Can you grow coral in IO sea salt?

[Jakesaw]

I am considering adding my first coral.  Got my viparspectra light and 10 gal tank is nearing 2 months old.  Found a source for a single or double polyp candy cane I'd like to add.  

 

Will my IO salt have enough calcium.  I haven't yet started testing for the ALK, Calcium, etc.  yet.  Don't want to start that process " yet ".  Want to put a coral in there and see what happens.  Will " IO sea salt : have enough of the micro nutrients to get some healthy growth ( even if it's slow ) out of candy cane?  Or do I have to switch over to " IO reef salts " before adding a candy cane or similar coral.

 

I'm going slow with the corals so wont' be loading up with species any time soon. 

 

Thanks

[jservedio]

Yes, IO salt is perfectly fine.

[Jakesaw]

3 minutes ago, jservedio said:

Yes, IO salt is perfectly fine.

Sweet, thanks

 

I know they add supplemental elements to their " Reef Crystals" but wasn't sure if their " sea salt " would have enough cal + others for LPS ( I think candy cane fits that category )

[OldManSea]

More people use IO to grow coral than any other brand.  There are some awesome frag farmers who use nothing else.  I used it for decades, changing a bit more than a year ago since some of the newer salts experience less precipitation in the mixing vessel.  I switched to one of those since I am lazy and hate to clean the vessel often.  Growth of corals is still very good but no better than IO. 

[Jakesaw]

3 minutes ago, OldManSea said:

More people use IO to grow coral than any other brand. 

Thanks

 

IO makes "reef crystals: AND "sea salt" 

 

You're saying both will work for growing corals right?  .  Just wanted to clarify.  My current salt is the " SEA SALT " version.  

 

Thanks

[debbeach13]

Many public aquariums use IO sea salt. For years it was and for many still is the preferred salt. Availability and price can not be beat. If at some point you had a coral collection that needed more calcium for example you could supplement or change salt mixes then.

[OldManSea]

On 3/17/2021 at 5:45 PM, Jakesaw said:

Thanks

 

IO makes "reef crystals: AND "sea salt" 

 

You're saying both will work for growing corals right?  .  Just wanted to clarify.  My current salt is the " SEA SALT " version.  

 

Thanks

Plain IO works well.  I have grown large colonies of LPS and sps using IO (I have never used Reef Crystals).

[OldManSea]

Here are a couple of my candy canes since you called those out specifically.  This one is the small-polyp green species that often goes by "Atomic Candycane" or "Radioactive Candycane" or "Toxic Candycane" and similar.  These grow very fast compared to the large-polyped species.  This one as obtained 14 months ago as a single polyp.  It was grown in Instant Ocean for the first 11 months.  It has just over 30 polyps now (only half the colony is visible here since it is essentially hemispherical).  This is with no special feeding.  There are a few fish in this tank that get pellets and frozen mysis but there is no feeding aimed at the corals.  Here it is today jut before water change.

 

Here is a specimen of the large polyped species that was finally recently named (see article on the ReefBuilders.com site recently).  These grow very slowly compared to the small-polyped species.  Here is an image of my blue one that was two polyps when obtained.  This image is from October 2020 and it was in Instant Ocean for just over a year. It has never been specifically fed.  While not visible in this image the small-polyped green specimen from the image above is about 6 inches to the right of this one.  

 

[Jakesaw]

@OldManSea

 

Very nice.  Thanks for the pics.