The best SALT you have used...

dnyceli · Oct 22, 2015

KW mixes clean and has no stick feel or burn like Red Sea Pro.

LE0 · Oct 22, 2015

I like sachem reef salt but will try reef crystal after this last box

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 22, 2015

As you can see from the list of answers, there is no best salt. Every quality name brand salt has pros and cons that, as long as you recognize them, can lead to a wonderful tank.

That said, I do not recognize many of those brands. They might be fine, but I've just not heard of many people on the forums I frequent using them. I use regular Instant Ocean. From your list, these are the ones that I know people have great tanks with:

Brightwell
Kent-marine
TUNZE
Red-Sea
Seachem

I would also caution that within a brand, the quality of the mix may vary around the world because manufacturing is sometimes outsourced to other companies or different manufacturing plants in different parts of the world. So salt Mix Brand A may not be identical in every country.

d2mini · Oct 22, 2015

I've tried pretty much every salt available except Tropic Marin and I always come back to Salinity. Tried ESV too and found it to be a major PITA so didn't even use it long enough to compare.
The tank just seems to do real well with Salinity which is most important, it mixes up to 1.026 where other salts mix to 1.022 so it's really not much more expensive, it doesn't clump at all, and as a bonus it's the best bucket in the biz! haha

Tank2379 · Oct 22, 2015

I've used many salts over the years, but nothing works better than Reef Crystals. Plus I feel salt is salt in the end you still have to check for Mag, Cal, and Alk some salt might just be more concentrated than others but it all does the same there no magic potion to help your corals grow any fasters than they can.

Kungpaoshizi · Oct 22, 2015

Instant Ocean, Reef Crystals, Fluval, and currently Red Sea Coral Pro.
RSCP has topped all the others easily, I've seen better growth and even a lava cyphastrea finally color up after 3 years to a BRIGHT red with it. Pretty weird but I think it's a keeper.

saltykisses · Oct 22, 2015

Started using one called
I quatics pro reef good and roughly the same price as Red Sea coral pro and they give you s bit more...

Reeferside · Oct 23, 2015

THERE IS NO BEST.

Red sea has too high of an alk. for my liking..

I use what's the most economical.. INSTANT OCEAN FTW

NY_Sea · Oct 23, 2015

I also always go back to reef crystals. Best bang for the buck and I think and corals like it!! Never had a problem with it.

clee36 · Oct 23, 2015

i was using kent when i first started. after putting more sps in the tank i switched to rea sea coral pro.
i guess the tank likes it better.

ali.farzinrad · Oct 23, 2015

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
As you can see from the list of answers, there is no best salt. Every quality name brand salt has pros and cons that, as long as you recognize them, can lead to a wonderful tank.

That said, I do not recognize many of those brands. They might be fine, but I've just not heard of many people on the forums I frequent using them. I use regular Instant Ocean. From your list, these are the ones that I know people have great tanks with:

Brightwell
Kent-marine
TUNZE
Red-Sea
Seachem

I would also caution that within a brand, the quality of the mix may vary around the world because manufacturing is sometimes outsourced to other companies or different manufacturing plants in different parts of the world. So salt Mix Brand A may not be identical in every country.

Hey Randy
Glad to see you here.
Do you remember your answer to my post?
https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?posts/2512376
We have all those brands that you mentioned. Last night I asked one of our best pet shops and he said for tank start up Kent is the best, it will stabilize the tank faster, what is your opinion?
And my question
If you start a new tank which one will you use?
1- Brightwell
2- Kent-marine
3- Red-Sea
4- Seachem
Thanks a lot Randy and all you guys.

d2mini · Oct 23, 2015

I've never heard of anything in a salt that would "stabilize a new tank faster"... whatever that means.

hatfielj · Oct 23, 2015

I just switched to Red Sea (blue bucket, not the coral pro one). I must say that ever since I've switched (been about 5-6 months now) my tank has never looked better. The corals have been quite healthy and I think the salt is playing a role.

ali.farzinrad · Oct 23, 2015

d2mini said:
I've never heard of anything in a salt that would "stabilize a new tank faster"... whatever that means.

I mean a faster cycle for reef keeping, I have too many LPS in my current tank, I want to transfer them to my new tank but I afraid of no3, no4, po4 at the beginning and losing control of them.

redfishbluefish · Oct 23, 2015

You've heard it all....there is no "best." Regardless of the salt you pick, if you have hard corals, you will need to supplement alk, calc (and possibly magnesium). You can't maintain alk and calc (with hard corals) by water changes alone, no matter what salt you use.

That being said, I've tried a number of salts and now do not like what I call the "super salts"......those salts that have high alk and calc. What I've found is that on a water change it swings alk and calc too much. So my "best" salt right now is regular old Instant Ocean. As their advertisement says, it ocean water.

Getting back onto the soap box about what is best, I always gone back to what is the best jarred pasta sauce.....there is no right answer because everyone will have a different opinion. So when it comes to salt, pick one and call it THE BEST for you.

Jimbo · Oct 23, 2015

I've tried quite a few. Always end up back with Regular Instant Ocean.......sticking with it this time although I did like the lower Alkalinity of the Red Sea Blue Bucket.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 23, 2015

ali.farzinrad said:
Hey Randy
Glad to see you here.
Do you remember your answer to my post?
https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?posts/2512376
We have all those brands that you mentioned. Last night I asked one of our best pet shops and he said for tank start up Kent is the best, it will stabilize the tank faster, what is your opinion?
And my question
If you start a new tank which one will you use?
1- Brightwell
2- Kent-marine
3- Red-Sea
4- Seachem
Thanks a lot Randy and all you guys.

I can't see any sense in that claim. I use IO for my system, but all of those should be fine and I'd pick whatever was available/cheaper.

daveybean · Oct 23, 2015

In your food and your not dead ?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 23, 2015

daveybean said:
In your food and your not dead ?

You won't likely die from a bit of seawater/salt mix (assuming its not bacterially contaminated), but it could cause diarrhea from the magnesium and sulfate in it, which together is basically Epsom salt, which is used as a laxative.

MikeCizzle · Oct 25, 2015

Started with IO Reef Crystals but switched to Seachem Reefsalt. The IO would always leave a brown nasty film at the bottom of my mixing container. The Seachem mixes clear and won't leave a brown residue. My corals are happy also.