Coral Pro Reef Salt too Strong for Tanks Under 30 Gallons?

[Sluglife2017]

The back of the Red Sea Coral Pro Salt shows a Ca of 465, MG of 1390, and dKH of 12 at a specific gravity of 1.025. The RO water I am using has a dkh of 4.2, Calcium is 260. I use roughly 2 and 3/4 cups of Coral pro Salt which gives me: I did a water change yesterday, 5 gallons out of the 22. I ran the tests this morning and it shows a Ca of 500, MG 1450, and dKH of 12.5 at a specific gravity of 1.025 in the tank. Maybe the coral pro salt is stronger than advertised or is not supposed to be used on small tanks? I bought a new batch of Coral Pro Reef Salt and I am still getting the same paramaters, dkh of 12.5, Ca 500, MG 1450. Should I try buying another brand of salt mix with a low dkh and combining the two to make better parameters for my corals?

[kimberbee]

How old is your tank, and how stocked is it with corals? 

 

When I started 4.5 years ago, I used Red Sea blue bucket and switched to coral pro after 4 or so months. I have been using it ever since (on 4 different tanks under 30 gallons) with no issues. It's possible if you have very few corals, there's nothing sucking up those nutrients in your tank. 

[Sluglife2017]

My tank is 7 months old now. I have one acropora, two hammers about 1.5inch diameter (the fastest growing size wise), 2 zoa frags with about 10 each, 1 red hornet as lfs calls it but it is a dendro (with two red hornet shells just emerged/developing) , waving hand 1.5 inch, 1 Clavularia virdis, rose bubble tip anemone, 2 SPS frags (birds nest), a colony of brown zoas (15), 2 blastomussa. I didn't want to add any more corals and have these guys fill out the aquarium, but there is room lower in the tank and at the high point for maybe 4 more frags.  Recently I have been getting these long bubblish brown algae and occasionally a purple slime algae. Not sure if this is just the tank maturing or because the nutrients are so high?

[Reefkid88]

I used RSCP salt on my .9 g,2g,7g,2g again never has a bad batch until the last batch of salt I ever bought. Param's were kept high enough with the salt I never had to dose much. 

 

 Alk was always high though,so when I set up my tank,I will use the regular salt. They say mixing normal red sea and coral pro it can keep alk lower. 

[Lawnman]

1 hour ago, Sluglife2017 said:

The back of the Red Sea Coral Pro Salt shows a Ca of 465, MG of 1390, and dKH of 12 at a specific gravity of 1.025. The RO water I am using has a dkh of 4.2, Calcium is 260. I use roughly 2 and 3/4 cups of Coral pro Salt which gives me: I did a water change yesterday, 5 gallons out of the 22. I ran the tests this morning and it shows a Ca of 500, MG 1450, and dKH of 12.5 at a specific gravity of 1.025 in the tank. Maybe the coral pro salt is stronger than advertised or is not supposed to be used on small tanks? I bought a new batch of Coral Pro Reef Salt and I am still getting the same paramaters, dkh of 12.5, Ca 500, MG 1450. Should I try buying another brand of salt mix with a low dkh and combining the two to make better parameters for my corals?

 Been using RSCP for years. I use it on my 10 gallon nano right now with no problem

[MainelyReefer]

If you leave that salt in the bucket for 1-3 days the alk will drop anyways, some will precipitate out I suppose.  My mixing bucket has a nice scale buildup from me being lazy and not performing a WC until a few days after I started mixing the SW.  I use RSCP in my 1.75g reefbowl, why do you think the volume of a tank would make a specific salt brand unusable? 

[NuisanceAlgaeCultivator]

2 hours ago, kimberbee said:

How old is your tank, and how stocked is it with corals? 

 

When I started 4.5 years ago, I used Red Sea blue bucket and switched to coral pro after 4 or so months. I have been using it ever since (on 4 different tanks under 30 gallons) with no issues. It's possible if you have very few corals, there's nothing sucking up those nutrients in your tank. 

Aw crud is that a thing??? I started with not too many corals and kind of assumed that by doing the water changes I'd be changing out the nutrients and it'd all break even, not making an abundance. 

I swear the more I think I know the more I found out I don't...this hobby is a never ending rabbit hole!

[Sluglife2017]

So what I am curious is whether yall think it is worth the time to perfect a salt mix to get more perfect water parameters? I do a water change 4 times a month of 5 gallons out of 22. On a weekly basis the parameters in the tank do not drop much, so does the constant high water parameters present a less succesful path?

[kimberbee]

57 minutes ago, NuisanceAlgaeCultivator said:

Aw crud is that a thing??? I started with not too many corals and kind of assumed that by doing the water changes I'd be changing out the nutrients and it'd all break even, not making an abundance. 

I swear the more I think I know the more I found out I don't...this hobby is a never ending rabbit hole!

I don't *think* so, and I would assume it would break even as well. I was just thinking out loud a bit. 

 

I don't knwo what happens to the nutrients when water evaps and then you add RO. I failed chemistry in college... 🤷‍♀️

[burtbollinger]

I ditched RSCP for Fritz Pro...I’m very happy with the switch over past year.  Exactly the parameters I want

[MrObscura]

It has nothing to do with tank size, it's just a high dkh salt and unless you want to run a high dkh I'd just switch salts. That's what I did. 

 

 

[Natereef]

Switch salts and save money, but one of my questions is how is your RO water have 260 calcium?  Whats the tds of the RO water you are using?

[wetsocks]

What are you measuring salinity with?

 

Of the three brands of salt I've used, none have required over 2.5 cups per 5 gallon.

 

You can't start off with 260ppm calcium then only have 500 after adding that much salt. IMO look into your testing kits and procedures.

[Clown79]

I used it. I liked the salt but the really high dkh was the reason I switched to blue bucket.

 

 

[Sluglife2017]

I am using the saliferts testing kits and I am using the basic plastic coralife hydrometer. It took me a while to figure out the saliferts, but I am almost certain I am doing it right now. Drawing the solution to .85 and the end of the plunger to 1. I have only test for calcium on the RO water. I am going to do a water change on Sunday so I'll test the tank before, test the RO, and test 24 hours later on the water in the tank. I have the following salifert's tests: calcium, Mag, alk, nitrate, phosphate, ammonia. I don't have a tds kit/device.

 

In response to @wetsocks, the salifert tests only goes up to 500, so its very possible that calcium is much higher, hence the point of my post. I am wondering if the intensity of the nutrients in the coral pro salt is causing stunted coral growth. I do a minimum of 4, 5 gallon water changes a month and have all the gizmos. My tank is 22 gallons.

[wetsocks]

I would get a refractometer, as you may have read by now those swing arm jobs are no guu.

 

I'm not quite sure what you mean by drawing to .85, however odds are your salinity is too high.

 

Lets put it this way, I would trust a measuring cup (2.5 cups per 5 gallon) way more then I would a swing-arm hydro meter any day of the week. At least I will be in the ball park that way. Get a second hydrometer of the same brand, you will see what I mean, they are all over the place.

[Sluglife2017]

Okay I will run to my LFS and pick up a refractometer before I do the water change on Sunday. I will keep you guys posted with all the test results on Sunday with the pre testing of the tank water and RO water. 

[Sluglife2017]

Updates: 

Tank Parameters:

79.8 F

1.026 SG

Nitrates 0, KH/Alk 11.8, CA 490, MG 1410, Phosphate .25.

RO Water:

Nitrates 0, kh/alk 1.6, CA 60, MG 30, Phosphate. 03.

Going to do a 5 gallon water change out of 22 and will post results tomorrow afternoon.

[Natereef]

11 minutes ago, Sluglife2017 said:

Updates: 

Tank Parameters:

79.8 F

1.026 SG

Nitrates 0, KH/Alk 11.8, CA 490, MG 1410, Phosphate .25.

RO Water:

Nitrates 0, kh/alk 1.6, CA 60, MG 30, Phosphate. 03.

Going to do a 5 gallon water change out of 22 and will post results tomorrow afternoon.

Also try mixing the salt bucket manually by hand or by jiggling the bucket. Sometimes the salt and the additives will separate so just mix the dry salt around to re distribute the additives. 

[A Little Blue]

RSPro salt results after mixing 4hrs/24/48 up to 3weeks.