ESV or Coral Pro Salt ?

[CHUCKB973]

Hello fellow reefers Luis here, I was hoping to get some input on both ESV and Coral Pro Salt. Does any one here use either? I wanted to get some pros and cons on both. I’m working on my new Sca 50 cube build and I'm undecided on which salt to use. I’ve narrowed it down to these two. I will have a mixed reef tank but will mostly focus on sps. I will be running a two part doser as well to keep my alk and calcium stable. This will be my first time really diving into sps. Any advice will be appreciated thanks!!!

 

[Gareth elliott]

Never used esv but in the over half dozen salts i have used i cant say i ever had a livestock act negatively to any of them.

Pick a salt that matches
-Your budget
-availability, want shipped or want at the lfs
-closely matches where you want your parameters to be.
Ranked in order in what i find most important, others may rank differently.
But any salt will grow sps. I am lying theres a really cheap salt that i forget the name of, varies a lot between batches in a yellow and green box, dont use that one [emoji23].
Only real difference other than alkalinity and other parameters i have noticed between salts was speed of mixing, fastest i have used was omega sea but annoying to source for me.

 

[CHUCKB973]

Thanks for the input! I was planning on ordering online. I don’t have any good LFS around me. The nearest one is way over priced. It’s cheaper for me to order online lol. As far as parameters I was going to keep the alk somewhere between 8.5-9.

 

[Gareth elliott]

I use Live aquaria salt right now order off their site free shipping. And alkalinity is range is 8.5-9.5 .
Costs me $50 a box. And they have a reward system that i can turn into dollars off corals or fish.

But whatever salt you use will not stop you from being successful

 

[Admann]

I used CPS exclusively for several years, got tired of the excessive buildup in the mixing bucket. I am currently using HW Wiegant (hope that's spelled correctly). The first batch of HWW worked and mixed beautifully, water was always clear and mixed fast. The second batch mixed cloudy and stayed cloudy in the DT with good parameters and 0 buildup in the mix bucket. I now have the E.S.V. that I will be using soon and get back then, after a few water changes.

 

[CHUCKB973]

I use Live aquaria salt right now order off their site free shipping. And alkalinity is range is 8.5-9.5 .
Costs me $50 a box. And they have a reward system that i can turn into dollars off corals or fish.

But whatever salt you use will not stop you from being successful

I used CPS exclusively for several years, got tired of the excessive buildup in the mixing bucket. I am currently using HW Wiegant (hope that's spelled correctly). The first batch of HWW worked and mixed beautifully, water was always clear and mixed fast. The second batch mixed cloudy and stayed cloudy in the DT with good parameters and 0 buildup in the mix bucket. I now have the E.S.V. that I will be using soon and get back then, after a few water changes.

Please let me know how that batch of esv mixes for you thanks!

 

[reef lover]

I use esv for several years now. Love that you can have it ready in an hour or two, all components are seperate so no settling in the bucket, always mixes clear and stores clear for ages,and you can adjust your alk and calc to match your parameters.

 

[Admann]

Please let me know how that batch of esv mixes for you thanks!

Will do

 

[CHUCKB973]

I use esv for several years now. Love that you can have it ready in an hour or two, all components are seperate so no settling in the bucket, always mixes clear and stores clear for ages,and you can adjust your alk and calc to match your parameters.

Thanks for the reply I’m starting to lean towards ESV. The only thing that still weirds me out is that the components come separate. It almost makes me feel like there’s bigger room for error but at the same time more room for adjustments. Was it a pretty easy to mix up your first batch of ESV? Also if you don’t mind What Salt were you using before and why did you switch to ESV?

 

[reef lover]

First batch was just as easy. They give you a sheet so you can mix what you need...i make 10 gals at a time.
I used to use instant ocean but did not like using water that was Already brown just sitting in the bucket. And the inconsistencies in parameters really bothered me.

 

[MrObscura]

I started with pro but switched to blue bucket because Alk was way too high with pro.

Honestly EVS, while I'm sure is a fine salt, seems like too much of a hassle for me, and kind of gimmicky in that elements separating isn't that big an problem... Just give the salt a little stir before mixing.

 

[DSC reef]

Started and always used coral pro. Crystal clear water and ready to use within an hour or two. Red sea makes a great salt and always had consistent numbers.

 

[jt17]

I have tried both in the past. I switched from coral pro to esv because of the mixing and storage time. Once coral pro is mixed you are not supposed to mix it further. I was doing auto water change and needed to store the water for a while and my instincts tell me mix it periodically so I switched to esv. The esv mixed very easily and was clean. I very much like the b ionic 2 part and mag. They have trace elements that most don’t. On my current system I am using IO only because it’s a 900 gal system and I thought I might save a buck and I am following WWC’s method which uses IO and brightwell aquatics ca and mg to bring the parameters up. Last month I started supplementing my calcium reactor with b ionic 2 part and mg and what a diffence in my sps color and growth. After I finish out what IO I have left I’ll be going back to ESV.

 

[CHUCKB973]

First batch was just as easy. They give you a sheet so you can mix what you need...i make 10 gals at a time.
I used to use instant ocean but did not like using water that was Already brown just sitting in the bucket. And the inconsistencies in parameters really bothered me.

ESV it is. I am going to give it a try!

 

[CHUCKB973]

I have tried both in the past. I switched from coral pro to esv because of the mixing and storage time. Once coral pro is mixed you are not supposed to mix it further. I was doing auto water change and needed to store the water for a while and my instincts tell me mix it periodically so I switched to esv. The esv mixed very easily and was clean. I very much like the b ionic 2 part and mag. They have trace elements that most don’t. On my current system I am using IO only because it’s a 900 gal system and I thought I might save a buck and I am following WWC’s method which uses IO and brightwell aquatics ca and mg to bring the parameters up. Last month I started supplementing my calcium reactor with b ionic 2 part and mg and what a diffence in my sps color and growth. After I finish out what IO I have left I’ll be going back to ESV.

Looks like I’m about to order some ESV! Thanks for the response.

 

[Admann]

Looks like I’m about to order some ESV! Thanks for the response.

I already have the ESV salt mix, 2-part and mag. I believe I will discontinue using what little bit of HWW I have and start the ESV next water change. Tomorrow actually.

 

[SamsReef]

ESV it is. I am going to give it a try!

I have tried lots of salt mixes over last 15 years in this hobby...I don’t believe that all salt are made the same. Reef managing is all about water chemistry management...and salt mix changes water chemistry significantly.

Top of the line has been tropic marine and Red Sea. They both dissolve very easy, does not leave residue in the container, and have shown good growth and color. You have to be mindful of major elements and dose 2 part accordingly. They are both synthetic salt, which I prefer. Don’t want to add Dried salt (like reef crystals and several others). If natural sea water was all that great, our reefs would not be dying.

They are both costly but tropic marine makes 200 gallon as opposed to others topping at 175 gallon per bucket.

BTW, I tried using ESV and its prone to human error and I know what you are thinking...I am not going to make those mistakes...well I was in the same boat 1 year before and after dosing for 6 months, I went back to tropic marine.

Hope that was helpful.

Sam

 

[CHUCKB973]

I have tried lots of salt mixes over last 15 years in this hobby...I don’t believe that all salt are made the same. Reef managing is all about water chemistry management...and salt mix changes water chemistry significantly.

Top of the line has been tropic marine and Red Sea. They both dissolve very easy, does not leave residue in the container, and have shown good growth and color. You have to be mindful of major elements and dose 2 part accordingly. They are both synthetic salt, which I prefer. Don’t want to add Dried salt (like reef crystals and several others). If natural sea water was all that great, our reefs would not be dying.

They are both costly but tropic marine makes 200 gallon as opposed to others topping at 175 gallon per bucket.

BTW, I tried using ESV and its prone to human error and I know what you are thinking...I am not going to make those mistakes...well I was in the same boat 1 year before and after dosing for 6 months, I went back to tropic marine.

Hope that was helpful.

Sam

Very helpful thanks. Was it just too time consuming to mix up a batch of ESV? What made you switch back?

 

[SamsReef]

Very helpful thanks. Was it just too time consuming to mix up a batch of ESV? What made you switch back?

Too much effort and prone to human error with ESV

 

[BestMomEver]

I’ve always used IO because that’s what my local stores have. But I’ve never been a fan. I’ve wanted to try the Red Sea Pro for a long time but just never did. At Reefapalooza last weekend I was able to talk to the Red Sea rep. He answered lots of my questions. I just ordered my first bucket. Bulk Reef Supply has free shipping on orders over $30 I think.