markings on the buckets to ensure they are the same batch? If so, what markings do you look for for the batch number?

And I do agree that there have been so many great tanks in the past and present that used IO, I have to wonder if the comparisons of salt brands becomes just a comparison of numbers game based on the analysis on a batch of salt that was available at that time to the persons conducting the analysis. Its interesting that I've have even seen these numbers deviate on different analysis with the same brands of salt but yet we will base so much of our decisions on these analysis.
Personally i feel that consistency is the key regardless of what salts you use. If you are consistent with the Ca/Mg/Alk in your new water to match the current levels in your tank, you can't go wrong. Meanwhile take more time to work on getting the Ca/Mg/Alk in your whole tank up to the levels you wish to maintain instead of spending time on that small batch of saltwater which is only 10-15% of your total volume. And when you mix in the new saltwater, the numbers are diluted 85-90% of the difference.

[Jason McK]

First off I'm very happy to see that this topic has gotten so much attension. Good to see some descusion on the board.

Chin Can't agree with you more. That is the main reason I started this thread, is because of the massive fluctuations I was finding in my current salt. I will be quite gun shy for a while and don't think I will be able to only test my salt once a year. I also do not buy salt in such a large quanaty to ensure I get one batch number that lasts a whole year.
I have also been reading about certain fillers that can be used in Salt, like Borate, to boost ALK but Borate is not used by corals so it creates a difficiency in ALK. I personally have no way of measureing for such chemicals so it makes it hard to trust any salt.

J

[Johnny Reefer]

...... I use 6 teaspoons of calcium and about 350 ml of magnesium that I mix into the water before adding salt. .....
Just want to confirm.....the 350 ml of Mg.....is that a dry measure?......or do you mean grams?

Thanx much,

[kaboom]

IMO, there are way too many choices to choose from and all it does is add to the confusion. I like to stick to 4 basic, yet important criterias when choosing a salt brand.

1. cal,alk,meg levels
2. consistantancy
3. price
4. availability

1 - not that important as most are in managable range of 360 - 400ppm +, levels can easily and cheaply be modified with Ca reactor or additives, so I have no worries here
2 - I believe this is the most important criteria, whether it's lacking or not of any substances, it must be consistant from one bucket to the next. Most brands are pretty good most of the time. Brands like Tropic Marin wins here.
3 - There has to be a reason why some brands stick out as been the cheapest or most expensive. Lacking or too much of an ingredient(s) or processing precedure. I really don't know why OceanPure and TropicMarin prices are so different.
4 - has to be available upon request, shouldn't have to pre-order or pay extras for bringing it in.

So by following these step, I've made it easier for me to determine which is the most economical, most often available, and doesn't require alot of adjustment. Here's an example:

I run a large calcium reactor which takes care of the 3 levels in criteria #1.
I test every new batch of salt water that I make before adding to the tank, so if it's low on something I just use additives to boost it first and leave the rest to the Ca reactor. I don't use the expensive salt that are $60+ per/bucket because I don't need to, it's pointless. My brand of choice has been InstantOcean because it's cheap, readily available, has been consistant for me in the past 5 years. There are few brands in the same price range, but none that have been around for as long, so I go with what works. I am currently testing the new AquamedicReefSalt, it's readily available and is in the same price range as IO with higher levels of Ca, Alk, Meg.

[littlesilvermax]

Just want to confirm.....the 350 ml of Mg.....is that a dry measure?......or do you mean grams?

Thanx much,

I don't know for sure how much I use. It is a little over a cup and I have it marked out on a small container I use. So yes it is ml, but 350 is just from my best recolection.

[Jason McK]

IMO, there are way too many choices to choose from and all it does is add to the confusion. I like to stick to 4 basic, yet important criterias when choosing a salt brand.

1. cal,alk,meg levels
2. consistantancy
3. price
4. availability

1 - not that important as most are in managable range of 360 - 400ppm +, levels can easily and cheaply be modified with Ca reactor or additives, so I have no worries here
2 - I believe this is the most important criteria, whether it's lacking or not of any substances, it must be consistant from one bucket to the next. Most brands are pretty good most of the time. Brands like Tropic Marin wins here.
3 - There has to be a reason why some brands stick out as been the cheapest or most expensive. Lacking or too much of an ingredient(s) or processing precedure. I really don't know why OceanPure and TropicMarin prices are so different.
4 - has to be available upon request, shouldn't have to pre-order or pay extras for bringing it in.

So by following these step, I've made it easier for me to determine which is the most economical, most often available, and doesn't require alot of adjustment. Here's an example:

I run a large calcium reactor which takes care of the 3 levels in criteria #1.
I test every new batch of salt water that I make before adding to the tank, so if it's low on something I just use additives to boost it first and leave the rest to the Ca reactor. I don't use the expensive salt that are $60+ per/bucket because I don't need to, it's pointless. My brand of choice has been InstantOcean because it's cheap, readily available, has been consistant for me in the past 5 years. There are few brands in the same price range, but none that have been around for as long, so I go with what works. I am currently testing the new AquamedicReefSalt, it's readily available and is in the same price range as IO with higher levels of Ca, Alk, Meg.

So if I understand correctly you have your CA reactor pushing your levels up to compensate for your salt. Is that correct? That would mean your CA and ALK are in constant flux. From low to too high. Does this not ever cause massive problems when things finally become out of balance?

J

[Sebae again]

I was wondering If anyone tests their salt 24 hours later after they have used their salt mixing '' formulas '' or do they just dump er in ?

[BCOrchidGuy]

I did and do it sometimes, usually check pH and SG. If I'm starting a new bucket of salt I'll test Ca, Alk, Mg just to see if it's another one of those bad bunches but after the first batch of make up it's just pH and SG. I'll adjust Ca, Alk the same way for each batch of make up water. 1ml of Ca, 1ml of Alk and I add my Mg suppliment (Kent Tech M) once a week to my freshwater top off.

Doug

[kaboom]

So if I understand correctly you have your CA reactor pushing your levels up to compensate for your salt. Is that correct? That would mean your CA and ALK are in constant flux. From low to too high. Does this not ever cause massive problems when things finally become out of balance?

J

I use the Ca reactor to maintain the high demand levels that my sps tank consumes. Additives are used to raise it to the proper levels. Once achieved, the reactor just keep things constant and in balance.

So realistically, Ca/Alk/Meg concentration in salt is not really that critical as these are constant depleting elements that requires replenishing. It's great to have these levels high in any salt brand, but none will last long in a calcium hogging reef tank like a stoney coral environment.

[bv_reefer]

Kent all the way, i used to use instant ocean but i find kent dissolves much easier and is finer, the only thing that isn't fun is that a Kent 200-gallon is $60 and a IO-160-gallon is only $40 so it's tempting but i'm still gonna have to stick with Kent :smile:

[Tyson]

im useing ocean pure pro and i find the mag really high like 2.200ppm i've never dosed mag in my tank for that reason. is there anything better?

[Manny]

I use Instant Ocean, but I noticed that there are 5 paople on here that are claiming they use Sifto salt. I hope they are joking :)

[mseepman]

I use Marine Environment salt...only available at Aquarium Illusions. I used IO for the first 15 months in my tank but I could never get control of my numbers and the salt just never disolved clean. After looking at a lot of other forums, like RC and RL and RAG, I found that most of those people swore by ME. Since making the change, I have to say, it's awesome stuff! A little more expensive but given what kind of dough we spend on this hobby, cheap salt seemed like a mistake.
Just my 2 cents.

[TeknoPunk]

I really like the kent sea salt :)
my last bucket I tried seachem and I returned 3/4 of the bucket I hated it.
was hard as a rock and even sitting in my mix for 48 hours it still wasn't desolved.

[Lance]

I use IO because it's the only brand sold in P.R. I'd like to try other brands but the freight kills me.

[dsaundry]

I started with I/O and am now trying T/m/Pro My tank is still in the early stages..5 months and counting but fish, corals and rock all seem to be looking good. I will be monitoring it regularly though and see whether the extra costs are wothwhile. Maybe I will go I/O in my predator tank and T/M in the reef..we'll see.:biggrin:

[jasond]

I started with I/O and am now trying T/m/Pro My tank is still in the early stages..5 months and counting but fish, corals and rock all seem to be looking good. I will be monitoring it regularly though and see whether the extra costs are wothwhile. Maybe I will go I/O in my predator tank and T/M in the reef..we'll see.:biggrin:

I just switched to TMP from using IO as well, it will be interesting to see if it is worth the extra money. If I have to pay more to dose less but have a healthy tank I'm game! If I cant tell a difference in coral/dosing, back to the cheap stuff.

[Brent F]

This poll is 11 months old. The salt I use didn't exist when it started.

[Marlin65]

here is something that might be of interest I found this on 3Reef posted by another member.

http://reefsaltanalysis.googlepages.com/AWT_Salt_Analysis_0208.pdf

Hope it works

[Tyson]

i now use reefers best salt mixed with a little reef crystal.

[DanG]

with the new tank, I switched to seachem reef salt. I was tired of having to measure out 2 table spoons of this to get IO up to where it needed to be, 4 tablespoons of this, and 1 table spoon of this.
Honestly, to be able to dump a bunch of salt into some RODI water, check the salinity and know you're good to go is worth the extra 20 bucks a pail for me.

[ElGuappo]

I use a CORAL MARINE sea salt. i like it ts ozone safe contains a de chlorinator, ph buffer, 70 trace elements, ETC.

[fencer]

That salt analysis report is very interesting and worth whoile reading

[Oscar]

with the new tank, I switched to seachem reef salt. I was tired of having to measure out 2 table spoons of this to get IO up to where it needed to be, 4 tablespoons of this, and 1 table spoon of this.
Honestly, to be able to dump a bunch of salt into some RODI water, check the salinity and know you're good to go is worth the extra 20 bucks a pail for me.

I am ready to buy some additional salt when I head to the Coast later this week. The Kent I am using is giving me some pretty odd test results, I must have gotten some of that odd batch others had mentioned.

After reviewing the summary test report posted here earlier I am looking at purchasing either Seachem Reef or TMP Reef. Mostly to minimize the need to dose as DanG mentions.

Any additional thoughts on this issue?

[sphelps]

I now use Reefers Best since it's become available to me. It's not on the pole so I couldn't vote.

[Chaloupa]

I use Seachem also. I'm happy with it....but also couldn't vote as it's not there!

[Myka]

the extra cost will be saved in all the additives needed to bring the other cheaper brands up to standard.

I've never understood why people always say this because:

I use Instant Ocean, although I've tried many others. I always go back to IO because I haven't seen a difference using "better" salt, and IO costs WAAAAY less, even after supplementing.

For every 5g of IO salt I dose:

15mL Kent Liquid Calcium (everyone knows liquid is expensive to supplement)
1 tsp SeaChem Magnesium
Alk is fine...

So, if my calculations are right I will go through 1 1/2 of the 16oz Liquid Calcium jugs (about $15), and about 1/2 of a 600g container of the SeaChem Magnesium (about $4). So that's a total cost of about $19 of additives for each 200g bucket of IO salt. So that makes each bucket of IO cost me about $59. Any other $59 bucket of salt you have to put additives into it too, so that makes it cost more.

SO...at $59 per 200g bucket of salt with additives included, IO is the cheapest. :D

PLUS, there are way cheaper ways to supplement the salt too... ;)

[littlesilvermax]

Some people get their additives much much cheaper, like $4 per pail of IO.:wink:

[Oscar]

I use Seachem also. I'm happy with it....but also couldn't vote as it's not there!

Do you have to dose your Seachem?

[Reefer Rob]

Here's (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1287118) a sticky thread on RC with the values for CA, Alk and Mg for the major brands.

[Myka]

Some people get their additives much much cheaper, like $4 per pail of IO.:wink:

Oh, I know!!! I was trying to make a point that the additives I use are expensive, and the cost of the bucket of IO after supplementing is STILL cheaper! ;)

[littlesilvermax]

Oh, I know!!! I was trying to make a point that the additives I use are expensive, and the cost of the bucket of IO after supplementing is STILL cheaper! ;)

Good point!

[Myka]

I edited my post...hehehe. :D

[JDigital]

When I originally started my tanks I was using Instant Ocean, but switched after 1 bucket to AquaMedic Reef Salt.. But debating about starting my 75G with RBS.

[fiorano]

i just switched to that h2ocean salt has anyone heard anything about it at all?

[Trigger Man]

I switched to it from RBS. I've done a few water changes with it and everything is looking good still. The reason I changed to it was that it has a little more calcium in it (the one thing that I was missing with RBS), but other then that it is similar to RBS but a little cheaper (always a bonus)

[silverplanet]

i use the h2ocean for a couple months so far and love it.

Jason

[RDNanoGuy]

Marine environment scores100% Bio sea scores 90% coral marine scores 79% red sea scores 33% instant Ocean scores 26% just in case anyone was wondering pumping4000Lit only use top 2 salts listed above

[Aquattro]

Marine environment scores100% Bio sea scores 90% coral marine scores 79% red sea scores 33% instant Ocean scores 26% just in case anyone was wondering pumping4000Lit only use top 2 salts listed above

Good, except what the heck are you talking about??

[Chaloupa]

Good, except what the heck are you talking about??

I am sooo with you on that......

[RonPeter]

I am sooo with you on that......

I third that one LOL :mrgreen:

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Good, except what the heck are you talking about??

LOL. Yup.

[Red Deer Reptiles]

sorry guys thought someone wanted to know what was a good marine salt

[Aquattro]

sorry guys thought someone wanted to know what was a good marine salt

Ya, but your other ID didn't say anything. If you have lab results you'd care to share, feel free.

[Skimmerking]

Ben can you tell me what it takes to make up a 20 gallon tub of water for supplements
IE how much Magnesium
how much Calcium

I thought about doing that what you do. take the RO/DI water add so much magnesium? mix it for 24 hours
then you add Calcium I can't remember how much.

[littlesilvermax]

Ben can you tell me what it takes to make up a 20 gallon tub of water for supplements
IE how much Magnesium
how much Calcium

I thought about doing that what you do. take the RO/DI water add so much magnesium? mix it for 24 hours
then you add Calcium I can't remember how much.

For IO salt this is what I do (I mix 40 gallon drums, but I will do the below assuming a 20 gallon container):

For 20 gallons of water:

-fill container with 20 gallons of RO/DI water
-start mixing with pump (will also heat water, so a big pump is good, then you don't need a heater!)
-add 27 tsp of magnesium, will bring IO salt from about 1200 to 1380 ppm
-mix till it is all dissolved
-add 4 tsp of calcium (Calcium Hydroxide Dihydrate [DOW's flake]), this brings up level for IO salt from about 360 to 430 ppm
-mix till it is all dissolved

-then add the salt to bring specific gravity up to about 1.024-1.026
-wait for at least a few hours.

DONE!

[BlueAbyss]

Hmm... so if starting a NEW tank, most people would choose... Instant Ocean?

I wonder if the Tropic Marin Pro (which is probably what I'll start with) is more expensive because they can guarantee the purity of their salts? I've been reading some salt horror stories lately and I'm a little scared that if I don't use a salt that I've NEVER read anything bad about, I might end up with an expensive mess on my hands.

[JDigital]

Hmm... so if starting a NEW tank, most people would choose... Instant Ocean?

I wonder if the Tropic Marin Pro (which is probably what I'll start with) is more expensive because they can guarantee the purity of their salts? I've been reading some salt horror stories lately and I'm a little scared that if I don't use a salt that I've NEVER read anything bad about, I might end up with an expensive mess on my hands.

For cycling a tank, I would say you should save the money and cycle with a bucket of IO or another cheaper brand... then switch to your preferred Salt before you start stocking corals heavily... This should help avoid any shock to the system (horror stories)..

[fishytime]

KZ reefers best.

[RuGlu6]

KZ reefers best.

Same here, KZ reefers best.
Just switched from Tropic Marine Pro.

[bigmac]

KZ reefers best works great for me as well.
I've tried Aqua-medic before, but found I had to dose too much. I now don't dose anything.

[Hairytank]

Just switched a couple of months ago from the remainders of my Reef Crystals to KZ Reefers Best . (I was only keeping fish and LR previously)
Way less/no dosing when compared to RC and it was a great price at the time.:biggrin:

[ElGuappo]

same here, kz reefers best.
Just switched from tropic marine pro.

+1

[ron101]

Up until about a year ago I always used IO with good results. For some reason I decided to give a bucket of kent a go and around the same time I also went skimmerless. Soon after, red algae started to show up; sensitive corals died and hardy corals just stopped growing.

Thinking that nutrients were piling up due to the lack of skimmer I jacked up the rate of water changes. The problem got worse fast: carpets of red algae everywhere. Obviously something was in the salt. I bought a bucket of IO and after 4-5 25% water changes over a couple weeks and the tank is finally looking healthy again.

So what gives? Pay more for a competitor's product and get crappier quality?

If I understand correctly Instant Ocean is a very large company relative to other marine salt makers. Theoretically this gives them economies of scale (e.g. better quality to cost ratio). Not only that but if they are indeed supplying commercial facilities then they are more likely to be concerned about brand reputation and hence devote more resources to quality control.

So it is no wonder that the concensus seems to be that to improve on IO reefers have to look at one of the premium brands made by smaller companies, that cost around twice as much.

As an aside, IO also has a premium product (Reef Crystals) at a reasonable price point. Given the reliability of IO I would think that this would be a popular choice yet I don't see it stocked at the big stores that I visit in the GVRD. Anyone know why?

[Parker]

I normally use IO, I ended up with 7 buckets of Seachem ( very long story ) and I hate it. I'm scared to use it, my tank always looks worse after water changes.

[BobFish]

hi all

Can anyone tell me where i can purchase ocean pure salt i bc canada

thanks

[Pan]

Really Ok Let me ask a question.


IO sells for $39.00 and TMP $90.00

Is it really worth 2X the cost.
I'm doing 40G water changes/week so I'm going through a bucket of salt a month. It would be hard to justify double the cost per month

J
depends if you have thousands and thousands in livestock :)

[Red Deer Reptiles]

hi guys we use the following salts. marine environment scores100% bio sea scores90% coral marine scores72% we try to use salts that are as close to nsw.( natural sea water ) dan:lol:

[Rbacchiega]

I started out innitially using Reef Salt from seachem but switched over to IO recently. For the time being, I've only had to dose calcium and mag...sometimes strontium in my 8 foot tank. Mind you, there aren't many calium hungry corals in that one...mainly softies and mushrooms.

I have been using IO for the 90 that is currently being born and I havn't hade any issues with it as of yet, but we'll have to see once corals/clams etc start making their way into the tank

[Psyire]

I've used quite a few different salts and none give me the results that Red Sea Coral Pro does. This is by far the best salt I've used.