I'm interested in feedback regarding the D-D H2Ocean Pro salt. I recently switched from Tropic Marin to Red Sea Coral Pro and I'm amazed at how much better my tank is responding. I've had a lot of recent growth with my SPS since the switch, but I'm concerned about the low Mg in the Red Sea Coral Pro. New batch readings are 1120ish - way low. I've always been told to get proper calcium levels, I need to make sure the Mg levels are correct so I"m surprised that I can maintain calcium at 420-450.

From what I've read, this new salt combines all the best of RSCP but with proper levels of Mg. Here's the link to their website:

http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/?q=node/405

Anyone using this salt yet?

I'll be following along as well Karen. Sounds like it might be promising as a mix.

Here's an interesting salt water comparison study conducted by Muzzy in the UK which includes the D-D H2Ocean Pro and Red Sea Coral Pro:

http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/showthread.php?t=246450

Interesting Karen. Were you thinking of ordering some? Are you going to get it from Marine Depot or somewhere else online? I might be up for getting a bucket as well.

Here are the comparisons from that link:

D-D H20
Temperature - 26c
Salinity - 35ppt
pH (Salifert) - 8.60
pH (Pinpoint) - 8.90
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 0ppm
Phosphate P - 0ppm
Potassium - 370ppm
Strontium - 4ppm
Calcium - 415ppm
Magnesium - 1350ppm
Alkalinity - 8.1Dkh
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Red Sea Coral Salt
Temperature - 26c
Salinity - 35ppt
pH (Salifert) - 8.50
pH (Pinpoint) - 8.52
Ammonia - 0ppm
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - 0ppm
Phosphate P - 0ppm
Potassium - 340ppm
Strontium - 22ppm
Calcium - 405ppm
Magnesium - 1170ppm
Alkalinity - 8.6Dkh

Yes, I'm going to order a small bucket. This place is cheaper http://www.gulfaquaria.com/. Let me know if you want one also. The total would be $48.90 so $24.45 each.

it's calcium levels seem quite low, i perfer mine to be above 420ppm.


just my $0.02

Thanks Nick,

Yes, it's a little low and I also prefer mine to be above 420. According to Muzzy's comparisons, it came in at 415 - not far off at all. I got an email from him earlier today and he said the salt is getting rave reviews in the UK. He's switching as soon as his current stock runs out.

My calcium dispenser will take care of bumping the levels up to where I need them. What's most important to me is that the Mg and other levels are within a normal range. The Mg in RSCP is way too low and that's not easy to raise - I've tried.

I've ordered a small bucket to see how it does...

i would look at Oceanic as so, thats what I use and get great response from corals. mg and cal lvls both high. The biggest issue is that the salt debate has been going on for awhile. Their still is no true "great salt", but hope it works for you.

I'm gonna have to try this stuff out, I'm not going to be able to get NSW for a while since the water has been nasty. And I had to get a small box of IO since tyhat's the only cheap stuff the lfs carries. As soon as that is about to run out I'm getting this.

I've been using it since late June and I really like it. I've seen nice growth with my SPS and the tank is thriving.

I'm interested in this salt as well. I've been using Red Sea Coral Pro, and have to dump in a ton of Mg supplement with every wc. the Ca level doesn't bother me much. I keep Ca in my tank between 400 and 420ppm and my corals all grow really fast.

I just placed an order for a bucket of this salt, so I'll be able to add my own review before long.

Cool... I am considering using it myself. Look forward to your thoughts

Well you were so kind as to try the Tunze out for me, I guess it's my turn to return the favor.

Ordered a small bucket myself to try.

Weet.... I have tried to read high and low about the H20 salt... from what I can tell...the diff is:

Tunze 1250-1275 MG
H20 1300-1350 MG

By the folks over at Zeovit , who seem to be OBSESSED with salt chemistry….Both are about the same price, made by the same manuf, trace elements are supposed to be identical, etc.

I plan to change when I run out of Tunze just to reduce the MG dosing. Tank shouldn’t notice the change. The offer still stands to send you a few cups of Tunze.

Anywho... give us all the 411 on the H20 when you start it up.

Yes, please post your results here as I'm interested to compare notes. I'm halfway through my bucket and the tank is very happy. Mine doesn't mix completely clean though, which others have reported as well. The explanation seems to go back to where they get the salt/evaporation process and that its harmless sediment but I'm curious to see if others have the same observation. I've also seen some reports of higher than desired Phosphate readings in freshly mixed batches. I can say that for me the claimed mag, ca and alk levels are spot on when I test my make-up water.

Phosphate????
NOOOO!!!!!!!!!

What Ca, Mg, and Alk readings do you get?
What salt were you using before?
What differences have you seen in your tank since you switched, both positive and negative?

I just got my tracking # today and the bucket is due to get to me on Monday.
Then I have to phase into the salt from my Oceanic.
First WC= 2/3 Oceanic, 1/3 D-D
2nd WC= 1/3 Oceanic, 2/3 DD
3rd WC= all D-D

All saltmix give off some PO4. most around .25ppm. So Ill be interested to see what PO4 lvl off new mixed batch.

I'm tagging along. I've been very interested in this salt also. Marinedepot has this in a mixing kit and if you look at everything you get it's like getting a free bucket of salt. I'm not finding much of any info on this salt. Please get a good phosphate test kit and post those results as this is a little scary if that is the case. I'm fighting GHA in one of my tanks and sure don't want to add to the problem.

Steve

Like dtfleming said, I've always been told that all salt mixes will test positive for a small amount of phosphates. However, I've been using this salt for a couple of months now, and I just tested some of my freshly mixed water. Using the Salifert phosphate test kit, I get no reading - just like in my tank...

Have you had any algae growth at all?
Does it mix up with sediment for you?

No algae at all and yes, it mixes clear. Granted, I mix a week in advance so maybe that has something to do with the lack of sediment...

Hi Wheetabix, I wouldn't worry about the phosphates just yet, it was only the observation of a couple of folks and many others have tested their water with good results. Probably poor testing. I'm very very pleased with the salt so far. My tank is only 3+ months old so I'm not using my algae situation as a benchmark as algae is expected given the age of my tank.

So, I started with TMPR and had a horrible time maintaining Alk and Ca. Many wide swings and no consistency. My makeup water with TMPR was very low on both accounts. I switched to the H2Ocean and have found a MUCH easier time maintining the system now along with B-Ionic (20ml a day and my levels are rock solid). The elevated Mag levels seem to have added to the stability of my system.

Make Up Water results (I've tested 3 or 4 times and its always around these numbers. I will say that giving the bucket a bit of a mixing helped with the consistency. Perhaps mine settled a bit during shippment):

Sal 35 ppm
Temp 78
Ph 8.3
Cal 420 (Elos & Salifert)
dKh 9 (Elos & API)
Mag 1,350 (Elos)

In the tank, its more observational, but I do think my colors have improved and my polyp extension is certainly better. Probably due mostly to the increased stability of the system vs. the content of the salt but hey, its working for me.

I like those numbers.
I like them a lot.
Hopefully I'll see the same good results.

As for TMPR, the folks at Tropic Marin told me that if that salt is used without some kind of calcium or 2 part dosing, there could be dips in Alk.
I think it's supposed to mix up at 7 dKh.

Did anyone here start off using Red Sea Coral Pro Salt and made the switch to D-D H2Ocean? What did you like better about D-D H2Ocean over RSCPS other then the numbers on page one....

Also If D-D H2Ocean is so much better how hard is it to switch from one salt to another....

Lots of people use RSCPS, including me....but I dont know anyone that has used it for long...including me
I tried it and my corals did not seem happy when I did a water change. It would take a day or two for things too look normal, so I quit using it.

Is it true that D-D H2Ocean hasn't been sold in the US very long....

Yea, that's about right, my TMPR would mix at a about 6/7 and then head towards 5 in the tank after a day or so. For me, it made things very unstable because of the heavy dosing required and the swings you would get each time you did a water change. Caused me to precip a couple of times which is when I gave up.

Acerone - H2Ocean has better mag numbers than RSCP (perhaps higher Alk as well) which helps keep Ca and Alk in balance and easier to manage. Beyond that, I've not used RSCP myself so couldn't say more. Changing salts is easy, just start using it for new water changes. As MB said, you will notice a difference in your coral, generally a retraction, for a bit until they get used to the new salt mix. I switched my tank over with about three 30% changes over the course of a week. Probably took my tank 2-3 days to look "normal" again.

When switching to a new salt. Start with 1/3 new and 2/3 old salt. Next WC 2/3 new and 1/3 old, Next
WC all new salt. This way you dont shock your corals.

My tank is new, only 4 days old now with nothing in it just rocks and sand.. So I can do a full WC correct?

Water changes during your cycle will likely only delay the cycle from completing. Why not just use the new salt for future water changes once you get to that point. BTW, welcome to another Long Island reefer and good luck.

Agreed.

Why do you think that?

Wouldn't it just dilute the natural process that is taking place. Seems like extra work that doesn't provide much benefit unless levels were extreme. In this case, why change 100% of the water just to move to a different salt mix in a tank that is not fully cycled.

There are a number of things that are being diluted when you perform water changes during a cycle... Amonia, disolved organics, phosphate, and even the beneficial bacteria you are trying to accumulate.

IMO there are several reasons why it's good to dilute these things during the cycle:
1) By keeping Amonia levels down during the cycle you have a better chance of keeping as many hitch hikers alive.
2) Less algae following the cycle. By keeping phosphate and nitrate levels down from all the DOC's coming from decaying matter on your rock you'll have less of an algae bloom when the cycle is over.
3) If you follow #1 and #2 you'll also have fewer and less dramatic "mini-cycles" once your initial cycle is over. You've heard peole say your tank isn't really mature for 6 months? One of the reasons is because of mini cycles. You see... If you leave all that dying stuff on your rocks, it takes a TREMENDOUS amount of bacteria to consume all the amonia and nitrite put out. Eventually all that bacteria starves and dies. What does that produce? Amonia. And this continues until your tank finally reaches an equalibrium.

When I cycle my tanks, I put JUST the rock in w/o sand. This gives me a chance to vacume all the dead stuff off the bottom of the tank w/o it getting stuck in the sand where it will decay. I also run a skimmer / carbon / phosban and cheato. I occasionally pull the rocks out and scrub them with water from water changes. When there is no more death on the rocks I'll add the sand. Bacteria will seed the sand in a short period of time.

This is just how I do it. There are others that think you should let the tank cycle on it's own and let the algae that comes after the cycle consume all the nitrate and phosphate, but who want's to wait for the algae to die? If you are like me you don't. You'll end up adding carbon / macro algae and a skimmer anyway. Why not do it early in the process?

I can't argue with your process and I can certainly say I wish I knew you back when I started to have gotten the advice on the rock without sand. At best, my rock was "lightly" cured when I received it and so my sand bed was a mess for a long time as the crapola came off the rock. Would have been sooooo much easier to clean up the tank without the sand at first. The scrubing bit might have also saved me the drama of the lovely Caulerpa I have to pluck now.

But, we digress from H2Ocean.

I happened to need some make up water and so mixed up some H2Ocean yesterday. Here is what I always see at the bottom of my bucket. I've read that RSCP uses a similar evaporative process to H2Ocean. When folks inquired on sediment with the RSCP, the manuf. said it was harmless and due to that evap process so I don't get myself worked up over it. Interested if anyone thinks its a problem.

merfin70,

Where did you get your H2Ocean? Was it from a LFS?

Unfortunately no, got it online as no one local had it or was willing to order as it is a new product.

marinedepot is the only place I've seen it.

I ordered mine from Gulf Aquaria.
$10.00 cheaper than LFS wanted for the big bucket...

I switched to D-D H2Ocean from Red Sea Coral Pro. The only difference I could find was the elevated Mg levels wsith H2O.




Same here - I purchased mine from Gulf Aquaria but I haven't shopped for it lately. I'll need some soon so let me know if anyone finds a deal...

Still like $69 for a big bucket.

$63 at aquariumspecialty.com

with shipping?

Nope, I just checked and the shipping is extra. Good news for me though, they are located in Charlotte and I'll be there in a couple of weeks!

blah, Im gonna try the little bucket first and see before buying the bigger one.

I just placed my order for the smaller bucket of D-D H2Ocean....

Any water test results?

I did get a Phosphate kit just to see if the reports I was reading elsewhere had any truth to them and Phosphates tested at 0 for me, so I'm happy. We'll have to wait for the others to see if my results for Ca, Mag and Alk are consistent.