which is the best salt mix!

[AngelPete]

OK , once i get my new set up going i want to use the best salt mix out there. Ive always used IO in the past. I've heard people say tropic marine is bettor . Is this true? and how much time should one wait before using the saltwater? Is 24 hours enough? sorry to sound like a newbee but Ive been buying a lot of water from local stores when i got back in the hobby last year and just started making it myself again. I currently keep my fowlr tank at 1.020.

thx
Peter

 

[mfisher2112]

I've always used instant ocean, but switched to reef crystals (by instant ocean) when I started getting more into corals because of a recommendation from a fellow reefer. My calcium levels and PH stay pretty constant with the reef crystals. I've never tested for magnesium or iodine, but I think the tropic marin is supposed to have better buffers for those elements as well as calcium and alkalinity.

Might wanna take a look at that salinity level for a reef tank, though. I think most recommend 1.024 to 1.026. I keep mine at 1.025.

I usually keep a power head running in my salt mixed water over night before I use it just to make sure it is well mixed. I also try to bring the temp up to the tank temp (about 80 degrees) before I add it.

Maybe someone who has used both IO and tropic marin can kick in here with what the benefits of one over the other are.

 

[Candi]

You'll spend forever reading forums with people claiming which salt is better then another. I think it comes down to personal opinion, your needs, what you dose/want to dose, etc etc etc.

That said from my own reading I decided to go with tropic marin for my 24g aquapod, it was more expensive then other brands (I was using IO in my 50g FOWLR) but from what I read calcium levels etc were higher with it and I knew I would only be doing 5g water changes a week so the cost was worth it for me. I've been extremely happy with it and will continue to use it.

For my now reef 50g I was using IO simply because it was cheaper (and I don't have many corals in there anyways), recently switched to IO reef crystals because it was on sale at drsfostersmith. My calcium is lower in that tank and I have to add it to keep it at a decent level. If money was no issue I would use tropic marin in both.

For my soon to be 30g FOWLR I'll use IO.

I also think you need to increase your salinity, I would run at say 1.022 for a FOWLR and I run my reefs at 1.025

As for mixing salt, I use a big rolling garbage can. Add my RO/DI water and salt mix, through in a powerhead and heater and let it go at least over night, check the salinity with a refractometer and adjust as needed and then do my water change pumping the water right from the can with the powerhead and tubing.

 

[mfisher2112]

Candi, I've heard the same things in other forum posts about tropic marin. Since you've used all 3, here's my questiona:

My tank stays a pretty constant 430 calcium level, and I do about 10 to 15% water changes monthly.

How often do you water change, and do you see a significant drop in calcium levels with the IO or IO Reef Crystals vs the tropic marin between water changes, or is the difference just out of the bucket mixed?

Do you test for mag, alk and iodine as well? And if so, how do those levels stack up?

I'm looking at getting more and more corals into my tank, and I want to make sure I am using the best possible mix without having to dose. I don't dose anything right now.

(sorry for hijacking the thread, but I kinda wanted these questions answered too, hopefully it helps both of us! ;D )

 

[sinkingbeach]

It's pricey but I hear this is the best out there, http://www.zeovitusa.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=ZUSA&Category_Code=KzzRBsalt

 

[mfisher2112]

Wow, that is pricey. But, just about everything else good for this hobby seems to come from Germany, so it probably is the best!

(I think I could settle for second best at half the cost! LOL!)

 

[kathainbowen]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/11/aafeature1/view?searchterm=chemical%20analysis%20of%20synthetic%20sea%20salt Advanced Reef Hobbyist Part 1

Advanced Aquarist is one of the first places I have ever seen to go so in depth as to the chemical analysis of synthetic sea salts, and this article has been discussed over an over again. Even the validity of the experiment has been called into question due to the fact that individual batches of salt can vary dramatically and also due to the fact that it did not inclue all synthetic sea salts (most noteably, Red Sea and SeaChem salts were missing).

However, what it does point out, in the overall conclusion, is that there is no perfect synthetic sea salt. Like all things man has attempted to reproduce from nature, we can try and try to get close, but it will never be an exact duplicate of the real deal. The chemical natures of the sea salts vary in the end product of the mixed water compared to natural saltwater. And, when you look at in depth, the salinity and chemical composition of individual reefs can vary from day to day, tide to tide, and from reef to reef.

So, in the long haul, it's been said time and time again, it really is personal perference. The data from different chemical analysis and from my own personal experience has lead me to believe that Tropic Marine, Kent, and Instant Ocean are among the best. But, there are always pros and cons. Instant Ocean doesn't mix as fast as others (*again, just my experience and IMHO). Kent can be expensive. Tropic Marine isn't carried by most retailers. Oceanic is cheap, readily available, and mixes fast, but it doesn't hold a buffer worth a darn and actually has high mangnesium levels.

Pros and cons, just weigh your own to determine the best for you!

 

[JRodrig692]

As stated there are many schools of thought on the salt issue.

What I have seen people do is take two brands that they like, but each brand could be made better.

Then they mix the salts at a 50-50 ratio to give them the best of both worlds.

If you look on RC at all the Tanks of the Month, you will see that EVERY tank runs a diferent system and every tank runs different salt. As stated its all up to you, and what you have to do is try different salts out and see which is best for you.

 

[steve68]

I agree with Candi
from what i hear tropic marine is the best, i think if i had a 50 gallon tank i would go with tropic marine but when u have over 600 gallons of total water volume that can get very expenxive, that been said i have used Reef Crystals for over 5 years & have had great results.

JM2C

 

[Brian]

I use TM and TM Pro. I switch between the two with every bucket I buy. I can't say for sure which salt is the best, but the TM keeps my ALK and MAG up where it needs to be without any supplementation (yet!)

 

[Marcelog]

As has been stated several times, salt mixes are typically personal preference. I've been using Reef Crystals for several years now and have had no complaints.

Marcelo -