Reef Salt Brand

[Aquattro]

The problem with any "perfectly balanced, proper levels salt" is that as soon as you add it to your tank, it changes. If you have a healthy tank with corals that are growing at a constant rate, without supplementation, you'll have noticeably less everything in 24 hours. So, you have to supplement the tank regardless, whether that's with 2 part mixes, kalk reactors, Ca reactors, etc, you must replace what the corals consume. Water changes alone will not suffice in a fully stocked reef.
So if I have to monitor and maintain levels in the tank, I'm not so concerned with the levels of the 10 or 15 % new water I add, it will adjust with my maintenance routine.

[icecool217]

for those that buys IO salt, as stated by leducreef, it's on sale at Petsmart. Here is an additional $5 off $25 coupon.

http://petsmart-mail.com/P/v3/Coupon...=1007&ci=50078

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

The problem with any "perfectly balanced, proper levels salt" is that as soon as you add it to your tank, it changes. If you have a healthy tank with corals that are growing at a constant rate, without supplementation, you'll have noticeably less everything in 24 hours. So, you have to supplement the tank regardless, whether that's with 2 part mixes, kalk reactors, Ca reactors, etc, you must replace what the corals consume. Water changes alone will not suffice in a fully stocked reef.
So if I have to monitor and maintain levels in the tank, I'm not so concerned with the levels of the 10 or 15 % new water I add, it will adjust with my maintenance routine.

Yup, totally agree. The amount of chemically "perfect" salt you add with water changes first gets dilluted with the remaining old water & then gets depleted by the corals, clams & coraline algae that suck it up quickly in a growing reef tank.

Perhaps with a nano tank & weekly water changes, I could justify the added expense of the really "good" salts, but with just under 500 gallons of sw in the display & sump tanks, that is just not feasible.

Besides, my friend Marie (as I think I mentioned before) uses IO & probably has the fastest coral growth rates of anyone I know.