Mixing salts to achieve desired parameters?

[SamMule]

Here's my dilemma... I've been using Red Sea Coral Pro salt.
It mixes at around 11.5dkh
I run my system at 9.2-9.5dkh.

During water changes, I am seeing a swing of about .5dkh.

Couldn't I mix my salt 50/50 with red Sea blue bucket to get a ~9.5dkh mix?
Seems it would be much easier than dosing something to drop my mix DKH and then worry about a PH drop as well.

 

[GoVols]

Couldn't I mix my salt 50/50 with red Sea blue bucket to get a ~9.5dkh mix?
Seems it would be much easier than dosing something to drop my mix DKH and then worry about a PH drop as well.

I'd give it a shot and really like the Red Sea salts.

Seems like the regular Blue Bucket comes in at about 7.8 dKH.

Thinking about doing the same thing and now you can buy the bigger bags for the Coral Pro and the regular Red Sea mixes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It is certainly fine to mix salt products and a fair number of folks do that.

 

[GoVols]

@SamMule

Please lets us know what your alk comes in by going 50/50.

Just an FYI:

I was using the DD H2Ocean Pro+ Mag mix (for a long time frame) and comes in pretty close to what you looking for.

From my understanding Red Sea was making that mix to David Saxby's specs in their plant in Israel.

I talked to Marine Depot and that mix has been discontinued, at least for the USA consumers.

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Another mix that you may want to consider is the "Aquavitro Salinity" mix

But there are some things to consider with the Salinity mix.

You have to buy it from a local retailer, so their price is going to be their price.

It does mix cloudy no matter what you do, but 1/2 cup per gallon will hit 1.026 SG, not .35 ppt, but pretty darn close.

And if you use API for cal and alk testing it can be hard to determine the color endpoints. Be like am I at 420 or 440ppm ??? when testing calcium once your tank is fully cycled with that mix.

In Nashville, the 220 bucket that mixes 220 gallons at 1.026 sg is way over $100.00, but other places in the USA will sell that same 220 bucket for about $80.00

lol
If I could get it at $80.00 I would have stayed with that mix.

Thinking it mixes cloudy (but your tank will be totally clear within a matter of hours) because it's so concentrated and if you let it sit for long then the alk will precipitate down. After about 10n - 12 hours (of sitting) it will have come down from 9.0 to about 8.4

Just wanted to pass it along, and please let us know your findings.

 

[SamMule]

Thank you. I won't be able to go down to my LFS get the blue bucket for another week or so. It's a 2 hour drive. So, this week's (and possibly next) water change will be the same as before.
I will most definitely keep you updated and share the results.

 

[SamMule]

I picked up some 31% HCL muriatic acid to reduce the alk for this week's salt mix. Is that the right stuff? Says 31.xx% hcl 68% inert. Doesn't list any other ingredients.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I picked up some 31% HCL muriatic acid to reduce the alk for this week's salt mix. Is that the right stuff? Says 31.xx% hcl 68% inert. Doesn't list any other ingredients.

That is a suitable material, yes. Be sure to not splash it on yourself.

 

[blasterman]

I have the same dilemma.

The only time I buy salt mix is locally, and often Reef Crystals is the only stuff available. Since i run dosing pumps at 8-9 dKH the default high alk of RC is no5 desired.

A bit of muriatic allows me to correct the salt mix dKH to tank values.

 

[SamMule]

Update:
I started mixing the blue and black buckets. Tomorrow will be my second WC with mixed salts. I did find that a 50/50 mix did not reach my desired 9.0dkh alk. It was actually closer to 10.
Maybe the way DKH is measured is not linear?
This mix was 20% coral pro and 80% blue bucket. After 6 hours of mixing, alk came in at 9.1dkh.
Also, calc came in at ~420
Magnesium 1320-1350
1.026sg
Alk was tested with Hannah, so I am confident in the number.
The other two were API and salifert, respectively, so they're more ballpark figures anyway.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Maybe the way DKH is measured is not linear?

Alkalinity is linear on mixing and any accurate way to measure alkalinity will correctly show linearity of mixing. Why you got something different, I do not know.

 

[SamMule]

Weird... I tested again a couple hours ago and got 8.9. Maybe I'm doing something wrong with the test.
My results are consistent, so I guess there's that.
Is there a calibration for these things aside from turning it on?

 

[C. Eymann]

back in the day one of the classic combos was instant ocean and oceanic in a 50:50 mix.

 

[YankeeTankee]

I know of a very old one on another forum but can someone link me to a table that displays common salt brands and all their parameters? Preferably with multiple tests done by hobbyists (not just what manufacturers claim) to verify accuracy and consistency?

 

[Potatohead]

I know of a very old one on another forum but can someone link me to a table that displays common salt brands and all their parameters? Preferably with multiple tests done by hobbyists (not just what manufacturers claim) to verify accuracy and consistency?

Probably the closest thing you'll find is BRS videos on YouTube from maybe eight or nine months ago, they did a whole series on salt mixes and parameters.

 

[Mikedawg]

Here's my dilemma... I've been using Red Sea Coral Pro salt.
It mixes at around 11.5dkh
I run my system at 9.2-9.5dkh.

During water changes, I am seeing a swing of about .5dkh.

Couldn't I mix my salt 50/50 with red Sea blue bucket to get a ~9.5dkh mix?
Seems it would be much easier than dosing something to drop my mix DKH and then worry about a PH drop as well.

That's what I do

 

[Privateye]

I used to work at a store that sold two types of salt water: Red Sea Coral Pro, and Instant Ocean.

In general we recommended IO for fish and Red Sea for corals.

However, my manager (who had a number of celebrity maintenance accounts) would always use a 50/50 mix in the tanks he maintained. In his words "The Coral pro has too many nutrients in it. I get less algae if I mix it with Instant Ocean."

I personally use IO, but you're not alone in considered mixing Coral Pro with something else!