[animekid1]

Hi all. New to the forums. I want to know if anyone has a prefence as to the salt mix they use, or if there is one brand in particular that someone reccomends.

Thanks
Animekid1

[glampka]

Welcome to RB!! Good luck getting an answer to that question. No doubt will get 100 different answers! Personally, I use Instant Oceans.

[Krazy]

I'm a "Instant Ocean" guy myself...

[poccoe61]

instant ocean here =p

[sarha]

and here too!

[NATIVEVAMAN]

I read an article yesterday about the formulas and contents of different salts and the claims of the manufactuers.Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Short Take: Watts Up With Your Tank: Estimating Your Tank's Electrical Costs Its somewhere on this site I cant find it. Anyway Im a tropic marin kind of guy.

[jimw369]

Yep. Tropic Marin lists the trace elements they put in their product on the label.

[mtfabel]

I use Red Sea salt.

[jimw369]

Is there ant difference in salt? I just use whats been recomended to me.

[animekid1]

I just read the article about the salt mixes. I was not very happy with what I read. In general, they all have some trace metal in the mix, and none were given a preference. I have also used Saltwater that comes in a box on occassion, and after reading the article, I might just stick with the bagged water....anythoughts about the bagged sea water issue?

[Krazy]

bagged sea water will become costly quick...

Imagine doing 15 gallons a week for a year...

OUCH

[NATIVEVAMAN]

I stopped useing instant ocean because everytime I mixed a batch there was a bunch of crystals left in the bottom of the tub. The way the author put it in the article it seems that instant ocean doesnt publish there contents is like they dont want us to know. Anyway I dont think a salt mix ever killed a fish and maybe we are splitting hairs.

[jpmwjm]

I used Instant Ocean. Now have 52 lbs LR, two green chromis, 9 hermits, and snails. All seems well so far.

[cplklegg]

Oceanic here. I jused IO before and it's not bad, but Oceanic mixes so much faster as the crystals are finer, and Oceanic is high in CA+2

[ry77]

instant ocean

[jvharding]

What is everyones opinion of mixing? I like tropic Marin & reef crystals the most. I have read that it is best to stay with one brand. I have used all different brands through out the years and there is a difference. Just to add a note to this thread about frequent water changes does not add enough trace elements back to the tank. I supplement weekly and daily doses of many elements. Any one use a doser they like?

[Krazy]

I believe doing a weekly water change of 10-15% will replenish most used up trace elements... I dose NOTHING in my tank and its been doing extremely well... (Never dose what your not testing for)

I give my success to all the reef nutrition products I feed (Phyto is the *stuff* baby)

I mix my saltwater in a tub for a day or two before using it, Never had any crystals left over on the bottom

As for Instant Ocean, If the Georgia Aquarium uses it in a system that large, its sure good enough for ole Krazy K here

[jvharding]

Instant Ocean is for Fish Only if not using any supplements. I clearly disagree. Try mixing a gallon of each Intant Ocean and Reef Crystals and test your levels of reef vital elements. A man can live with just water for how long? Why do i always have to be the bad guy!

[Krazy]

Instant Ocean is used by many with full blown reef tanks, even some SPS ONLY tanks....

It is sufficent for use in a reef tank...

Reef Crystals IS Instant Ocean, with a few minor things added... Compare the two salts yourself, the difference isnt much...

Link 1: The facts about Instant Ocean
Aqua Craft®, Inc. The Facts About Instant Ocean®

Link 2: The facts about Reef Crystals
Aqua Craft®, Inc. The Facts About Reef Crystals®

Link 3: Trace Elements in Synthetic Sea Water
Aqua Craft®, Inc. Trace Elements in Synthetic Sea Water

Link 4: How to judge a good marine salt
Aqua Craft®, Inc. How to Judge a Good Marine Salt


There is clearly better salt out there but instant ocean is fine for me

[jvharding]

Thank you for proving my point! Read those articles very carefully. It supports my feeling that salt mixes do not support the reef that we need to be dosing supplements. In fact these links say that all the salt companys are taking us for a ride!

[jvharding]

Quoted from:
Aqua Craft®, Inc. How to Judge a Good Marine Salt


If you place your pets in a marginal environment, they live marginal lives. The composition of your saltwater is the single most important component of your marine fish or reef aquarium.

Nothing -lights, filters, foods, ozone, skimmers, supplements, controllers, etc. - can remedy bad saltwater.

A good marine salt should incorporate many essential factors to be considered acceptable for keeping a variety of delicate exotic marine life in captivity for extended periods.



I am sorry I have to argue that doing everything I can to give my tank a better life style I am doing it

[Krazy]

Originally Posted by jvharding

Thank you for proving my point! Read those articles very carefully. It supports my feeling that salt mixes do not support the reef that we need to be dosing supplements. In fact these links say that all the salt companys are taking us for a ride!

It proved my point too...

Instant ocean is good enough when compared to reef crystals..

The difference in trace elements is very little.

The difference in trace elements compared to actual sea water is very little as well...

The higher costing salts are just as good as some of the lower costing salts...

I agree they all take us too, thats why I choose the cheapest ride

[animekid1]

I hope that I havent caused a "Salt War" here on the forum. But I have to admit that what I have seen and read leads me to think that it would be a good idea to do a mix of bagged sea water, along with making my own salt. It would seem to me that after looking at " Most " of the commercial salts on the market that they all seem to lack something, and that supplementing is a neessity dependant again upon the specific needs of the type of environment you want to create for your sea life.

Lew

[NATIVEVAMAN]

I just read so many articles slamming nearly all the salt makers that it is hard to believe that they remain unresponsive to our needs. It would seem that there apparent mistatement of the facts and in some cases complete lies are leading us to keep our treasured pets in very hostile enviornment. That may sound like an overstatement but when you consider that one of the salts contain 1,333 times the lead that seawater contains it gets scarey. If natural seawater contained that much lead I surely wouldnt let my kid swim in. We spend a lot of money in r/o d/i units to take this stuff out of the water only to put most of it back when we make salt. If labeling practices of this nature wear allowed in human food we would all be dead.

[pogodzib]

I stick with the proven brand that has been around for a long time (IO and RC). There are way too many brands of salt and equipment that everyone raves about when it first comes out and then a few months to a year later everyone is having all kinds of problems with it and switches back to the old stuff.