Reef Central Online Community

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community > General Interest Forums > The Reef Chemistry Forum
Blogs FAQ Calendar Mark Forums Read

Notices

User Tag List

Reply
Thread Tools
Unread 03/24/2018, 05:23 PM   #1
Fr3eB
Registered Member
 
Fr3eB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 25
Salt mix

I know that there are a lot of different brands of Salt mix on the market. I just want opiniond or testimonys on which product had better growth a?

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk


Fr3eB is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/24/2018, 05:33 PM   #2
mcgyvr
Registered Member
 
mcgyvr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 20,050
None are proven to be any better than any other really...
There are people with successful tanks running all brands of salt mix.


__________________
Who me?
mcgyvr is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/24/2018, 05:35 PM   #3
Fr3eB
Registered Member
 
Fr3eB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 25
Quote:
Originally Posted by mcgyvr View Post
None are proven to be any better than any other really...
There are people with successful tanks running all brands of salt mix.
I figured it was just based on maketing. They pretty much are similar in ingredients


Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk


Fr3eB is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/24/2018, 05:47 PM   #4
bertoni
RC Mod
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Mountain View, CA, USA
Posts: 88,616
Instant Ocean is fairly cheap, and a lot of Tanks of the Month run with it. I agree that there's a lot of marketing, and not much data when it comes to salt products.


__________________
Jonathan Bertoni
bertoni is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/24/2018, 09:08 PM   #5
ramseynb
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: New Braunfels, TX
Posts: 630
I agree with everything that's been said. One thing I would watch out for is using a salt mix that has high alk when newly mixed and your tank has a much lower number. For example, if your tank is typically at 7dKH and your salt mixes at 12dKH and you do a 20% water change, your corals might not like that much. Also, lower alk levels seem to be better if you're carbon dosing.


ramseynb is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/24/2018, 09:16 PM   #6
ramseynb
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: New Braunfels, TX
Posts: 630
Oh yeah, I personally like ESV the best. It mixes really fast and is always crystal clear. I've never gotten calcification on my pumps or heaters when using it. I've used other brands where that's been a problem and with IO salt, I'd get a brown powdery film on everything which I read is some sort of binding clay or something. Either way, I was not a fan. Another thing I like about ESV is it comes in four separate parts - the actual salt, magnesium, then an bottle of A liquid and B liquid. The two liquids I assume are calcium and alk with trace elements mixed in. I feel like this gives it way less of a chance of it not being mixed well (like other salts) or getting a "bad batch".

The downside is, it comes in four parts lol. You'll need a cheap digital food scale to measure each part. It's really not that bad IMO but it does take more time than just dumping 1/2 a cup per gallon in.


ramseynb is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/25/2018, 01:35 AM   #7
Phixman
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Lynnwood, WA
Posts: 176
I'm running instant ocean reef crystals and have gotten good growth, also readings from a fresh batch of salt water are were they should be, except for Mag which is at 1250. I will be trying out red sea pro salt with my new red sea 350 which should arrive soon though.


Phixman is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/26/2018, 10:28 PM   #8
DesertReefT4r
Registered Member
 
DesertReefT4r's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Mesa Az
Posts: 771
Everyone has their own salt mix they perfer. Its a highly personal and debated topic. Cost, availability, chemistry, consistently, natural, synthetic, clean mixing all play a large role in what makes one person like one mix and the next person hate it. Do research on the common salt mixes and using the above list choose a salt that best meets your goals. For me it falls in this order, Hw Reefer or Professional, Red Sea blue bucket, DD H2Ocean, IO with ca and mag increased to 420 and 1380 and Tropic Marin Pro Reef. I listed Pro Reef last due to the very high price of this salt, if it was priced around $70-80 for a bucket it would be fighting Hw for first place.


__________________
Tank history 29g tropical ,55g cichlid tank, 20H softy reef, 29g mixed reef, 20H brackish goby & puffer tank, 55g mixed reef, 6g Nanocube softy lps reef, 40B sps reef, 75g sps reef, 75g sps reef in bu

Current Tank Info: 75g sps reef build in the works.
DesertReefT4r is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/28/2018, 03:42 PM   #9
Volcmreefer
Registered Member
 
Volcmreefer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Milton, FL
Posts: 346
Run IO because I am cheap, lol. Adjust the big 3 if needed but most of the time I just roll with it. I only do 1.25 gallon daily water changes though, so I hardly notice a change in parameters.


Volcmreefer is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/28/2018, 03:48 PM   #10
Bpb
Registered Member
 
Bpb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,148


Hard to read but worth a look. Pick whatever salt mix you like and stick with it. They’re all fairly good


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Bpb is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/28/2018, 05:26 PM   #11
AlSimmons
Registered Member
 
AlSimmons's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: California
Posts: 2,482
Just find one and stick with it. (routine) A "good" salt mix doesn't necessarily mean your tank will be successful. There's more pieces to the puzzle than that...


AlSimmons is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/29/2018, 06:16 PM   #12
clk51212
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: waterford,ny
Posts: 68
I love esv a little more work to mix but you can tweak the recipe for your tanks parameters and once it’s set it mixes up dead on every time no settling like with other premix salts


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


clk51212 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/29/2018, 06:29 PM   #13
ramseynb
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: New Braunfels, TX
Posts: 630
Quote:
Originally Posted by clk51212 View Post
I love esv a little more work to mix but you can tweak the recipe for your tanks parameters and once it’s set it mixes up dead on every time no settling like with other premix salts


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I agree 100%. I've tried most of them and ESV is a step above IMHO.


__________________
How do you make an octopus laugh?

Ten tickles!
ramseynb is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/29/2018, 06:31 PM   #14
BeachBumm
Registered Bumm
 
BeachBumm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: South Florida
Posts: 176
Quote:
Originally Posted by bertoni View Post
instant ocean is fairly cheap, and a lot of tanks of the month run with it. I agree that there's a lot of marketing, and not much data when it comes to salt products.
+1


BeachBumm is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/29/2018, 07:41 PM   #15
reefteaser
Convince'em or confuse'em
 
reefteaser's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: S FL
Posts: 341
FYI, Reef Crystals are on sale at various sites and Amazon.


reefteaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/04/2018, 05:29 AM   #16
homer1475
Registered Member
 
homer1475's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 5,313
Quote:
Originally Posted by bertoni View Post
Instant Ocean is fairly cheap, and a lot of Tanks of the Month run with it. I agree that there's a lot of marketing, and not much data when it comes to salt products.
+2

Once you get out of that thinking that you NEED reef salt, you buy whats cheap and time tested. A slight bump to CAL and MAG and it's good to go.


__________________
80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256

Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht:

"He's just taking his lunch to work"
homer1475 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/10/2018, 05:24 PM   #17
Uncle99
Crab Free Zone
 
Uncle99's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,906
I use Red Sea Pro as it mixes up high in the Alk, Mag and calcium.
Just weekly water changes has kept them stable with this salt I have a moderate load of about 40 corals of mixed types including clams...

Sometimes you get what you pay for...


Uncle99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/10/2018, 07:16 PM   #18
PitViper
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 169
Quote:
Originally Posted by clk51212 View Post
I love esv a little more work to mix but you can tweak the recipe for your tanks parameters and once it’s set it mixes up dead on every time no settling like with other premix salts


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Is this he stuff you are talking about?


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00X8...srL&ref=plSrch


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


PitViper is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/10/2018, 11:34 PM   #19
bertoni
RC Mod
 
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Mountain View, CA, USA
Posts: 88,616
Yes, that's the ESV salt product. I suspect it's fine. I used their B-Ionic supplements for years.


__________________
Jonathan Bertoni
bertoni is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/11/2018, 11:20 AM   #20
Hitch08
Registered Member
 
Hitch08's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Philly Suburbs
Posts: 665
Question for you guys. If one goal is to maintain stable alk and calcium, why do people use salt mixes with such high numbers? For example, IO is around 11 for Alk and IORC is around 13.

Say you are trying to maintain alk at 8.5. You have a doser set up to add/increase your ALK on a daily basis. Then, every two weeks you do a 20% change with water that is at 11, doesn't that mean that your alk bounces higher for at least several days?

Maybe I'm missing something.


__________________
120g tank with 40g breeder sump. SVS-30 LifeReef Skimmer. EcoTech Radion Pros.
Hitch08 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/11/2018, 11:23 AM   #21
clk51212
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: waterford,ny
Posts: 68
That’s one of the big reasons I like esv all is 9 mg is. It hi but that is an easy fix add less mg sulfate when you mix that’s the beauty of this salt


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


clk51212 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/11/2018, 11:47 AM   #22
Uncle99
Crab Free Zone
 
Uncle99's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,906
I mix high in the range of the three for good calcification and after the weekly water change iam back on par. Occasionally I dose Alk because it's used up the fastest, but the other two stay on mark...cheap salt is just cheap salt, but will work.


Uncle99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/11/2018, 11:51 AM   #23
Joe0813
Registered Member
 
Joe0813's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Boston strong
Posts: 2,766
I use red sea pro


__________________
Joe and Jenny

Current Tank Info: 180 reef
Joe0813 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/11/2018, 12:03 PM   #24
Uncle99
Crab Free Zone
 
Uncle99's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,906
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe0813 View Post
I use red sea pro
Red Sea Pro, not cheap, but worth the cost.
Me as well...


Uncle99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 04/11/2018, 12:49 PM   #25
Tripod1404
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,821
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hitch08 View Post
Question for you guys. If one goal is to maintain stable alk and calcium, why do people use salt mixes with such high numbers? For example, IO is around 11 for Alk and IORC is around 13.

Say you are trying to maintain alk at 8.5. You have a doser set up to add/increase your ALK on a daily basis. Then, every two weeks you do a 20% change with water that is at 11, doesn't that mean that your alk bounces higher for at least several days?

Maybe I'm missing something.
Doing a 20% water change with 11dKH water on a tank with 8.5dKH water will raise the DKH to 9. For me it always drop back to 8.5 the next day.


Tripod1404 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:37 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef CentralTM Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2022
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.