Red Sea Salt Mix

[schooleyosis]

B, we should have wrote down our comparisons when I brought my test kits over so we could have remember how the results compared against the Hanna Checkers....

 

[sluicebox]

I dont trust that hanna calcium checker at all. Too much room for error when testing using a whole cuvette full of RODI, and those 1ml syringes they supply are crap. And having your alk come out below 8 is fine because more than likely you will be dosing anyways. I was using Brightwells salt because it did mix at 7. I used to run my alk at 7.2, only since I changed salt has it creeped up to 8.2

I agree on the Hanna Ca checker. It was always 100 ppm too high. I compared to both the Salifert and Sea Chem kits which were in close agreement. The Sea Chem kit is a bit harder and the end point is not as clear as the Salifert. So, I've settled on Salifert for both Ca and Mg.

Also, I've switched from Red Sea Coral Pro Salt to the regular Red Sea salt in the blue container. The coral pro mixed at over 10 dKH. The regular Red Sea salt is closer to 7.5 with good Ca levels of around 400 ppm.

 

[schooleyosis]

Thanks for the input Bob. I agree on the test kits. I used my RedSea Pro test kits and API test kits and they showed the same results but the Hanna was far off from what both of them read...

 

[.AcroKiller.]

I agree on the Hanna Ca checker. It was always 100 ppm too high. I compared to both the Salifert and Sea Chem kits which were in close agreement. The Sea Chem kit is a bit harder and the end point is not as clear as the Salifert. So, I've settled on Salifert for both Ca and Mg.

Also, I've switched from Red Sea Coral Pro Salt to the regular Red Sea salt in the blue container. The coral pro mixed at over 10 dKH. The regular Red Sea salt is closer to 7.5 with good Ca levels of around 400 ppm.

If you guys reed on the red sea site it tells you the diferrent in the two. If you are starting with frags then the coral pro is your best bet but if you have a mature reef the regular redsea its your best bet and then dose to your specs

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[sluicebox]

If you guys reed on the red sea site it tells you the diferrent in the two. If you are starting with frags then the coral pro is your best bet but if you have a mature reef the regular redsea its your best bet and then dose to your specs

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If you are running biopellets, you don't want the Red Sea Coral Pro as the Alk as mixed is way too high....over 10 dKH. That's why I switched even though I have a relatively new tank.

 

[Dowtish]

If you are running biopellets, you don't want the Red Sea Coral Pro as the Alk as mixed is way too high....over 10 dKH. That's why I switched even though I have a relatively new tank.

Exactly. Most "pro" or "coral" or "reef" salts mix at really high levels. If I am going to be dosing then why do I want that to affect my levels every time I do a WC? Plus for those of us using EcoBak we all should be shooting for ALk around 8dkh.

 

[.AcroKiller.]

Exactly. Most "pro" or "coral" or "reef" salts mix at really high levels. If I am going to be dosing then why do I want that to affect my levels every time I do a WC? Plus for those of us using EcoBak we all should be shooting for ALk around 8dkh.

What does alk has to do with bio pellets just asking since I dont know

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[Dowtish]

Higher ALK in a Ultra Low Nutrient System causes the tips of SPS to burn. The short answer is that no body knows what the mechanism is for alk burn with ULNS. There are some guesses, but no data. This is not a bio-pellet thing, this is a low nutrient thing.... which of course bio pellets can put you in that category, but don't think of it as a issue with bio pellets.

Bottom line is that IF you have excellent water quality, and IF you have excellent light, and IF you provide excellent nutrition.... THEN if you jack up your Ca and Alk then perhaps you can achieve excellent grwoth. However, there is no need at all to have your ca and alk jacked way up.

Ca is not so harmful, but Alk can be. Keeping Alk levels at more reasonable levels gives room for error.

 

[schooleyosis]

Good explanation Chris.

 

[.AcroKiller.]

Higher ALK in a Ultra Low Nutrient System causes the tips of SPS to burn. The short answer is that no body knows what the mechanism is for alk burn with ULNS. There are some guesses, but no data. This is not a bio-pellet thing, this is a low nutrient thing.... which of course bio pellets can put you in that category, but don't think of it as a issue with bio pellets.

Bottom line is that IF you have excellent water quality, and IF you have excellent light, and IF you provide excellent nutrition.... THEN if you jack up your Ca and Alk then perhaps you can achieve excellent grwoth. However, there is no need at all to have your ca and alk jacked way up.

Ca is not so harmful, but Alk can be. Keeping Alk levels at more reasonable levels gives room for error.

Thanks

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[sluicebox]

Higher ALK in a Ultra Low Nutrient System causes the tips of SPS to burn. The short answer is that no body knows what the mechanism is for alk burn with ULNS. There are some guesses, but no data. This is not a bio-pellet thing, this is a low nutrient thing.... which of course bio pellets can put you in that category, but don't think of it as a issue with bio pellets.

Bottom line is that IF you have excellent water quality, and IF you have excellent light, and IF you provide excellent nutrition.... THEN if you jack up your Ca and Alk then perhaps you can achieve excellent grwoth. However, there is no need at all to have your ca and alk jacked way up.

Ca is not so harmful, but Alk can be. Keeping Alk levels at more reasonable levels gives room for error.

That's a great explanation and that is probably why I've lost so many SPS frags. I'm working on getting the Alk down and then trying SPS again. Thanks.

 

[schooleyosis]

Ordered a bucket of salt from the link posted yesterday and the bucket was sitting at my doorstep this afternoon! Quick and free!!'

 

[ToXIc]

Ordered a bucket of salt from the link posted yesterday and the bucket was sitting at my doorstep this afternoon! Quick and free!!'

Dang. Saturday delivery for free cant beat that.
I ordered a bucket myself today. Who was the carrier FedEx or UPS and where did it ship from?


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[schooleyosis]

FED EX from Ohio. Can't wait to crack this stuff open and test it out. The label shows CAL = 410 MAG = 1280 and ALK = 7.8 at 1.025

 

[Luckfish]

Let us know, I'm thinking about getting a bucket myself.

 

[schooleyosis]

I usually mix on Tuesday and perform the water tests and water change on Wednesday. Stay tuned...

 

[ToXIc]

Should get my salt today. Loving the one day turn around on shipping.


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[schooleyosis]

Heck yeah. I'm gunna mix some up at lunch and test tonight! Plan to add 5 gallons of new salt to 10 gallons of IO for my water change this week. Next week do 10 gallons new salt to 5 gallons IO, and then the last week of December do a 100% water change with RedSea. This ought to bring my levels down slowly and give the tank time to adjust. Then the goal is to start doing water changes every other week rather than once a week. Hopefully the EcoBAK will have taken off by then too!