Considering changing salt mix

[ClearRain]

So it's that time to buy more salt, and considering changing mixes. Ive always used Instant Ocean(Reef Crystals currently). It's never let me down before, but I keep seeing great things said about other mixes. My question; to those of you that have switched mixes before, did you notice any benefit? If so, from which brand to which?

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

Except for the price tag and some small differences in trace elements, salts are salts. You'll get a bunch of differing opinions on what salt is best but the reality is: there is no "best" salt. What really matters is: Is it affordable and readily available? If you need to do a large waterchange tomorrow, would you rather use a salt that you can get at any Petco, or get a salt that'll take a week to get to you and costs twice as much? Consistency should be a consideration as well, if it's not broken then why mess with it?

 

[Nonya]

Except for the price tag and some small differences in trace elements, salts are salts. You'll get a bunch of differing opinions on what salt is best but the reality is: there is no "best" salt. What really matters is: Is it affordable and readily available? If you need to do a large waterchange tomorrow, would you rather use a salt that you can get at any Petco, or get a salt that'll take a week to get to you and costs twice as much? Consistency should be a consideration as well, if it's not broken then why mess with it?

Amazon sells at least a dozen brands of reef salt. I always keep enough on hand for a 100% change.

 

[lisajulia]

So it's that time to buy more salt, and considering changing mixes. Ive always used Instant Ocean(Reef Crystals currently). It's never let me down before, but I keep seeing great things said about other mixes. My question; to those of you that have switched mixes before, did you notice any benefit? If so, from which brand to which?

i'm going back to Reef Crystals. Got a 'fancy' mix that's on day 4 mixing up and still it's cloudy and my ph is low.

 

[PatW]

I currently use Red Sea. It mixes pretty clean. It might have a touch of brown film But very little. It could be from the mix I used before. So far, it has been very consistent in parameters. The mix I used before was pretty variable. But from everything that I have read, salt mixes really are not the critical thing. The system set up, the husbandry practices followed, the number of fail safes you have in place and so on are what does it.

 

[Bucs20fan]

There are dozens of opinions and success stories and horror stories with all salt mixes. I choose IORC due to it being available everywhere and I wont have to worry. If you just want to change salts then go for it, but I learned very very quickly in this hobby, if it aint broke, dont fix it.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

I like what I see from redsea blue so far. Switched from that German brand out of abundance of caution. RSBlue mixes close to my tank parameters so makes sense. I don’t keep a high dkh and aim for nsw parameters for the big 3

 

[Tankkeepers]

So it's that time to buy more salt, and considering changing mixes. Ive always used Instant Ocean(Reef Crystals currently). It's never let me down before, but I keep seeing great things said about other mixes. My question; to those of you that have switched mixes before, did you notice any benefit? If so, from which brand to which?

I switched from io to red sea coral pro and there was a world of difference in both color and growth

Ime it also mixes up pretty constantly and I have never rolled the bucket or anything I buy it online have it shipped open it and use it has never settled bringing imbalances in mixing and I have not had it clump or not dissolve like io does on occation nor have I found a substantial amount of clay in it

Aka no brown crud in mixing barrel

 

[Tankkeepers]

I hear alot of really good things about tropical marine to the point I'm even considering switching

But have not used it

 

[flashsmith]

If what you're doing is working why switch? The only thing you'll notice different is all the money you're literally pouring out every time you do a change. Why spend double on salt to increase something when you're more than likely dosing it anyway?

 

[92Miata]

I hear alot of really good things about tropical marine to the point I'm even considering switching

But have not used it

You mean the salt that killed a ton of tanks this and last year because of very obvious contamination? The one that the manufacturer claimed was fine for a year and finally recalled because public sentiment was so bad? The one where contamination wasn't possible because they use all 'pharmaceutical grade ingredients'? That one? The one where people have been getting german buckets with high arsenic?

Nobody should be recommending Tropic Marin at this point.

 

[Potatohead]

I use Red Sea but if IO made a lower alk formula I would just use that, I am too lazy to doctor the salts in the mixing barrel to make it work.

 

[cgripp256]

I use Red Sea but if IO made a lower alk formula I would just use that, I am too lazy to doctor the salts in the mixing barrel to make it work.

How low do you run Alk?

 

[Potatohead]

How low do you run Alk?

High sixes

 

[Tankkeepers]

You mean the salt that killed a ton of tanks this and last year because of very obvious contamination? The one that the manufacturer claimed was fine for a year and finally recalled because public sentiment was so bad? The one where contamination wasn't possible because they use all 'pharmaceutical grade ingredients'? That one? The one where people have been getting german buckets with high arsenic?

Nobody should be recommending Tropic Marin at this point.

Had no clue about that

Knew they did a shut down but that's all and wow very bad

 

[Dolphis]

You mean the salt that killed a ton of tanks this and last year because of very obvious contamination? The one that the manufacturer claimed was fine for a year and finally recalled because public sentiment was so bad? The one where contamination wasn't possible because they use all 'pharmaceutical grade ingredients'? That one? The one where people have been getting german buckets with high arsenic?

Nobody should be recommending Tropic Marin at this point.

I was awared of the Turkey scandal, but had no idea about the arsenic, wow.

 

[ReefRondo]

I was awared of the Turkey scandal, but had no idea about the arsenic, wow.

I didn’t know about the arsenic!?! Can we have a source for this info?

 

[Dolphis]

Been wanting to switch to RedSea or IO… I don’t like the gunk IO leaves behind. Have never used RS, but I’m hoping it doesn’t leave as much gunk behind. Gonna try out a bucket of RS to compare and go from there

 

[Lou Ekus]

You mean the salt that killed a ton of tanks this and last year because of very obvious contamination? The one that the manufacturer claimed was fine for a year and finally recalled because public sentiment was so bad? The one where contamination wasn't possible because they use all 'pharmaceutical grade ingredients'? That one? The one where people have been getting german buckets with high arsenic?

Nobody should be recommending Tropic Marin at this point.

If you have a validated source for the "high arsenic" claim you are making, please post it here so we can investigate. If you do not have a validated source, please keep your comments factual or posted as opinion only!

 

[92Miata]

If you have a validated source for the "high arsenic" claim you are making, please post it here so we can investigate. If you do not have a validated source, please keep your comments factual or posted as opinion only!

Last I checked Lou, you're not the mod of this forum, so you don't get to tell people to be quiet. I'm pretty sure that this is a direct violation of the sponsor rules.

There are a bunch of ICP results from this thread (https://bostonreefers.org/forums/in...o-reef-issues-condensed-threads.176403/page-4) and many others showing readable arsenic. There are threads on reefs.org, there are threads on nanoreef. I've seen others.


Maybe, rather than continuing to gaslight people about problems, you guys should start trying to fix them?