What salt do you use?

[nickskains]

RC for me. They seem to work pretty well. PH, dKH and calcium are always almost dead on after water changes. The rest usually are within parameters also. :thumbs:

 

[bobz]

I use Reef Crystals too but I usually have to buffer the pH when I mix the water.
BZ

 

[dough]

Tunze Salt as it has tested well for Ca, MG and Alk. Haven't tested for potassium yet.

 

[james s_]

I use Kent Salt. No reason other then thats what I started using a few years ago,and never had a reason to switch.

 

[ouling]

dawgdude;204576 wrote: I hear that new Deltec salt is incredible as it is actually evaporated sea water. Sammy has it at Aqua Buys.

I would never use salt obtained from ocean waters for reasons that are well substantiated but far too long to explain for this post. But I want your confidence in my opinion; therefore I will try my best to explain quickly. Some metals will never return to its ionic form once it gets supersaturated. Natural sea salt would be deficient in the chemicals they attempt to retain. Add the high nutrients and pollutants from the costal waters and their drying method-spray dry or air dry-the end product is a salt no better than synthetic.

 

[steve]

ouling;204802 wrote: the end product is a salt no better than synthetic.

With a much higher price tag.

 

[tebriel]

yeah, but it came from the ocean, everything is better in the ocean. Including the

>lost city of Atlanta</a> in the year 3000 where all the people from Atlanta evolved into mermaids.

 

[calvin]

Im currently using real; ocean and im very happy with it !

 

[dough]

dawgdude;204576 wrote: I hear that new Deltec salt is incredible as it is actually evaporated sea water. Sammy has it at Aqua Buys.

There have been some issues with this salt concerning phosphate numbers as reported by several local folks.

 

[ralph atl]

from rc mods:

Calcium Alkalinity Magnesium

Aquatic Gardens
430 8 1240
CoraLife
560 9 1380
Crystal Sea Marinemix
340 9 1050
Crystal Sea Marinemix Bio-Assay
340 9 1050
Instant Ocean
350 12 1070
Kent
540 11 1200
Marine Environment
480 7.5 1450
Oceanic
580 8.5 1650
OceanPure
510 10 1320
Red Sea
400 8 1300
Red Sea Coral Pro
490 7 1300
Reef Crystals
420 12 1260
SeaChem Marine Salt
500 10 1400
SeaChem Reef Salt
540 10 1450
Tropic Marin
375 10 1230
Tropic Marin Pro Reef
450 8.5 1380
Tunze Reef Salt
420 9.5 1350

 

[dough]

Do you have alink to that data? The RC Tunze numbers are pretty spot on with what I tested with the first bucket that I used. The Tunze salt disolved very easly with not residue or particles in on the side or bottom of the bucket.

 

[ouling]

<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">I believe their measurement to be imprecise with a few salts that were tested. </span></span></span>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">This test caught my attention immediately:</span></span></span>
Kent
540 11 1200

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">I would like to see the link also and find out which method they use to get those numbers. I liked to be proved wrong because if it was true, then I would be buying that salt for the rest of my reefing life. But it's doubtful, if not chemically improbable, to have 540ppm of Ca with only 1200ppm of Mg dissolved in water that is 11dkh. I assume the pH would be 8.4 if the data for dKH and Mg holds true. I believe Ca would not dissolve above 400-450ppm in the case of Kent-unless their magnesium is 1500ppm+</span></span>

 

[ralph atl]

yes, this was not a scientific study. Just a general guide.

 

[triga22]

Is it just me or is it showing that Mysterybox posted at 1:59 today yet there is no post... Something is screwy with my computer or with the system.

 

[triga22]

Now its saying that I posted here at 5:44 and I did not. Anyone else having the same problem?

 

[magnolia]

I think it updates every time someone votes.</em>

 

[george]

On the subject of salt, Reefcast (you *do* listen to Reefcast, right?) discussed a study done by Aquarium Water Testing that went into the mixed/aerated properties of varrious salt brands.

Interestingly (and when you think about it, quite logically) Marc and Evan decided one of the best things to do was to mix a couple salt brands together because no one salt did everything right.

Yep, per the AWT tests, there is no major brand on the market that defaults to the numbers we actually want in our tanks.

I attached the AWT doc.

Edit: which apparently decided to unfold itself inline. Sorry for the clutter.
<fieldset class="gc-fieldset">
<legend> Attached files </legend>

 

[sj miller guy]

Any opinions on Tropic Marin? I'm using their reef mix right now and it seems ok for me. However a friend of mine started using the regular Tropic Marin mix and started losing corals and couldn't keep his ph up. He switched back to RC's and now his ph stays at 8.3 and everything is growing.


Thoughts?

 

[nickskains]

Not to necro-post, but I just swapped over to the Seachem Reef Salt. While it is a bit more then RC by about $10.00 per bucket, it is almost right on as far as lvls go. RC was usually hit or miss but this stuff is just about dead on. I still have to dose every couple days but once I do a WC the levels in my tank are spot on for a day or so, then the Alk, Cal and Mg start dropping.

Pretty good salt. Chris at Einstein's recommended it to me and I trust his advice so decided to give it a shot.

 

[ralph atl]

nickskains;246876 wrote: Not to necro-post, but I just swapped over to the Seachem Reef Salt. While it is a bit more then RC by about $10.00 per bucket, it is almost right on as far as lvls go. RC was usually hit or miss but this stuff is just about dead on. I still have to dose every couple days but once I do a WC the levels in my tank are spot on for a day or so, then the Alk, Cal and Mg start dropping.

Pretty good salt. Chris at Einstein's recommended it to me and I trust his advice so decided to give it a shot.

Couldn't agree more.