What salt do you use ? My IO is a bit High ??

[gregzz4]

I've found my Instant Ocean salt is a bit Hi in Calcium
It's Alk readings are acceptable, but high in Ca, yet the Mag readings are OK

I'd like to hear from the rest of you

What brands of salt do you use that give you decent readings when you perform water changes ... ???


I mix 19g RO with 9-1/4 - 9-1/2 cups salt, give or take, and I get;

Sg 1.025
Alk 10.5
Ca 480
Mag 1400 +

What do you get ??

This is OK with me when I do water changes, but it's not so great when I need water right now

Thanks for your input

[lockrookie]

i use IO and nothing wrong with high calcium . tehcorals will soak it in soon enough you will be adding especially if you do alot of sps

[windcoast reefs]

I used seachem reef salt for almost a year, and I found it never really worked for me. Always mixed funny, and had very very high calcium. So I went back to IO and it's been working for me.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Yes, high calcium levels when doing a water change will help increase the low Ca levels in the display tank (since the corals have been depleting Ca).

For instance, even if you do a 30% water change, the higher Ca level in your salt probably will only help raise the overall Ca level but not to the point where it exceeds the optimal point. You end up diluting the high Ca level of the new saltwater by mixing it with the old saltwater.

[reefwars]

ughhh i think you guys over think this shi*.....corals dont have to thrive at "perfect" parmeters...find your "zone"..build around it... maturity is the ultimate weapon..stability is "thee" most important part...****ty parameters with consistency is better than "good" parameters that change daily

" stability" is the key:P

[jorjef]

Originally Posted by reefwars

ughhh i think you guys over think this shi*.....corals dont have to thrive at "perfect" parmeters...find your "zone"..build around it... maturity is the ultimate weapon..stability is "thee" most important part...****ty parameters with consistency is better than "good" parameters that change daily

" stability" is the key:P

Lol well said.....That's what my LPS tell me. I do weekly water changes about 10-15 percent, haven't tested for anything in months and everything is doing fine....Royal Nature salt

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by reefwars

ughhh i think you guys over think this shi*.

Absolutely!!

However, using water in Burnaby, I'm not sure 480 is an accurate value from IO. I used IO for years and never mixed higher than 400 ppm Ca

But mix your water, do your change, keep your reef between 380 and 440 and everything will be happy.

[windcoast reefs]

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

Yes, high calcium levels when doing a water change will help increase the low Ca levels in the display tank (since the corals have been depleting Ca).

For instance, even if you do a 30% water change, the higher Ca level in your salt probably will only help raise the overall Ca level but not to the point where it exceeds the optimal point. You end up diluting the high Ca level of the new saltwater by mixing it with the old saltwater.

Yeah It dies need to be higher, but calcium at nearly 900 is a bit high! Lol

[gregzz4]

I understand stability is important, and I realise adding a higher mineral content during water changes is beneficial
But my readings aren't stable, and the salt is adding too much Ca

The IO Salt readings aren't balanced
@ Ca 480 the Alk should be over 14dKH, not 10.5

The Ca is not being used up @ the same rate as the Alk, and it's climbing

June 19
Alk 7.5-8.0
Ca 410

July 7
Alk 7.5
Ca 440-450

I'll keep an eye on it over the next week or two and, if it keeps rising, I'll dose a little Reef Builder ( Alk ) to balance them out

And, ya, I rolled the crap out of the bucket before I opened it