Best Salt to Use
- Thread starter fishscale1
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apb03
Well-Known Member
I think the decision comes down to what your needs are. All salts work, but not all salts are best for every situation. I keep my water in storage for up to a month, so I can't use salts like Red Sea Coral Pro because it doesn't store well, same goes for those bacteria-infused salts meant to be used right away. I don't really dose Magnesium so I prefer a salt that is higher in mag.
I think the advice of picking a salt that matches your desired parameters is a good one so that you see minimal changes when you do a water change.
Also, it's good to consider how clean the salt mixes and if you are willing to clean the bucket periodically or not. Reef Crystals has great parameters but like Red Sea Coral Pro, it can leave a brown residue.
I think the advice of picking a salt that matches your desired parameters is a good one so that you see minimal changes when you do a water change.
Also, it's good to consider how clean the salt mixes and if you are willing to clean the bucket periodically or not. Reef Crystals has great parameters but like Red Sea Coral Pro, it can leave a brown residue.
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fishscale1
Community Member
Makes sense! I use Tropic Marin in the past and recently just use premade saltwater from LFS. Everything I. My tank is fine and growing but I wanted to improve the color in my SPS. I figured I’d ask to see if ppl had improved color using specific brands. Thanks for the tips!
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fishscale1
Community Member
Understood! Thanks! I’m gonna do some research on NYOS I’ve never used that one before. Especially since you said “in that order” lol
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fishscale1
Community Member
That’s good to hear! Haven’t used coral pro either but have heard good things. Which color bucket are you using currently the black or blue bucket?
littlefoxx
7500 Club Member
This bucket!
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bushdoc
Valuable Member
I am not going to give you brand recommendations, but I would avoid salt with vitamins and amino acids. I personally prefer salt with lower dKH as I can adjust my alkalinity by additives, so so called reef pro salts with usually higher alkalinity might not always be the best option As it already locks you on higher levels.Other things to consider is how long can you keep it outside DT and some salts can only be kept this way for few days ( including Red Sea Pro, I believe) to maintain top parameters.
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fishscale1
Community Member
Understood. I agree on the higher levels. I don’t want to be too to where it’s shocking if you come down. Do you have SPS in your reef? If so would you say it’s the additives or the salt that increase the color? I just want to boost the color of my SPS honestly and heard that a good salt can help with that. That’s why I wanted to see which salt ppl preferred.
bushdoc
Valuable Member
I have low nitrates, so need to keep dKH around 8. If your Nitrates are higher, you need your dKH higher.It’s easier to increase dKH , than to drop it, that’s why I prefer salt with alkalinity around 8.
areefer01
2500 Club Member
I think you have the general consensus that there is no best. The real answer is what do you want to keep your water chemistry at as it relates to Alk, Ca, and Mg. With that in mind scour the salts, see who puts that information on the bucket or box, and go from there.
This is important because the first thing we are doing is keeping water. Yes, you heard that. Water. If you can't maintain that everything else will struggle. So get a salt that matches your parameters this way if something goes South you can make a batch of water and not have to worry about shocking your animals (mostly corals) because the parameters are higher, or lower and you don't have to adjust them manually.
Also factor in a budget. How much does the salt coast. How many water changes will you be doing a month, then year. Do some math, and see if that helps you.
I don't know, I personally think that money can be allocated elsewhere.
I landed on Instant Ocean and stopped playing the game of which salt is better.
Unless your tank is new, most people have to dose to achieve the proper levels of calcium carbonate for their tank. Whether it's 2 part, kalkwasser, calcium reactor, all for reef, and the list can go on, you adjust the amount based on your coral demand.
The main difference in salts are the levels of elements (major and trace). But the big ones we all concern ourselves with are the major elements (alkalinity, calcium and magnesium). Those vary from brand to brand, but none of that matters because youre making up for it via supplemental dosing. In essence, you're basing your supplemental dosing on the brand of salt you use. In the end, the results are all the same. So the question becomes, how do you want to pay for that calcium carbonate? In the salt or in the dosing? Do the math and see which one is much much cheaper.
The only way salt brand makes sense is if you're solely relying on waterchanges to keep up with your tanks demand. Otherwise save that money!
I landed on Instant Ocean and stopped playing the game of which salt is better.
Unless your tank is new, most people have to dose to achieve the proper levels of calcium carbonate for their tank. Whether it's 2 part, kalkwasser, calcium reactor, all for reef, and the list can go on, you adjust the amount based on your coral demand.
The main difference in salts are the levels of elements (major and trace). But the big ones we all concern ourselves with are the major elements (alkalinity, calcium and magnesium). Those vary from brand to brand, but none of that matters because youre making up for it via supplemental dosing. In essence, you're basing your supplemental dosing on the brand of salt you use. In the end, the results are all the same. So the question becomes, how do you want to pay for that calcium carbonate? In the salt or in the dosing? Do the math and see which one is much much cheaper.
The only way salt brand makes sense is if you're solely relying on waterchanges to keep up with your tanks demand. Otherwise save that money!
blaxsun
10K Club member
I like Tropic Marin Pro Reef myself. It mixes clean, stores indefinitely and I've never had any issues with the German manufacture. Since I don't do water changes I can afford to spend a bit more on salt.
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This will be a varied answer based on user preference, needs and availability.
I have used most every salt on the market especially having owned an LFS and received many sample boxes to try.
Instant Ocean is the most universal and used by most public aquariums such as georgia, shedds, Miami and New York.
My all time favorite was Salinity by Seachem but became hard to fin and when found was pricey
I also liked Aquaforest salt but for a time , it too was hard to find
I currently use Tropic Marin and it has done Very well for me.
In the past, I have used, corallife, Kent, Hawaiian marine and Reef crystal in addition to Red sea reg and pro plus Fritz blue. None I can say have let me down and its a matter of if you are focusing on fish, coral or both
