Salt switch

[slipknotgrrl83]

I have been using IO reef crystals for 7 years now, i have been thinking of switching due to super high numbers

Cal 500
Mag 1500-1600
Alk 10-11

I dont want anything fancy, maybe even just switch to regular IO. If i dlo decide to, whats the best way to do it?

Ps: all corals are fine except one hammer that started receding a few weeks ago although im also running high nitrates (not by choice) of about 50ppm and trying to lower it. Thoughts?

 

[homer1475]

While regular IO is fine, just be aware it mixes high in ALK also.

Most of us that run NSW parameters and use IO, lower the ALk with muriatic acid that can be bought at your local hardware store.

Any idea what your phosphates are?

 

[slipknotgrrl83]

While regular IO is fine, just be aware it mixes high in ALK also.

Most of us that run NSW parameters and use IO, lower the ALk with muriatic acid that can be bought at your local hardware store.

Any idea what your phosphates are?

Last i checked it was around 0.5, yes also a tad high, i run an algae reactor and skim wet....guess i overfeed ? 65 gallon tank only 5 fish though and cuc, about 15 corals all good but 1

 

[homer1475]

Not saying it is your issue(0.5 certainly isn't that high), but high phosphates can cause stress in corals, which can cause polyp bailout specially in LPS.

Possibly overfeeding which leads to elevated nitrates and phosphates. I'm guessing by the 7 years of using RC, this isn't a fairly new tank?

I currently have 9 fish in my 85G cube(mostly small wrasses). I feed a mix of pellets, and the equivalent of 2 cubes of frozen everyday.

If you suspect overfeeding, cut back a bit for a few weeks and see where your nutrient levels are. If they are dropping, good. If they start to get to low your underfeeding, and need to add a bit more. You'll find the sweet spot between adding to much to increase the nutrient load, VS to little and the fish and corals are starving for nutrients(not 0's on your test kits)


IMO in a 65G tank, to lower those nitrates to a more acceptable level, I would be doing the largest WC(even 100% if you can mix and store that much) I possibly could. Or several smaller ones spread out over a couple days.

 

[slipknotgrrl83]

Not saying it is your issue(0.5 certainly isn't that high), but high phosphates can cause stress in corals, which can cause polyp bailout specially in LPS.

Possibly overfeeding which leads to elevated nitrates and phosphates. I'm guessing by the 7 years of using RC, this isn't a fairly new tank?

I currently have 9 fish in my 85G cube(mostly small wrasses). I feed a mix of pellets, and the equivalent of 2 cubes of frozen everyday.

If you suspect overfeeding, cut back a bit for a few weeks and see where your nutrient levels are. If they are dropping, good. If they start to get to low your underfeeding, and need to add a bit more. You'll find the sweet spot between adding to much to increase the nutrient load, VS to little and the fish and corals are starving for nutrients(not 0's on your test kits)


IMO in a 65G tank, to lower those nitrates to a more acceptable level, I would be doing the largest WC(even 100% if you can mix and store that much) I possibly could. Or several smaller ones spread out over a couple days.

Tank was swapped over from a red sea reefer 170 to 250 about a year and a half ago. Honestly everything is fine but that one coral, i usually do 10 percent wc but maybe ill kick it up to 25 percent. Thank you for suggestions. Still unsure of process for switching salts if i decide too though

 

[slipknotgrrl83]

Tank was swapped over from a red sea reefer 170 to 250 about a year and a half ago. Honestly everything is fine but that one coral, i usually do 10 percent wc but maybe ill kick it up to 25 percent. Thank you for suggestions. Still unsure of process for switching salts if i decide too though

Let me add that all rock and water was moved over, put new sand in though. Lfs did most of it

 

[homer1475]

No process, just the next time you mix up salt just use it.

Salt is salt, the only difference between them is whether they have organics in them(such as RC or tropic marin), and at what parameters they mix up to.

 

[RedReefer]

I switched from regular IO to red sea blue bucket. It was the best reefing decision I made this year.

 

[homer1475]

I switched from regular IO to red sea blue bucket. It was the best reefing decision I made this year.

And like I said earlier, salt is salt.

Many tank of the month tanks have been run on regular old IO. Some of the most beautiful tanks I've seen run IO. There is nothing special about a "reef" salt other then elevated levels.

Switching salts did nothing for your tank, but made you anecdotally happy and thats absolutely fine.

 

[slipknotgrrl83]

Thank you both

 

[RedReefer]

And like I said earlier, salt is salt.

Many tank of the month tanks have been run on regular old IO. Some of the most beautiful tanks I've seen run IO. There is nothing special about a "reef" salt other then elevated levels.

Switching salts did nothing for your tank, but made you anecdotally happy and thats absolutely fine.

LOL!!!!!!

 

[arking_mark]

I switched salts twice in the last year. The trick is not to swing you parameters too quickly. Since I have a 1% AWC, that wasn't a problem, so I just switched salts.

In your case, going from a higher parameters salt to a lower parameters salt may cause a swing if you do larger water changes. My advice would be to start with small water changes and increase backup to whatever your normal water changes are. Likewise, you could just do more frequent small water changes.

 

[slipknotgrrl83]

I switched salts twice in the last year. The trick is not to swing you parameters too quickly. Since I have a 1% AWC, that wasn't a problem, so I just switched salts.

In your case, going from a higher parameters salt to a lower parameters salt may cause a swing if you do larger water changes. My advice would be to start with small water changes and increase backup to whatever your normal water changes are. Likewise, you could just do more frequent small water changes.

Thank you, i typically only do 10 percent a week...nothing too major, may split it to 5 gallons and see what the levels go to