What is your preference when it comes to salt mix?

[HB AL]

Cant say I've had a bad experience with RedSea. Was more so about hearing other opinions. I switched from coral pro to blue bucket. Been mixing half and half just finished the coral pro.

If your having succes with your current salt mix i don't see a reason to change. You know the old saying " if it ain't broke then dont mess with it ".

 

[HB AL]

For me it was price and mixing.
RSBB mixed real close to Fritz Blue, but, at times, was cloudy.
I need to clean the mix bucket often.
I love Red Sea Products but found it was hard to pay the 50.00 a bucket extra.

Sounds like money is the main issue so if you have to cut back on expenses for your tank then try the less expensive salts and keep a close eye on your livestock for a couple months or so and if everything is good to go then make the switch and continue monitoring all the inhabitants as some negative problems sometimes take longer for detrimental effects to start to surface.

 

[FreeEnergyReefer]

I have used reef crystals no problems here for 6months. I throw all my mixes together the evening before drop a powerhead in,when I wake up in the morning its crystal clear nothing left in the bottom. I've been running a lil elevated parameters though Alk-10.5. Calcium-490 Mag-1350 Nitrates-15

 

[Bizzie]

No one seems to have Tropic Marin available for sale.

My LFS in San Pedro Ca just received a shipment after a 3 month wait.

 

[Primarytuba18]

No one seems to have Tropic Marin available for sale.

I bought mine on Amazon a month ago, was 65 for 150 I’m pretty sure, the box version not the bucket

 

[N2theUnknown]

This forum is funny I've been pondering the salt topic for awhile but just seem to just keep kicking it to the back of my "to do list" which seems in reefing is much like the "honey do list" as it gross exponentialy and you will never make headway. That aside I use instant ocean the purple bucket. I mix about 12 gallons up for every water change and I let it mix for about 12 hours. It leaves a horrible brown sludge in the bottom of my brute trash can and a white ring around the side of the can. Am I
mixing to long? Or is this just a quality issue. What would be a better salt to change to and how would you do this weekly 5 gallon changes? Tank is 45ish gallons but I'm getting ready to add 20-25 gallons via a sump addition to the tank!

 

[Klyle]

Tropic Marin Pro. BRS did an investigates video and the cost was maybe 40 cents more verses the cheaper salts...maybe less than that. With only a 50g system, it's easily justified.

 

[homer1475]

Purple box IO for 20 some odd years of reefing. I've tried the "salt of the month" a few times. Never noticed a difference. This hobby is expensive enough without the absorbent price of "specialty" salts. Not to mention, IO is just so darn consistent from box to box. There is a reason it's been around for sixty plus years.

$100 bucks for 200G, or $35 bucks for 200G, you decide.

I don't care what comparison BRS did about salt prices. I call complete BS. Just do the math yourself. BRS is a company that produces video's to help themselves sell more stuff. Always take what they say with a grain of salt.

It's funny, we all say to take your LFS with a grain of salt, after all they are in business to sell you stuff. But we take BRS's word as law when in all reality, they are just a larger LFS looking to sell you stuff.

I'm not saying BRS is bad(they make some great video's that are are for the most part very informative), but they are in business to sell you stuff.

Let me repeat that one more time....

BRS is a company that makes videos to help them sell you more stuff.

 

[Bepis]

I use brightwell aquatics

 

[Chrille26]

I use the Red Sea coral pro and I think it works great. It desolves fast and mixes easily, plus I think the price is good and its always available where I am at.

 

[Spieg]

I've tried quite a few over the years but always go back to HW Marinemix Reefer (just ordered more on Black Friday).

 

[Roosterjack]

I don’t like ordering salt online as it almost inevitably comes with a cracked and leaking container. This is double true in winter when the cold makes the buckets more brittle.

 

[LeftyReefer]

Live Aquaria Salt.
mixes fast, clear, and no residue.
Parameters have always been perfect. Kh 8-9.

best part is the price.
I paid $30 for 56# from Petco during the last sale.

With salt being salt, there is no way I would pay $100 a bucket for TM salts when the LA salt is available for a 1/3 of the price. Its as cheap as IO, while still mixing fast and clean, unlike IO.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’ve tried them all
My latest over a year is Tropic Marin which I held for years to try it

 

[Deep]

I’ve tried them all
My latest over a year is Tropic Marin which I held for years to try it

How do you like tropic marin. Have you noticed any difference in your phospates from using it. I see some threads with concerns that tropic marin has elevated phospate levels.

 

[Deezill]

I just did a youtube video on this last Saturday. I love tropic Marin pro great salt but I am tired of spending 100+
I am trying Red Sea Blue Bucket. I think the blue bucket is decent salt. and a decent balance between the parameters I am looking for and cost. Let face it we are living in unsure times. Click on the link in my sig if you want to see the video.

 

[arking_mark]

So a couple thoughts on salt mixes.
1. Your target parameters
2. Consider you're dosing regime
3. Consider you're water change regime

For many years, I used IO Reef Salt as my main salt due to its elevated parameters. I did a bi-weekly small 5-10% water change to keep my tank at more normal sea water parameters. Basically, the elevated IO Reef salt parameters were replenishing my tank...no dosing.

For my new build, I'm going with the Triton method and an incremental AWC (already implemented now on old tank). In this case, I needed to switch to a salt that mimics natural sea parameters so that the dosing maintains the the proper parameters. I went with Brightwell Neomarine Salt which has a 7.5dK and will allow a target 8dKH or slightly higher dKH and other parameters be maintained by the Triton method.

So when picking a salt mix, you need to make sure it works with your target parameters and tank maintenance plan.

 

[Tyler Miceli]

So a couple thoughts on salt mixes.
1. Your target parameters
2. Consider you're dosing regime
3. Consider you're water change regime

For many years, I used IO Reef Salt as my main salt due to its elevated parameters. I did a bi-weekly small 5-10% water change to keep my tank at more normal sea water parameters. Basically, the elevated IO Reef salt parameters were replenishing my tank...no dosing.

For my new build, I'm going with the Triton method and an incremental AWC (already implemented now on old tank). In this case, I needed to switch to a salt that mimics natural sea parameters so that the dosing maintains the the proper parameters. I went with Brightwell Neomarine Salt which has a 7.5dK and will allow a target 8dKH or slightly higher dKH and other parameters be maintained by the Triton method.

So when picking a salt mix, you need to make sure it works with your target parameters and tank maintenance plan.

My goal is to not have to dose and replenish the tank doing 20% water changes weekly. I'm going to measure alk, cal over the next week to see how much the tank is using. Hopefully the water changes will be enough to keep levels in range. Might opt to do two 15% water changes weekly

 

[rlman41299]

I have used IO and RC before but moved away from RC for they leave a brown residue in my mixing container. Shifted then to fritz rpm when they first released it and I loved it then but then as time goes their salt mix became inconsistent and parameters keep shifting. Don't know if it was a bad batch but one time my alk was so low after mixing. Now I have been using red sea pro and I think I am staying with it for a while. My LFS had a sale of the red sea pro for $55 for the 175 bucket and stocked up pretty good.

 

[stephj03]

IO Purple Box. $40 for 200g shipped to my doorstep anytime I want.


I never understood the concern about brown residue. Doesn't seem to affect any of the livestock, nor the clarity of the water in the display.


Easy to find a salt mix that cost twice as much.

Hard to find a salt mix that is twice as good by any useful thing measured on a reef tank.


If you want to avoid supplementing via water changes consider IO Reef Crystals (orange box).