I'd suggest using Instant Ocean until you find a reason not to. It's cheap and easy to find. I don't like Reef Crystals because the calcium is super high, and I don't think the difference between it and IO is worth the price difference. Both Instant Ocean and Reef Crystals have high alkalinity so that will help you out while you're not dosing. I also like H2Ocean, and have used it for years on my reef tank, but the cost keeps going up on it, and it's now a $100 bucket of salt. It's a natural seasalt though, it's not synthetic. So yeah, just stick with IO for now.
For substrate though, I would not suggest a gravel. I would go with a coarse sand like Caribsea Seaflor Special Grade or Caribsea Aragamax Select. Gravel gets too much gunk stuck in it, and fine sand blows around the tank and makes a mess.
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~ Mindy
SPS fanatic.
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