Switching Salt

[Daniel91]

I’ve been using Tropic Marin in my IM10 for the last 6 months. It’s always been premixed from LFS but after finding 66 TDS in their RO water, I decided to get an RODI unit and make my own.

I have a bucket of Red Sea salt. To make the change as smooth as possible - would a 1gal waterchange every other day for the next two weeks be the way to go?

As an FYI of current parameters -

Salinity - 0.0025 (will be matched)

ALK, CA, MAG - 10, 450, 1300

While the Red Sea salt mixes fairly close at 0.025, there is still a fluctuation, which is why I will only be doing one gallon every other day.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

If you don’t have sensitive corals , and the alk is close , you can do a 100% wc with new brand of salt.

 

[Daniel91]

Define sensitive, haha. Its a mixed reef

Thanks

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Define sensitive, haha. Its a mixed reef

Thanks

Some acros ime have been the most sensitive.
Nems May pout. Same with some lps. Etc.
if the alk is the same or less you’ll likely not notice.

 

[emilios_reeftank]

If your new to the salt mixing process make sure you follow the directions on the box for mixing. I use Instant Ocean and I mix it for at least 8 hours with a small power-head. The main purpose of doing this is so the oxygen is in the water, pH, and all the other parameters will be stabilized. Good Luck Man!!!

 

[DesertReefT4r]

You will be fine just check and make sure alk is close. Red Sea Coral Pro has really high alk so I would use the blue bucket and not Coral Pro.

 

[Daniel91]

Thanks all

 

[jda]

If you are close (within 25% percent, ish), then I would not worry about this. I have what most people consider sensitive coral, and I can add freshly mixed IO into my tank with 7.0 alk and nothing complains. I think that alk swings are not a huge deal on otherwise healthy corals, but might be the final blow to corals that were on the edge.

However, alk is easy to adjust in a mixing barrel. You can use baking soda to raise it, and muratic acid to lower it. I usually add 20mls of muratic to my IO to lower the alk - this needs aerated for a day or two until all of the excess co2 is driven off and the pH is back to normal. Gallons * dKh drop * .123 is the amount of mls of Muratic acid to use.

Calcium, mag and strontium are easy to raise, but hard to lower.

Always mix your salt before you heat the water... less precipitation this way as all of the elements are mixing.

I have some pretty typical advice that I give to people to not try and get a salt mix to match your exact parameters since this impossible and your parameters will always be changing anyway. Learn some chemistry and have some baking soda, muratic, mag chloride, calcium chloride and a good mixing pump on hand so that you can be agile and adapt to your tank demands.

 

[Daniel91]

Solid tips. Thanks jda

 

[Duffer]

i switched from Fritz RPM to Red Sea blue bucket. I took my time. My first water change i went with quarter red sea and 3/4 of the fritz, next time around i went with more red sea and so forth...My corals and fish were happy...baby steps...