DogfoodEnforcer Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 im just wondering what salt mixes you all would recommend. there are so many different types to choose from im not sure which are proven or if any have better/more trace nutrients in them. i searched and couldnt find any thread on it. so hopefully im not just making another useless thread. Link to comment
brshriver Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 Instant Ocean or Reef Crystals is the best bang for the buck. Tried and true. Tropic Marine is supposed to be the best is you are willing to spend more money. Link to comment
HecticDialectics Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 Ilike reef crystals over IO... it has better CA and Alk levels and it's all of like $1 more. Link to comment
jmitchell Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 I have started all my reef tanks with the Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt. Honestly, its very expensive for salt (maybe 30 bucks for a box), but I also have never had to dose anything because it is so nutrient rich. In the nano scene, I think one of the advantages is being able to spend more money on quality products for the small amount of water. I highly recommend Tropic Marin Pro Reef, and I know you wont regret it! It also mixes incredibly well! -LJ Link to comment
DogfoodEnforcer Posted September 30, 2007 Author Share Posted September 30, 2007 sounds good im just starting my tank up, and since it is smaller i am definitely spending more money on some things, just because i can atm.lol. Link to comment
jmitchell Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 Good, your on the right track then! I think you'll really be happy with the TM Pro Reef salt! Good Luck, Keep us Updated! -LJ Link to comment
tinyreef Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 bio sea from aqua craft, it's been working very well for me but some have not had as good results. reef crystals is good too. oceanic was decent but too powdery for me, same with tm's. ymmv but reef crystals (basically a CaCl enriched IO), oceanic, and tm have traditionally been held as top performers in results and consistency. imo and ime, the latter of which is probably the most important difference between brands. btw, there's probably 20 threads on this. most are in the general forum though iirc. but i think there's a survey thread in the survey sub-forum too. hth Link to comment
dshnarw Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 sounds good im just starting my tank up, and since it is smaller i am definitely spending more money on some things, just because i can atm.lol. If you haven't bought it yet, check out this article on salt mixes: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/12/aafeature1/view Link to comment
DogfoodEnforcer Posted September 30, 2007 Author Share Posted September 30, 2007 i was reading that the TM pro reef saltmix is VERY low in Mg, and that some ppl also have Ca problems while using it. Link to comment
Sea_Of_Treachery Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 tropic marin Link to comment
jmitchell Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 Im sure everyone has their experiences. Ive used the TM pr reef and my levels have been great, but I religeously do my WCs every week. Again, its different for everyone. Link to comment
DogfoodEnforcer Posted September 30, 2007 Author Share Posted September 30, 2007 what size bucket of it should i buy? they have 50 gallon and 200 gallon mixes. the only thing im concerned about is how long the salt will last for in the bucket, as im sure it would take a while to go through 200 gallons of saltwater with a 24G tank. Link to comment
DogfoodEnforcer Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 i figure the 200 gallon bucket would last me roughly 58 weeks...can the salt last that long? or is it a better idea to buy the smaller 50 gallon boxes of it? Link to comment
Chris2500dk Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 I just started using Red Sea Coral Pro, which salt brand you prefer is kinda like which religion you prefer, but I like that it's based on natural sea salt and then spiked with beneficial additives. I was torn between that and Reef Crystals. Link to comment
DogfoodEnforcer Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 right now it's between the tropic marin and the red sea coral pro. im going to stay away from the tropic marin pro as i read that it is better for ppl with kalk and calcium reactors (or something along those lines). the red sea coral pro sounds interesting as well. it's a bit cheaper but still has some good reviews. so would it be better to order a couple of smaller boxes/buckets of salt? or one big one? Link to comment
lgreen Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 My first recommendation is that you go to your favorite fish store where you plan on buying most of your stuff and find out what salt they use. Making your tank chemistry consistent with their tanks will make acclimating your live stock that much easier. Otherwise, I'd recommend Instant Ocean, Reef Crystals, or Ocean Pure. Only down side to red sea and oceanic (among many other things with oceanic) is that it is a natural sea salt while others are synthetic. Again, I'd check and see what your local stores are using. If they are using synthetic salts, I'd stick with synthetic. I personally use Reef Crystals. It has been around forever and is consistently great stuff. Link to comment
dshnarw Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 My first recommendation is that you go to your favorite fish store where you plan on buying most of your stuff and find out what salt they use. Making your tank chemistry consistent with their tanks will make acclimating your live stock that much easier. Otherwise, I'd recommend Instant Ocean, Reef Crystals, or Ocean Pure. Only down side to red sea and oceanic (among many other things with oceanic) is that it is a natural sea salt while others are synthetic. Again, I'd check and see what your local stores are using. If they are using synthetic salts, I'd stick with synthetic. I personally use Reef Crystals. It has been around forever and is consistently great stuff. +1 for that! Consistency is definitely an overriding factor in this. You're probably not going to find an LFS (or wholesaler, for that matter) that uses an expensive salt mix over a cheaper one. It's not cost effective for them. I use IO/Reef Crystals because the majority of the LFSs I've dealt with use it and because its cheap. If there's a deficiency in the salt mix, I can use an additive as needed, and still come out cheaper than using Tropic Marin on a regular basis. Link to comment
dtfleming Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 +1 for Reef Crystals or TM, Dont use Oceanic, it has lower buffer capacity. Im know from exp. Oh, and your going to get 20 different opinions on saltmix, follow lgreen suggestion and read the article that was posted. No saltmix is going to give you the same lvls as Natural Seawater. They all have some high lvl of metals in them. Link to comment
Scott Riemer Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 oceanic! Oceanic here too. I get PetSmart to price match their online price in the store. Never had a problem and my corals LOVE it. Link to comment
Phixion Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 I just started using Red Sea Coral Pro, which salt brand you prefer is kinda like which religion you prefer, but I like that it's based on natural sea salt and then spiked with beneficial additives. I was torn between that and Reef Crystals. I currently use Red-Sea Coral Pro, no bad effects here and my corals all seem to grow better and faster since I've been using it since mid May in fact. I used to use Tropic Marin (regular) and it did me good service, I just didn't get the coral growth I'm experiencing now. My Ca was high though when using the TM, and it still is right now while using RSCP salt, so I'm attributing that to either my substrate or rock... But I do like how RSCP is made from harvested Red Sea salt and has Ca enahncement in it to boost Ca levels to higher than most other salts. I believe if I remember right TM only has about 350-380ppm of Ca in it, and RSCP is around 450ppm per their claim. But like said there's no real "better" salt, it's all really just personal preferance and which one works best for YOU. Link to comment
basser1 Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 I also agree with Igreen. My LFS uses TM and I buy my water, pre-mixed from them. I have had no issues with acclimating my corals or livestock! Link to comment
Rehype Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 im just wondering what salt mixes you all would recommend. there are so many different types to choose from im not sure which are proven or if any have better/more trace nutrients in them. i searched and couldnt find any thread on it. so hopefully im not just making another useless thread. I love oceanic. Keeps my salinity,calcium,ph and alkalinity all very stable.(im sure its the consistent water changes as well Link to comment
dshnarw Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 pre-mixed seawater! thats cheating Link to comment
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