pro or classic TM?

Reef. · Aug 21, 2020

Anyone know which Tropic Marin salt would be best for a small 14g LPS nano tank? The Pro reef has lower alk but higher levels of mag and cal, the classic has higher alk but lower mag and cal, the Pro reef also recommends it is used with a calcium reactor which I don’t have and don’t have room for, so is my only option the classic?

GlassMunky · Aug 21, 2020

Reef. said:
Anyone know which Tropic Marin salt would be best for a small 14g LPS nano tank? The Pro reef has lower alk but higher levels of mag and cal, the classic has higher alk but lower mag and cal, the Pro reef also recommends it is used with a calcium reactor which I don’t have and don’t have room for, so is my only option the classic?

You could use either, they mainly recommend using a ca Rx or dosing with the PRO because it’s closer to NSW levels and if you don’t dose in a way it could drop too low.
I’d probably go with the pro since it’s a bit cheaper and you could get away with only doing water changes and not dosing with a low demand tank

DWPhilli · Aug 21, 2020

GlassMunky said:
You could use either, they mainly recommend using a ca Rx or dosing with the PRO because it’s closer to NSW levels and if you don’t dose in a way it could drop too low.
I’d probably go with the pro since it’s a bit cheaper and you could get away with only doing water changes and not dosing with a low demand tank

Do you mean go with "Classic"? I think classic is actually ~10% cheaper

DWPhilli · Aug 21, 2020

I have a mostly LPS & softie tank. So I chose to switch over to TM Classic. I can not comment on if this is a good idea though, as I am still using up my remaining Fritz blue box.

DWPhilli · Aug 21, 2020

I should probably also mention, the reason I chose Classic was that my CA & MG are stable, but alk does get consumed by my tank at ~0.15 / day. So the classic gives me a bit more buffer in alk in case I miss a few manual doses

GlassMunky · Aug 21, 2020

DWPhilli said:
Do you mean go with "Classic"? I think classic is actually ~10% cheaper

Yea I meant classic lol

Reef. · Aug 21, 2020

The classic seems at the bottom of the range for both cal and mag, just getting into corals so no idea how much of these they use a week, so would a 10% water change replace what is used or would I likely need to dose too? For an LPS nano tank.

I guess the question is what is easier to dose if water changes aren’t enough? is it easier to dose alk if I went for the pro or mag and cal if I went with the classic?

I’ma tempermental coral · Aug 21, 2020

For lps, zoa, shrooms and stuff the classic will do you absolutely fine! Heck it will do just fine with a little supplemental hand dosing with some hardier sps as well!

Reef. · Aug 21, 2020

I’ma tempermental coral said:
For lps, zoa, shrooms and stuff the classic will do you absolutely fine! Heck it will do just fine with a little supplemental hand dosing with some hardier sps as well!

The reason I ask is, reading this article the suggested lvls for mag and cal with classic are below those @Randy Holmes-Farley recommends

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/

I’ma tempermental coral · Aug 21, 2020

They are but they will absolutely sustain lps and the like. Supplemental dosing dosing won’t hurt though. Just make sure you find a good rhythm to avoid large swings.

Reef. · Aug 21, 2020

I’ma tempermental coral said:
They are but they will absolutely sustain lps and the like. Supplemental dosing dosing won’t hurt though. Just make sure you find a good rhythm to avoid large swings.

Thanks, just trying to cover all bases don’t fancy changing salt if I get it wrong, I guess the higher alk in the classic is there because it’s used at a greater rate, looks like it’s the classic for me then.

I’ma tempermental coral · Aug 21, 2020

If you choose to go the sps route I personally recommend the pro. That’s what I use in my mixed reef but my nutrients are at the low end so I run my alk around 7 anyway. That said I do monitor and adjust my Neptune dōs accordingly to avoid severe drops.

Reef. · Aug 21, 2020

I’ma tempermental coral said:
If you choose to go the sps route I personally recommend the pro. That’s what I use in my mixed reef but my nutrients are at the low end so I run my alk around 7 anyway. That said I do monitor and adjust my Neptune dōs accordingly to avoid severe drops.

I guess I will at some point but no plans yet, swapping from the classic to the pro with being the same brand I wouldn’t think would be an issue if done slowly?