Salt Brand Discussion

[underthereef]

HI all,

I was pondering something; in regards to reef salt brands and parameters that they have, what exactly makes certain brands better than others?

For example, here's really what I'm contemplating:

Why is Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt so popular and so much "better"? I'm setting up my first reef tank and have done so much research and watching videos/planning etc and Tropic Marin Pro was all ever anyone (BRS) talked about. But then I saw the video testing all of the different salt parameters etc and I don't understand how Tropic Marin Pro is better? It's not that I am bashing them obviously they are supposed to be more pure and consistent and people want specific things I understand that and I even already purchased several buckets of Tropic Marin Pro when I was sold on it while planning. but why does it have such low DKH?

In my eyes one of the most stable and best parameter salts seemed to be the Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. They have higher parameters and stay stable. Maybe they aren't as "clean." I've already been mixed Instant Ocean for cycling my quarantine tank and I can say despite their video it seems to mix crystal clear pretty fast. I am also not buying that it takes SIGNIFICANTLY more IO to make the same salinity that TMP makes with SIGNIFICANTLY less. Instant Ocean is also less expensive and considered by many to be "cheap" or not as good of a salt.

Is it all just agenda pushing and marketing by the people making these videos? Do we follow the money? Is there a reason why you'd want so much lower DKH in a salt? I started to realize this in some of BRS other videos that they do kind of just push the products they like or are more expensive even when their own investigates doesn't always support this. Mainly by the head honcho.

I'd just like to hear everyone's opinions on this and why I'd pick one salt over the other. Another example is that Red Sea Coral Pro Salt has high DKH but then drops off for no reason. I find that not good and therefore haven't considered it, but is there a reason why that is good? Am I missing something? Why would I want to buy a salt with significantly lower DKH? If I was set on dosing Alkalinity more? Please explain. Is it more important regardless of brand to be consistent and use the same salt (whatever that is) once I do have an established reef? Thanks.

 

[Woodyman]

Pick a salt that has the parameters you want to maintain for your tank, and that you can reliably source.

 

[Woodyman]

You can choose to run your tank on the higher side (IO), lower side (TM), or in the middle (Red Sea).

There are successful and unsuccessful reefs using all of the above. The salt isn't going to make your reef glamorous.

Your time, dedication, learning, husbandry, care, effort, etc. that you put into your tank will make it shine, not the salt mix you choose.

So learn all you can, pick a salt you are comfortable paying for that you can source and stick with it, eventually depending on tank size you will dose certain parameters anyways.

 

[underthereef]

You can choose to run your tank on the higher side (IO), lower side (TM), or in the middle (Red Sea).

There are successful and unsuccessful reefs using all of the above. The salt isn't going to make your reef glamorous.

Your time, dedication, learning, husbandry, care, effort, etc. that you put into your tank will make it shine, not the salt mix you choose.

So learn all you can, pick a salt you are comfortable paying for that you can source and stick with it, eventually depending on tank size you will dose certain parameters anyways.

I agree, thanks for your response! Isn't Tropic Marin Pro DKH already lower than it should be for having thriving stony corals? Requiring dosing to begin with? Or is it more of a matter of: dosing less with high parameter salt and dosing more with TM once you already have a thriving reef? Whereas to begin with either or probably wouldn't matter anyway?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I agree, thanks for your response! Isn't Tropic Marin Pro DKH already lower than it should be for having thriving stony corals? Requiring dosing to begin with? Or is it more of a matter of: dosing less with high parameter salt and dosing more with TM once you already have a thriving reef? Whereas to begin with either or probably wouldn't matter anyway?

I'm certainly no coral expert but I agree 100% that the salt you choose doesn't matter much in the big picture...it's your husbandry and consistency that make for a stable and healthy tank

 

[jda]

TM is popular in Europe because it is cheap, available and reliable (until recently).

IO is popular in the US because it is cheap, available and reliable.

In the end, look for a consistent and reliable salt and then doctor it up to make it your own. I feel that it is a mistake to choose a salt based on parameters since some brands do wander from batch to batch and can have QC issues. You only have to figure out how to do this once and then you can apply it over and over again. I use IO because it is cheap, reliable and consistent and I add some muriatic acid to bring the alk down and some dowflake to bring the calcium up. It took me a few minutes more than a decade ago to figure this out and I have been doing this the same way since then.

 

[Woodyman]

I agree, thanks for your response! Isn't Tropic Marin Pro DKH already lower than it should be for having thriving stony corals? Requiring dosing to begin with? Or is it more of a matter of: dosing less with high parameter salt and dosing more with TM once you already have a thriving reef? Whereas to begin with either or probably wouldn't matter anyway?

You do not need a high dkh for coral growth. There's a thread recently about a nice SPS tank running at 4. It can be done if you know what your doing. Higher dkh can help with faster growth just like increasing your pH to above 8.3

Unless your running a small tank, any tank with hard corals will need some shape or form of dosing.

 

[Oldreefer44]

In short, no it is not lower than it should be. Many of us run our DKH in the 7's. Many believe that you get better coral color in that range. Dosing would be needed to make up for the amount consumed in order to keep it stable. I use TM pro because it mixes very quickly and is very consistent. That being said, I agree with others that there isnt that much difference. Pick one that has the levels you want and stick with it. IMO, consistency is most important.

 

[Woodyman]

In short, no it is not lower than it should be. Many of us run our DKH in the 7's. Many believe that you get better coral color in that range. Dosing would be needed to make up for the amount consumed in order to keep it stable. I use TM pro because it mixes very quickly and is very consistent. That being said, I agree with others that there isnt that much difference. Pick one that has the levels you want and stick with it. IMO, consistency is most important.

Full disclosure I use TM pro. I run my tanks @ ~7.5 I know every batch I mix up is consistent with the last (in my experience, I know some will disagree).

 

[underthereef]

The consensus definitely seems to be consistency no matter what you go with, which I totally agree with. Not doing something to throw your system out of wack from what it has been thriving with and maintaining levels.

But I should've asked, what are the reasons to choose lower parameters vs high parameters? I know every tank is different but are there some specific reasons or things people agree on for higher vs lower parameters? Like how oldreefer44 mentioned that many believe that you get better coral color in the 7-8 dkh range; what are some other factors for wanting higher or lower parameters?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I'd just like to hear everyone's opinions on this and why I'd pick one salt over the other.

In general, I think it doesn't matter.

Here's why I picked normal IO for 20 years:

1. It is among the least expensive
2. It does not contain added organic matter (vitamins, chelators, etc.), allowing me to store it unstirred without risk of becoming anaerobic
3. It is a lower calcium mix, so it meshes well with using limewater/kalkwasser which is an excess calcium method
4. It has a very long history of success in all types of reef aquaria

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The consensus definitely seems to be consistency no matter what you go with, which I totally agree with. Not doing something to throw your system out of wack from what it has been thriving with and maintaining levels.

But I should've asked, what are the reasons to choose lower parameters vs high parameters? I know every tank is different but are there some specific reasons or things people agree on for higher vs lower parameters? Like how oldreefer44 mentioned that many believe that you get better coral color in the 7-8 dkh range; what are some other factors for wanting higher or lower parameters?

Bear in mind that tank parameters do not need to be driven by, or match the salt mix.

Higher alk gives faster calcification of many hard corals. It requires somewhat more nutrients in the water to avoid burnt tips, perhaps from skeletons growing faster than tissue can keep up.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Does anyone have opinions on AquaVitro Salinity salt? I just started using it as my LFS suggested it as an alternative to TM while they get their issues worked out. I have no experience with it and do not know anyone who uses it other than my LFS for some of their service clients.

 

[MaxTremors]

I like to run my tank around 8-8.5dkh. NSW has a dkh of around 7. In general, higher dkh leads to faster growth, lower dkh leads to better color. A lot of SPS dominant tanks are run around 7dkh, because a lot of acros require low nutrients to thrive, running a higher dkh requires higher nutrients (as Randy explained above). For a mixed reef, I’ve found 8-8.5 to be ideal, you’ve got some wiggle room in either direction should you make a dosing mistake.

You kind of alluded to thinking that using a higher Alk salt meant that you wouldn’t need to dose as much, but that isn’t the case. A salt that mixes to a higher dkh or higher cal doesn’t mean you’ll need to dose less. You want to keep your levels stable where ever they are. So if you use a high Alk salt (assuming you don’t run your tank at different levels and alter it to match them), you’ll dose just the same as a lower Alk salt (if not more since higher Alk can increase growth), you’re dosing to offset what your corals consume.

I’ve used most of the popular salt brands, and currently I use Fritz RPM, which mixes right around where I like to keep my parameters. I know some people don’t like Fritz because they had some QC issues a couple years ago, but I’ve been around long enough to see nearly every salt brand have QC issues (Tropic Marin is right now). For me, it’s been consistent, clean, and mixes fast, overkill it’s a great salt.

 

[PatW]

I have checked out reef tanks that are featured having flourishing acropora corals. And they always say which salt mix they use. And they use all sorts of different mixes. It is the reefer and how they maintain their tank. So just use the mix that appeals to you And don’t worry.