Selecting a salt mix.

[Reefahholic]

If your trying to mimick as close as possible seawater, tropic marine pro has been tested by a few people and found to not be highly elevated in anything.

I think Triton and people from the UK liked using that salt. It was manganese rich and enabled them to keep Gonipora easier than Americans or so the story goes.

 

[jason2459]

I think Triton and people from the UK liked using that salt. It was manganese rich and enabled them to keep Gonipora easier than Americans or so the story goes.

Interesting. A sample I sent off to triton was definitely rich in Mn.

Mn 99.87 µg/l

 

[Jenaleigh1]

I switched from instant ocean to Red Sea about a month ago at the recommendation of my LFS. They are a premier dealer, so I bought it just for kicks. I see an improvement in coral growth in my tank. I also use the ABC supplement/test system from Red Sea, and I'm not running through that like water anymore, so that to me is the proof in the pudding.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I switched from instant ocean to Red Sea about a month ago at the recommendation of my LFS. They are a premier dealer, so I bought it just for kicks. I see an improvement in coral growth in my tank. I also use the ABC supplement/test system from Red Sea, and I'm not running through that like water anymore, so that to me is the proof in the pudding.

Which supplements are you using less of?

 

[Jenaleigh1]

Buffer and Magnesium

 

[Jenaleigh1]

Which supplements are you using less of?

Buffer and Magnesium

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Buffer and Magnesium

Red Sea Coral Pro does have very high levels of alk and magnesium, so if you consider that a plus, then you might use less, but at least for the alkalinity, it is hardly different from IO.

 

[Kungpaoshizi]

IO and Reef Crystals have pretty high lithium, so they're not appropriate in my book. Iirc it messes with urchin embryos and coral larvae settlement. Having used those though, then also Fluval sea salt (which was better than IO/RC) I still tried Red Sea Coral Pro, awesome stuff. Some of the corals I thought were looking good colored up much brighter. Though in the end I now use mostly the blue bucket Red Sea and cut it with the RSCP to get alk a little higher.
I've seen some awesome tanks, but no matter the salt, the ones that are doing well use a lot of supplements and additives, so that kinda debunks the 'best salt' arguments imo.
Also you mention 'reef crystals gives nutrients' but it doesn't contain "food" just elements that corals need.

 

[Sahye]

Does anyone knows who can send salt to Mauritius (gem tang island) on low price.Pretty urgent , thanks in advance.

 

[Drmiami]

Red Sea coral pro

I used instant ocean for years, however, I am very impressed with Red Sea pro on how it mixes/ clears quickly and the effect it is having on my SPS tank

+1 on Red Sea pro, more expensive but good experience on this change of salt mix

 

[shadow1013]

Which of the Red Sea salt are you using? The Coral Pro?

I switched from instant ocean to Red Sea about a month ago at the recommendation of my LFS. They are a premier dealer, so I bought it just for kicks. I see an improvement in coral growth in my tank. I also use the ABC supplement/test system from Red Sea, and I'm not running through that like water anymore, so that to me is the proof in the pudding.

 

[Darryl]

reef crystals

 

[Jstn]

I recently switched from years of IO to rscp and I am impressed with the colors and growth of my sps, along with my euphilya being more open, esp after water changes. I switched back to IO for the last two months and noticed my coral are dulling out, this may be antidotal but if you are running IO I would try a bucket of rscp, if you don't see an improvement by all means switch back, but the extra cost is offset by no longer needing to dose mg and k for me.

 

[john.m.cole3]

I have started using regular Instant Ocean, anyone have experienced using this with mixed reef that has SPS. I use both Kalk water for my ATO and supplement with 2 parts plus Mg

I use Instant Ocean salt, kalkwasser in ATO, and manually dose Aquaforest components 1 and 2. I have a LPS heavy and SPS 80 gallon total system. I'm happy for now but am about to switch over to full Aquaforest once I run out of IO salt and kalk, or get my doser... whichever happens first

 

[120reefkeeper]

Switched over to Auqaforest.

 

[john.m.cole3]

Switched over to Auqaforest.

reef salt or pro? np pro, pro bio s?

 

[Reeferdood]

RSCP hands down for me.

 

[BryanS4]

I switched over to AF probiotic about a month or so back. Actually switched over to their entire system.

 

[jason2459]

I use Instant Ocean salt, kalkwasser in ATO, and manually dose Aquaforest components 1 and 2. I have a LPS heavy and SPS 80 gallon total system. I'm happy for now but am about to switch over to full Aquaforest once I run out of IO salt and kalk, or get my doser... whichever happens first

I'm awaiting Triton results back now for the reef salt. I'll be mixing up the basic sea salt blend very soon and sending it in. I wasn't going to do the Probiotic version but another poster got back Triton results that were, well, interesting to the point I wouldn't suggest using it. So, I have the probioic version on its way and going to be testing that one as well.

Morning Jason, the following Triton ICP lab test results are from a sample of Aquaforest Probiotic salt that I had tested last year. As in a previous post, the sample was taken from a mix consisting of 15L of DI water at 0.6ppm TDS and 630g of salt, which gave 52.8mS.

Aquaforest Probiotic salt

Mercury____________0.00
Selenium___________ 0.00
Cadmium___________0.00
Tin________________ 0.00
Antimony___________0.00
Arsenic____________ 0.00
Aluminium__________767.30
Lead______________ 0.00
Titanium____________0.00
Copper_____________0.00
Sodium____________ 10294.00
Calcium____________ 387.00
Magnesium__________1278.00
Potassium___________326.90
Bromine____________ 61.39
Boron______________3.75
Strontium___________7.80
Sulphur_____________739.10
Lithium_____________16.79
Nickel______________3.51
Molybdenum_________25.63
Vanadium___________15.72
Zinc________________0.00
Manganese__________79.33
Iodine______________4.75
Chromium___________0.00
Cobalt______________0.00
Iron________________50.76
Barium______________19.09
Silicon______________ 0.00
Phosphorus__________ 0.00
Phosphate___________ 0.00

The ‘Quality Certificate’ supplied with the salt stated;

Salinity: 35PSU
Mg: 1440mg/l
Ca: 430mg/l
K: 410mg/l
KH: 8.1dKH

I wasn’t comfortable using the salt after seeing these results. It will be interesting to see if your results follow a similar pattern.

Regards

 

[Ep3n3wp]

I use D-D H2ocean magnesium pro salt... I like that all the params are neutral so if im dosing my alk wont slowly creep up on me. Mixes nice for me also.

Parameters when mixed to a S.G: of 1.025

pH 8.3
dKH 9.3
Calcium 440
Magnesium 1340
Chloride 19550
Potassium 410