Seiryoku Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Have had ZERO nitrates and phosphates for months. Have tested freshly made water as well, same results, zero. Cool I've found that many salt brands are inconsistent at some point as I've personally tested Oceanic salt (been a while) and found it to contain high levels (for salt mix) of nitrate and phosphate. Been unhappy, at some point or another, with reef crystals too. Funny how most of us will cheap out with absolutely vital aspects of our tanks (salt and heaters). No problem spending hundreds on coral and fish though! Thinking of using E.S.V. B-Ionic... Link to comment
asting Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Found this interesting...http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=1317416 I started reading it, then saw they used a sample size of 2. Needless to say none of that is statistically significant (any difference between the salt). I fear I'm a statistics snob. Link to comment
igotreefermadness Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 I switched from the cheap-o instant ocean to Tropic Marin Pro pharmaceutical grade salt and saw an instant increase in coral coloration, PE, and growth. I think of it like the coral getting their vitamins. If coral follow the rules of natural selection, then I'd assume they try to utilize every trace mineral available to them to some degree or another, so in my eyes high grade salt is key to short and long term health, and might even be the underlying factor in why some LPS "require" feedings to stay alive. Not that I think coral shouldn't be fed. Link to comment
C.I._Reefer Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Cool I've found that many salt brands are inconsistent at some point as I've personally tested Oceanic salt (been a while) and found it to contain high levels (for salt mix) of nitrate and phosphate. Been unhappy, at some point or another, with reef crystals too. Funny how most of us will cheap out with absolutely vital aspects of our tanks (salt and heaters). No problem spending hundreds on coral and fish though! Thinking of using E.S.V. B-Ionic... You are absolutely right. ALL brands i have used have inconsistency. There are some that are very good but none are perfect all the time. Some are more inconsistant that others though, with the worst i have found being red sea. They USUALLY have a great product, but it seems their QC is not up to snuff. Oceanic is also somewhat inconsistant, but usually pretty good. RC and ESV seem to be the most consistant i have used by far. Link to comment
nhart608 Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Cool I've found that many salt brands are inconsistent at some point as I've personally tested Oceanic salt (been a while) and found it to contain high levels (for salt mix) of nitrate and phosphate. Been unhappy, at some point or another, with reef crystals too. Funny how most of us will cheap out with absolutely vital aspects of our tanks (salt and heaters). No problem spending hundreds on coral and fish though! Thinking of using E.S.V. B-Ionic... I will admit that there can be inconsistency batch to batch. I've only use two different containers in that time, mostly from the last one which makes 90 gallons. Guess I hope I'm as lucky when I run out and have to buy a new one. Link to comment
th64 Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I was using Oceanic for the past 6 months and it always dissolved poorly. I just bought and did my first water change with Red Sea Coral Pro and it dissolved WAY better and levels seem to be a bit better. I wont be switching now. Link to comment
bizzarro Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I don't think the small amount of nitrates and phosphates that it has diluted in the DT should be of concern in an established tank. I switched from Coralife which doesn't dissolve completely to Oceanic and IO. When I do water changes, I at most mix the water for a few hours and use it. Because this hobby is so expensive, people try to cheap out where they can to buy the more expensive things. Link to comment
Seiryoku Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I don't think the small amount of nitrates and phosphates that it has diluted in the DT should be of concern in an established tank. Probably true. But given how much time/trouble/money we invest in getting those out of our systems...rather annoying that our salt mix, of all things, puts it back in. Link to comment
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