Reef Salt Brand

[steve fedyk]

I started with tropic marin but the store I go to dosen't carry it any more. Then I switched to reefer best because I,m giviing zeovit a good try and figure I would follow they're instruction and use all they're product.

[RSM]

I have been using reef crystals. I like how there is no need to dose anything especially with my busy schedule. It keeps things at natural levels. I dont keep many SPS, so there is no need for higher levels of Ca or Mg.

[Myka]

I'm in the same boat as you Anthony. Here's my thinking:

I use IO, and when I do water changes I dose my fresh saltwater before adding it to the tank to 440 cal, 11 dKH alk (IO is 11 dKH on its own), and 1360 mag, and if I do weekly 15-20% water changes I don't have to dose the tank directly at all. Before I do my weekly water change my cal will be 400 ish, dKH will be 8 ish, and mag will be 1348 ish, and after the water change cal will be about 415, 9 dKH alk, and 1350 ppm mag. So there isn't a very large swing in the levels, and I don't have to dose the tank directly.

[RuGlu6]

Switched from KZ Reefers Best to a D-D H2O due to a luck of Magnesium in KZ Reefers Best.
My water change is only 5 gal and don't want testing and dosing, so this justifies premium salt.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by RuGlu6

Switched from KZ Reefers Best to a D-D H2O due to a luck of Magnesium in KZ Reefers Best.
My water change is only 5 gal and don't want testing and dosing, so this justifies premium salt.

And I just had my water tested for Mg and it was mid 1300's using RB salt. Go figure.

[Tony Vargas]

Thank you all for all this very valuable information.

[Tony Vargas]

I would like to thank all the people who have voted. I’m providing everyone here a link to a similar Poll taken in the UK for analysis. http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/s...d.php?t=303447 As you can see from the results they are very different, over 75% of the Pollies use pro salts, are they wrong?

Furthermore, I’m curious as to why is it that some people purchase salt brands that require buffering (be it calcium, magnesium or alkalinity), instead of purchasing a good quality salt that is balanced from the start?

Wouldn’t it be more cost effective to purchase quality salt from the beginning and not concern yourself with products that require alteration of its water chemistry?

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by steve fedyk

I started with tropic marin but the store I go to dosen't carry it any more. Then I switched to reefer best because I,m giviing zeovit a good try and figure I would follow they're instruction and use all they're product.

Pretty much the same reason here. But I agree with most, if you've been using IO for years, probably no good reason to change. I started this hobby around 1991, and really the only decent salt was IO. I used it, everyone I knew used it, including all the tanks I admired. By the time I learned how to grow SPS, I was in the trend of using IO (switching to Kent every now and then for higher Ca), and I got great results. Most of the longer term members here can recall the stupid growth I got, as well as many of the other SPS guys (Jamie, Marc, Shao, etc). Most used IO and got tremendous growth. Heck, the whole magnesium thing didn't even come about until the last few years. I never supplemented anything in my make up water, doing monthly 15% water changes. My Ca reactor would quickly balance out any defecencies, and my Ca always tested over 400, alk over 9, and Mg was just never a concern.
Based on this experience, if I were not using RBZ to support my attempt at the Zeovit method, I would use IO and not even consider switching.