Salt Choice

[M1i1t1c1h1]

Hello, I am in need of some good input on type of salt to use for my new tank. I know this is a big decision since once I choose, I cannot switch. My short term goals (0-4 months) are to cycle the rocks until I get some nice coralline algae growth and media bacteria. My medium term goals (4 months - 1 year) are to introduce my utilitarian fish (tanks and such) and a bit of a cleanup crew. My long term goals (1-2 years) are to introduce some hardy corals (some softies probably to start). My end game goals (2y+) are to eventually have a hybrid tank (LPS, SPS, and softies). Obviously I know this is the hardest type of reef to keep stable. That being said, I know I need to choose a kind of salt that will support my end game goals.
The salts that I'm currently looking at are:
Red Sea's Coral Pro Salt - https://www.redseafish.com/red-sea-salts/coral-pro-salt/
and
Instant Ocean's Reef Crystals - (the webpage for this wasn't loading in my browser)

This is obviously a very big decision. Please give me as much input as you can. Share your experiences, thoughts, and opinions. The more information the better!
Thanks

 

[mbixler1537]

Funny you are posting about this. I am in the same process of trying to find the best salt for my future tank. I was going to go with Tropic Marin Pro Reef but would love to see what other people said.

 

[RobB'z Reef]

I've used Instant Oceans in my past tanks and it served me well enough. Having gone with Tropic Marin in this current effort I'm sold on the differences! It mixes so clean with little residue and it mixes so much faster as well in my experience, I'll be staying the course on TM. There are many good salts out there and they all have pro's and cons, but in the end they'll all keep a tank to some extent. Just gotta evaluate the features you are looking for and in the end don't over think it since they'll all keep coral and fish.

 

[Lasse]

I would chose Red Sea:s blue bucket or some other standard salt - that´s a normal salt no pro, bio or whatever special. From that you can adapt your own type of water with help of single addition of wanted elements and compounds.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[M1i1t1c1h1]

Tropic Marin was the other option, and ideally I absolutely would use it, but I'm in Canada and the price/bucket at my local fish store is nearly twice that of Instant Ocean for the same size.
If I can find a cheaper buying option for Tropic Marin then I would go with them. But for now I think I'm better off sticking with Red Sea or Instant Ocean.

 

[M1i1t1c1h1]

I would chose Red Sea:s blue bucket or some other standard salt - that´s a normal salt no pro, bio or whatever special. From that you can adapt your own type of water with help of single addition of wanted elements and compounds.

Sincerely Lasse

In a perfect world that is absolutely what I would be doing. But the problem is that I don't have the time or money to be dosing as of right now. The only way this method would be ideal for me is if I could afford a Dos with an Apex Controller and the necessary elements (triton or something).

 

[Super Fly]

U can absolutely change salt brands, many folks do. I just use the tried and true standard Instant Ocean salt as have many reef keepers with great success. Depending on size of your tank, may go through a lot of salt which can quickly become expensive.

 

[M1i1t1c1h1]

U can absolutely change salt brands, many folks do. I just use the tried and true standard Instant Ocean salt as have many reef keepers with great success. Depending on size of your tank, may go through a lot of salt which can quickly become expensive.

Hmm you're the first person who said you can switch salt brands. Everyone I've spoken with so far (and the fish store as well) as told me stories of massive tank crashes immediately after switching salt.

 

[Topreefer92]

Hmm you're the first person who said you can switch salt brands. Everyone I've spoken with so far (and the fish store as well) as told me stories of massive tank crashes immediately after switching salt.

So Super Fly is absolutely correct and I second that it can be done. Red Sea even includes how to do it on one of their reef recipes pamphlets. The reason those tanks are crashing is they are doing it immediately and not acclimating the tank to the change in parameters. You need to slowly bring the levels of your current setup inline with the new salt mix you want to use and than it will not shock the system. I would do red sea blue bucket or coral pro over instant ocean personally!

 

[M1i1t1c1h1]

Okay that's good to know, I will keep that in mind.
Can I ask why you would personally choose Red Sea over Instant Ocean?

 

[Super Fly]

Hmm you're the first person who said you can switch salt brands. Everyone I've spoken with so far (and the fish store as well) as told me stories of massive tank crashes immediately after switching salt.

Massive tank crashes occur when too much water change using different salt occurs, i.e. the trace elements are way off from diff salt brands. Switching salt brand is simple, just have to pay attention to the trace element differences while switching and go slow so tank does not get shocked. On a side note, if it was me and the LFS gave me that advice (especially if they were selling u on more expensive salt brand), then I'd think twice about any of their suggestions.

 

[M1i1t1c1h1]

Massive tank crashes occur when too much water change using different salt occurs, i.e. the trace elements are way off from diff salt brands. Switching salt brand is simple, just have to pay attention to the trace element differences while switching and go slow so tank does not get shocked. On a side note, if it was me and the LFS gave me that advice (especially if they were selling u on more expensive salt brand), then I'd think twice about any of their suggestions.

Fortunately they weren't trying to sell me on a more expensive salt. They just gave me the options of what they carried, told me the prices, and told me which ones they carried that would support a mixed reef.

 

[Nanorock1970]

Yes I am in a similar boat. I have been purchasing my salt water already mixed from the LFS. They use Red Sea Pro. I have had great coraline growth over the time my tank has been set up but I heard that Brightwell Neomarine is supposed to be good also. I am currently setting up my RODI system and want to pick a decent salt for my tank.

I am not a chemist or marine biologist so I can't make sense of what numbers are more preferable but this is what I found online. I picked the stuff that does not have any "extras" like probiotics....

All numbers based on 1.025 salinity mix

	dKh	Ca	Mg	K
Red Sea (blue bucket)	7.8 ~	420 ~	1250 ~	380 ~
Red Sea Pro (purple bucket)	12.3 ~	457 ~	1360 ~	390 ~
Brightwell NeoMarine	7.5 ~	413 ~	1290 ~	399 ~
Tropic Marine Classic	9 ~	380 ~	1260 ~	N/A
Instant Ocean Reef crystals	N/A	455~	1345 ~	N/A

Anyone have any feedback on salt quality and how much these numbers mean to us. Which ones mix well and have less byproduct in it.
@Lasse you make a good point on keeping it simple and not getting any of the "marketing" products that may or maynot boost your reef.
@M1i1t1c1h1 I have read that small water changes of a new salt will let you switch from one brand to another.

 

[Albertan22]

You absolutely can change salts, heck it’s often necessary as you will find shortages happen over the years and you may walk into an LFS and find you can’t get your brand of salt anywhere suddenly. You just have to be careful about alk swings as they all mix differently.

I’ve tried a few brands and always go back to regular instant ocean. I have never found that any of the more expensive salts do anything different for my tanks. I don’t like reef crystals because it has a lot of extra stuff in there (vitamins and whatnot) that I do not understand or want. I believe the parameters also mix really high. My preference is to mix instant ocean and add a little calcium supplement and Epsom salts (magnesium) to bring those two parameters to where I want them. A bottle of Seachem reef advantage calcium (2-4 tsp needed per 44 gallons of mixed saltwater) and some Walmart Epsom salts are a lot cheaper that buying pail after pail of “high end” salt to achieve the same result. For what it’s worth, most of the big commercial aquarium’s use instant ocean and buy it by the ton.

 

[Albertan22]

Yes I am in a similar boat. I have been purchasing my salt water already mixed from the LFS. They use Red Sea Pro. I have had great coraline growth over the time my tank has been set up but I heard that Brightwell Neomarine is supposed to be good also. I am currently setting up my RODI system and want to pick a decent salt for my tank.

I am not a chemist or marine biologist so I can't make sense of what numbers are more preferable but this is what I found online. I picked the stuff that does not have any "extras" like probiotics....

All numbers based on 1.025 salinity mix

	dKh	Ca	Mg	K
Red Sea (blue bucket)	7.8 ~	420 ~	1250 ~	380 ~
Red Sea Pro (purple bucket)	12.3 ~	457 ~	1360 ~	390 ~
Brightwell NeoMarine	7.5 ~	413 ~	1290 ~	399 ~
Tropic Marine Classic	9 ~	380 ~	1260 ~	N/A
Instant Ocean Reef crystals	N/A	455~	1345 ~	N/A

Anyone have any feedback on salt quality and how much these numbers mean to us. Which ones mix well and have less byproduct in it.
@Lasse you make a good point on keeping it simple and not getting any of the "marketing" products that may or maynot boost your reef.
@M1i1t1c1h1 I have read that small water changes of a new salt will let you switch from one brand to another.

Regarding “salt quality” you will find two camps of hobbyists. One camp absolutely believes there are different quality grades that make a huge difference, and a second camp that believes that salt is salt. I fit into the second camp. For me picking a salt is all about what alkalinity it mixes to, and if that matches where you plan to run your tank. If you pick a salt that mixes at 9 or 12 dkh and plan to run your tank between 7-8 dkh, you are going to end up with some damaging alkalinity swings when you do larger water changes. Some people counter this by adding muriatic acid to their mixed water to drop the alkalinity, but I can’t be bothered with that. My advice is to pick a salt closest to the parameters you want to run then supplement the new mixed saltwater to get the rest of the way there if something is lacking a little. It’s easier to add something than to take it away.

 

[Nanorock1970]

You absolutely can change salts, heck it’s often necessary as you will find shortages happen over the years and you may walk into an LFS and find you can’t get your brand of salt anywhere suddenly. You just have to be careful about alk swings as they all mix differently.

I’ve tried a few brands and always go back to regular instant ocean. I have never found that any of the more expensive salts do anything different for my tanks. I don’t like reef crystals because it has a lot of extra stuff in there (vitamins and whatnot) that I do not understand or want. I believe the parameters also mix really high. My preference is to mix instant ocean and add a little calcium supplement and Epsom salts (magnesium) to bring those two parameters to where I want them. A bottle of Seachem reef advantage calcium (2-4 tsp needed per 44 gallons of mixed saltwater) and some Walmart Epsom salts are a lot cheaper that buying pail after pail of “high end” salt to achieve the same result. For what it’s worth, most of the big commercial aquarium’s use instant ocean and buy it by the ton.

I couldn't easily find the info on the regular instant ocean to include it in my chart so I picked the reef crystals instead. Good to know that reef crystals is an "added" to salt

 

[Albertan22]

I couldn't easily find the info on the regular instant ocean to include it in my chart so I picked the reef crystals instead. Good to know that reef crystals is an "added" to salt

My current pail of instant ocean mixes to 9.3 dkh, 365 Cal and 1125 magnesium at 1.026SG. This bucket is a little off from norms though. Each bucket is a little different, they usually mix in the 8.8-9.2 dkh range with 380 Cal and 1300ish magnesium. To supplement my current bucket I’m using 4 tsp of reef advantage calcium and 360g of Epsom salt in my 44 gallon brute mixing can. I test the first batch of every new pail then write the results and supplementing instructions on the side of the pail with sharpie. I do this with whatever brand of salt I am using.

 

[Super Fly]

Yes I am in a similar boat. I have been purchasing my salt water already mixed from the LFS. They use Red Sea Pro. I have had great coraline growth over the time my tank has been set up but I heard that Brightwell Neomarine is supposed to be good also. I am currently setting up my RODI system and want to pick a decent salt for my tank.

I am not a chemist or marine biologist so I can't make sense of what numbers are more preferable but this is what I found online. I picked the stuff that does not have any "extras" like probiotics....

All numbers based on 1.025 salinity mix

	dKh	Ca	Mg	K
Red Sea (blue bucket)	7.8 ~	420 ~	1250 ~	380 ~
Red Sea Pro (purple bucket)	12.3 ~	457 ~	1360 ~	390 ~
Brightwell NeoMarine	7.5 ~	413 ~	1290 ~	399 ~
Tropic Marine Classic	9 ~	380 ~	1260 ~	N/A
Instant Ocean Reef crystals	N/A	455~	1345 ~	N/A

Anyone have any feedback on salt quality and how much these numbers mean to us. Which ones mix well and have less byproduct in it.
@Lasse you make a good point on keeping it simple and not getting any of the "marketing" products that may or maynot boost your reef.
@M1i1t1c1h1 I have read that small water changes of a new salt will let you switch from one brand to another.

From what I heard and from folks who use Tropic Marine, it mixes the cleanest. BRS did a comparison video here

 

[Topreefer92]

Okay that's good to know, I will keep that in mind.
Can I ask why you would personally choose Red Sea over Instant Ocean?

To be honest the biggest reason is the residue that instant ocean leaves in mixing containers it is kind of miserable. Red Sea has always mixed clear and left none. But don't get me wrong some amazing tanks use instant ocean so it is really on what you want to pay for!

 

[Lasse]

Whatever salt you use - you will be sooner or later forced to at least dose alk and Ca (if you have stony corals). And you do not need to dose trace elements automatically and once a day. And there is no dry salt - what ever - that can guarantee you getting exactly the amount of traces you should have. some of these trace elements should (in a dry salt) be added to the salt mix in amounts around 1 g/metric ton. No one can mix it so well that you get exactly what it should be in every bucket.

Your dream is a mixed reef but I think your time schedule is - IMO - too slow

I construct a mixed reef four years ago - here is how it developed

After four months

​

After a year

​

After 2 years when you plan to have a hybrid tank - it could look like this

and today

​

And I start with Red Sea Blue bucket and have also used some salt from Aqua Forrest. Today I do not do WC and my parameters are stable.

Sincerely Lasse