What salt are you using? (PLUS Recent Salt Study)

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I know we have had salt polls before, but things change and I want an up to date look at what you are all using. Plus I found this thread on RC that Dave (CEE) posted about an analysis that the company Aquarium Water Testing did on each salt brand and found it to be very interesting.

Here are the results for the test: AWT Test Results

So what are your thoughts?

 

[Paintguru]

How about some bloody error bars?? Did I miss this somewhere? I have no idea how accurate these tests are. Are all these numbers pretty much the "same", or are these tests that precise? Shoot, do a gauge R&R while you're at it . I need to poke around a bit more, cause I also may have missed how many tests they actually did per salt. In the report they list two for each, but is that average simply the mean of those two numbers or were there more tests mixed in?

 

[gastone]

Mixing IO and oceanic (was out of the loop for awhile and I've heard bad things happened with oceanic during that spell... don't know what it was and don't know if it's been resolved). The AWT testing left me more confused than I was before. I was going to go with RC til all of the QC issues there.

I figure I'll just go with what got me here.

G.

 

[Paintguru]

Mixing IO and oceanic (was out of the loop for awhile and I've heard bad things happened with oceanic during that spell... don't know what it was and don't know if it's been resolved). The AWT testing left me more confused than I was before. I was going to go with RC til all of the QC issues there.

I figure I'll just go with what got me here.

G.

Right, I mean, do we really care about 20ppm differences in Calcium? I mean I can see issues with outliers, but IIRC, most of the salts were in line with each other, beyond Seachem having an issue with Ammonia.

 

[Teeka]

I feel this test is a "yeah, okay" thing. I know when I first year I set my tank up I used IO in it with soso results (yeah could of been me beening new) But the last 6 months I have used The Red Sea Coral Pro. Something I have had a problem in 1 tank of the 2 on the same system, is the (read posphate) red slime algae. Other than that I have seen a huge increase in growth of my lps and softies.

 

[mbunaman]

I am using Reef Crystals for a few reasons. It was rated as one of the best salts last year, Shedd Aquarium (Chicago's Public Aquarium) uses it, I can get is from Drs. Foster Smith really cheap. And if I run out in an Emergency every LFS carries it. Also it has been around for years. And my corals seem to be doing great. Most of the people in my Reef Club use it also.

 

[gooch Verified Sponsor]

Since I only have a 12 gallon aquapod(9.5 gallons of water) I use Naural Sea Water. Figure even doing two 25% water changes a month only cost me $12. And I don't have to mix it. Getting lazy in my old age.

When I put up the bigger tank I will go back to mixing.

 

[VanGogh121]

Tropic Marin, Since I'm experiencing problems with high ALK i think I'm going to go to the Tropic Marin pro for a couple of buckets...

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

This test should not be viewed as scientific FACT! This is just something that we can discuss and have a good talk about.

That being said, I think there are pros and cons to each and every salt. I have been using Oceanic for several years without issue and I love it. To each his own.

 

[ServantSoldier]

this is a great test for how much calc, alk, mag, etc you are getting per gram - as the test was 7g per 200ml - however, it would have been more appealing to me had they tested at 1.026 salinity to give a test of what I'm actually mixing up for my changes. I use Pro Reef, and have had great results, but that test doesn't make me feel confident with the extra money spent. I'm thinking about the IO/Oceanic mix myself, at this point.

gastone: What were you referring to about the mixing issues?

 

[Azurel]

I use Red Sea Pro and after the first 3 buckets I no longer test to be honest. I tested every batch of new mixed water that was stirred for 24hrs with a power head and all parameters were within+/- minute number of what they should be and the salt has been always mixed at 1.025......
CA 480
Alk 8-9
Phos 0
PH 8.1-8.3
Mag 1280-1360

Not to mention it is the only salt made for specific use with RO/DI water......

 

[gastone]

this is a great test for how much calc, alk, mag, etc you are getting per gram - as the test was 7g per 200ml - however, it would have been more appealing to me had they tested at 1.026 salinity to give a test of what I'm actually mixing up for my changes. I use Pro Reef, and have had great results, but that test doesn't make me feel confident with the extra money spent. I'm thinking about the IO/Oceanic mix myself, at this point.

gastone: What were you referring to about the mixing issues?

Eesh, don't think I metioned anything about mixing issues, though certainly I think there are plenty of issues with every aspect of the testing procedure. FWIW AWT is now saying that the tests were in fact conducted at NSW salinity, meaning that we don't have to extrapolate to 1.026... we can just read their chart as is. I certainly thank them for what they've done, but nothing is clear to me.

I'm not a chemist and certainly cannot discount anything anyone says. That being said, this is what I think: with all of the discrepancies within AWT's testing, all of the issues/concerns with home testing (read as Salifert among others) kits, I'll just shoot for consistency with the tests I do use. I don't care if my test kits are off by +/-30%. I'll just shoot for the same numbers all the time and as long as the tank is healthy then I won't make adjustments, and if I do have to adjust I'll adjust to "my" numbers.

Garrett.

 

[cee]

Gastone,
Couldn't have said it better myself. I tell people that the numbers are useful for relative comparisons but shouldn't be taken as gospel, but I like the way you phrased it better.

Dave

 

[J. Montgomery]

I don't feel like I've learned anything from their results.

They definitely should have mixed the salt to 1.026 specific gravity. 7g/200mL, what's up with that?

 

[NapoliNewJersey]

Someone posted that the test was done by one of the salt companies. Maybe they did it that way becauce if they mixed the salt to 1.026 it would make theirs look bad..... this way theres looks comparable if not better.

 

[Azurel]

They can test all they want, but if your salt is giving you the results your looking for and have not had any issues then it don't matter much. I have used Reef Crystals and Tropic Marin, Oceanic, IO, and Red Sea Pro all of which gave me results but I have stuck with Red Sea Pro just because of the tests I have done over batch to batch of new mixed water to 1.026 and all have been around proper parameters without having to add any supplements to make up for deficiencies. But like I said if what you are using is working and you tank is doing great it don't matter what the test results are, why fix it if it ain't broke? I am always leery of these types of test because we on the demand side never know if it was done to push a specific product or done in the manner of open transparency. I find it hard to think that a company would spend the cash just to test some salt and spend capital just because some folks on a reef forum wanted it done. Now if was an independent test for results to show only and specifically the differences between salts so the manufacturers can make the products better and closer to natural ocean parameters then that is one thing but how are the people who do the test going to recoup the capital spent?......Someone paid for it for sure but who? and what was their point of doing so? I would be more impressed if it was done or requested by the National Public Aquarium Association for the purposes of them finding out what would be best to use in their public displays. But as we know there are some that use IO specifically and we can see the results they get with it. Of course they have huge equipment as well and I'm sure add supplements to the water as well. So in the end will these test really change anything?

Nope proabably not....

 

[Rickyrooz]

I'm using Tropic Marin Pro Reef.

 

[cee]

I imagine their motivation is to sell their water testing services. Regardless of people's opinions of the article, they sure have gotten a tremendous amount of marketing out of the work they did.

Dave

 

[Weetabix7]

I'm using Tropic Marin Pro Reef.

Why did you switch from Red Sea Coral Pro?

 

[Rickyrooz]

Weetabix7, I got a bad batch that had high alkalinity.