mcarroll Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 23 hours ago, mfield16 said: Tropic Marin Pro all day for me. You can store it for a long time, there's no residue in the mixing bucket, it mixes really, really quickly. Tests are consistent from the top to bottom of the bucket. The only negative for me is the Alk is too low. I have to increase that a tad every time, but I used Randy's 2-part baking soda formula and it's super easy. You ought to be better off with standard Tropic Marin (or one of the other "base formula" salts) then. Less work for you...and it might even be cheaper. I still don't understand why TMpr is so low in alkalinity straight out of the bucket, but I do know it's low on purpose. Don't pick a salt that works against you. 👍 Quote Link to comment
DSA65PRO Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 I buy Reef Crystals in the 200 Gallon Box, from Walmart and have it shipped to my nearest store. In the box are Four Heavy Duty sealed bags, I mix/tumble the Salt in the bag before I open it. I’m having very good results with it, and the only thing I’m dosing at present is Kent Purple Tech. BTW Don’t have it shipped to your house, the shipment I got was busted open, and it’s faster to the Store. Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 1 hour ago, mcarroll said: I'm not advocating for AF since you didn't specify which line (they have at least three different salts) and the one I see mentioned the most is a specialty formulation, but... Whichever AF salt it is, if your store is getting good results out of it, that means you can too. The trick is understanding why they are using it – they may be using it for a good reason, or maybe even for no reason, either can be a clue (find out!) – and whether you have the same reasons at home with your tank. You might or you might not. It's worth considering if AF is all the store carries. FYI: AF makes "Sea Salt" which might be superficially like Instant Ocean or MEI's MarineMix (ie "plain"), as well as "Reef Salt" and "Probiotic Reef Salt" which have various additives. You would opt for the "Sea Salt" if you had the choice. (https://aquaforest.eu/en/product-category/marine-salts/) RS blue is more or less similar to IO, so IMO in that case it's "6 of one, half-dozen of another". If the store carried both, you could have a policy of buying what was in stock or what was on sale. AF sea salt is for fish only The reef salt is for mixed reef with no probiotics and closer to nsw levels like Red sea blue bucket. The specialty Af salt is like RSCP. Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 (edited) According to the site... "Reef Salt" has aminos and vitamins added. Fine if you're after that. A little similar to Reef Crystals, which also has vitamins added, but it doesn't really have enhanced ca, alk, mg levels like Reef Crystals. So not particularly reefy IMO. From the "Reef Salt" page... Quote The salt mix is enriched with amino acids and Vitamin C. The "Probiotic Salt" isn't referring to probiotics....much the same as the "Gallons" in 10 Gallon tank isn't referring to gallons. "Gallons" is part of a product name; actual volume differs frequently. In the case of this salt, "Probiotic" means some kind of organic carbon additive intended to reduce nitrate and phosphate. I don't know who needs this (surely someone), but it's not someone starting a new tank. 😉 (Who wants a warning like this on their salt? Just say no to carbon dosing in all forms.) Fro the "Probiotic Salt" page... Quote Due to the content of probiotic bacteria the dKH value should be maintained at 6.5-8.0. Higher values may have a negative effect on the growth of SPS corals. "Sea Salt" is not specified for fish. It's their "plain salt" mix. Much like IO or MEI 's Marine Mix. From the "Sea Salt" page... Quote Synthetic marine salt for aquariums with fish and less delicate corals and invertebrates. "Less delicate corals" I take as a reference to the middling levels (average to low ca, alk, mg, but NSW-worthy) not as restriction from usage. "Sea Salt" is what I'd recommend anyone start a tank with out of AF's line. If there's a need for one of the others, then a switch later is the way to introduce it...not from the get-go. I'm not sure if all three mixes are generally for sale though....seems like Probiotic is the only one I ever see mentioned. Isn't Coral Pro more of a Reef Crystals clone? Ie. Mostly it's about higher levels, not so much about additives? Edited August 21, 2020 by mcarroll Bolding is from their site, not from me! Quote Link to comment
Clown79 Posted August 21, 2020 Share Posted August 21, 2020 21 minutes ago, mcarroll said: According to the site... "Reef Salt" has aminos and vitamins added. Fine if you're after that. A little similar to Reef Crystals, which also has vitamins added, but it doesn't really have enhanced ca, alk, mg levels like Reef Crystals. So not particularly reefy IMO. From the "Reef Salt" page... The "Probiotic Salt" isn't referring to probiotics....much the same as the "Gallons" in 10 Gallon tank isn't referring to gallons. "Gallons" is part of a product name; actual volume differs frequently. In the case of this salt, "Probiotic" means some kind of organic carbon additive intended to reduce nitrate and phosphate. I don't know who needs this (surely someone), but it's not someone starting a new tank. 😉 (Who wants a warning like this on their salt? Just say no to carbon dosing in all forms.) Fro the "Probiotic Salt" page... "Sea Salt" is not specified for fish. It's their "plain salt" mix. Much like IO or MEI 's Marine Mix. From the "Sea Salt" page... "Less delicate corals" I take as a reference to the middling levels (average to low ca, alk, mg, but NSW-worthy) not as restriction from usage. "Sea Salt" is what I'd recommend anyone start a tank with out of AF's line. If there's a need for one of the others, then a switch later is the way to introduce it...not from the get-go. I'm not sure if all three mixes are generally for sale though....seems like Probiotic is the only one I ever see mentioned. Isn't Coral Pro more of a Reef Crystals clone? Ie. Mostly it's about higher levels, not so much about additives? https://aquaforest.eu/en/product/sea-salt/ It says sea salt is for less sensitive corals and inverts. So its advised to use this for fish only and wouls be best for soft corals because the levels will be lower than what many like to run for stony corals. The AF reef salt has nsw levels for those who don't want high levels like IO & RSBB and the Probiotic version has higher levels of parameters like RSCP. Red Sea blue bucket has closer to nsw levels but not as low as IO. I personally can't compare RSBB to IO or RC because I feel its far more consistant and a lot quicker to mix than the 2 latter salts. AF was very popular for a time but not so much now for various reasons. I myself tried it and at first was pleased but after the first bucket that ended. After 3 buckets i switched. The parameters of the Reef Salt was 7 alk, 390- 400 ca, and mag was 1600. There are also very specific mixing instructions for their salt which can be a pain for people and it doesn't store for long 5-7 days. AF customer service is not good. 1 Quote Link to comment
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