What salt mix does everyone recommened?

[rmurken]

Plus 1 on Instant Ocean! I buy the buckets when someone runs a 20% off sale and buy 6. UPS / FedEx guy hates me. After 2 years, I have plenty of clean buckets stacked up. No use for reef crystals - I dose what is needed. IO is consistent and provides a stable environment for my 2 mixed reef tanks.

I use IO too, and not for lack of considering other stuff. Only been in saltwater for a year but it’s been fine. I don’t have the highest Ca/Alk demand yet, but have started adding a few grams of baking soda after WC’s, and will switch to kalk eventually. Never heard of anyone going wrong with IO. Also it dissolves within a minute.

 

[jordan10]

io reef crystals. Every week I shake up bucket. I would imagine any salt not used fast enough would have settling issues. Just my practice.

Same here but see ur a Michigan fan? Are you from or around Ann Arbor?

 

[sfin52]

Same here but see ur a Michigan fan? Are you from or around Ann Arbor?

I currently reside in Springfield IL. I grew up in Otsego Michigan about 20 min north of Kazoo. Do You live around Ann Arbor

 

[Fishguywc]

I’ve been using Fritz and have liked it, mixes clean stays clean in storage and parameters match mind, but my last box had MAG in excess of my test range!! I kept getting a default result on my reefbot (out of range) couldn’t figure it out.. thought i was overdosing so stopped Mag... kept getting readings out of range. I bought another mag test kit thinking my Red Sea was bad and got same results manually.. then it finally dawned on me that i do daily 1.5 gallon AWC so tested fresh SW.. bingo! It was over 2000 mag!! Read up and seems like others have had similar problem.. looking for salt w Alk between 7-8. Thinking TMP.. I just want something consistent..

 

[jordan10]

I currently reside in Springfield IL. I grew up in Otsego Michigan about 20 min north of Kazoo. Do You live around Ann Arbor

Cool yea 20mins south of aa I live in dundee

 

[ReefRondo]

I've tried a lot of salts and to be honest if it were not for all the crap that accumulates in my mixing containers I probably use Seachem Salinity but because of that use Tropic Marin Reef Pro and wow what a salt!

 

[corky1966]

So after watching @Bulk Reef Supply video and Rico's YouTube video I think its time to change the salt mix I use. When I started the hobby I used IO Reef crystals then upgraded to Red Sea, but my alk kept skyrocketing. I switched to Fritz's RPM but i would get inconsistent batches and after what is potentially going on with Rico tank I think its time to switch salts. I am very intrigued with Tropic Marin does anyone use this salt and would you recommend it?

I’m doing the safe thing switching from Red Sea to RC now I’m going to try LA salt got a box for 20 buck with points!

 

[corky1966]

I’m doing the safe thing switching from Red Sea to RC now I’m going to try LA salt got a box for 20 buck with points!

Now I’m just working up the list of salts lol

 

[Retro Reefer]

I have been using instant ocean going back to when it was basically the only thing available for marine tanks and I have never felt a need to change

 

[melanotaenia]

I used Red Sea, got brown crud
I used Kent Marine, did not like the parameters it mixed with
I then switched to Tropic Marin Pro Reef and have not looked back; hands down the best salt I have ever used. Mixes consistently, close to NSW parameters, and salt mix has consistent parameters from start to finish. I believe that BRS did a review recently and found similar results with TM Pro Reef.

One thing I have learned, is to not skimp on salt; it is not worth saving a few bucks to have subpar water chemistry from a poor performing salt.

 

[ScottW]

I made the switch to ESV and have been very happy thus far. I don't mind the 4 steps to make it, I am down in the fish room often anyways! Met them at MACNA, seem like great guys, and they have been in the industry 30+ years, I think they know what they are doing by now haha. I made the switch from TMP

 

[KStatefan]

So after watching @Bulk Reef Supply video and Rico's YouTube video I think its time to change the salt mix I use. When I started the hobby I used IO Reef crystals then upgraded to Red Sea, but my alk kept skyrocketing. I switched to Fritz's RPM but i would get inconsistent batches and after what is potentially going on with Rico tank I think its time to switch salts. I am very intrigued with Tropic Marin does anyone use this salt and would you recommend it?

I do not watch Rico's videos what is going on with his tank?

 

[Scubabum]

I do not watch Rico's videos what is going on with his tank?

RTN on 98% of all his SPS and LPS taking a hit as well. He is monitoring his params with Trident and No spikes in anything. Happened after doing 100 gallon water change on 1000 gallons of water volume with Fritz RPM

 

[mattzang]

I do not watch Rico's videos what is going on with his tank?

well his last two videos are titled 'everything is dying' and 'corals are dying! i will use brightwell purit to help fix problem'

idk, i watched a bit of them and his stuff is just basically bleaching and dying, he doesn't really know what the issue is. he said he changed two things for this tank: he switched salt from io to fritz for this tank and used all dry rock so that's kind of what he's honing in on.

 

[LARedstickreefer]

I run red sea pro, but before I needed the boost in elements I used red sea blue bucket. I used the tropic marin before. It was good. Mixed cloudy and youd actually see the magnesium sparks when you added the salt to the water when mixing. Bad thing was it always mixed cloudy and I had to wait a day before using. Red sea is clear within 15 min.

I recently switched to TMP reef and while I’m not seeing anything but clear water, I am finding that my magnesium is crazy high. 1600ppm on a brand new Red Sea Magnesium test.

Everything else mixes up to the specified amounts.

 

[motortrendz]

I recently switched to TMP reef and while I’m not seeing anything but clear water, I am finding that my magnesium is crazy high. 1600ppm on a brand new Red Sea Magnesium test.

Everything else mixes up to the specified amounts.

Maybe they've changed. It's been quite a few years since I used them. Do they still use the locking top. Buckets? Those things were great.

 

[LARedstickreefer]

Maybe they've changed. It's been quite a few years since I used them. Do they still use the locking top. Buckets? Those things were great.

Yup. Got a locking top bucket the other day.

Looks like my Red Sea test is bad. So I take back TMP reef being crazy high in Magnesium.

 

[thatguyZach]

Been using red sea pro for years and all my parameters are stable. I actually dose alk and calc to keep them where they are needed.

 

[resortez]

I personally use regular Red Sea salt mix (blue bucket) & no issues for years. I have done the coral pro but figured that I still dose elements so why spend the extra $$. I have used D-D but I heard that both D-D & Red Sea are made in the same facilities, I “assumed” it’s the same mix just rebranded so went back to Red Sea. I have visited Vivid Aquariums & I have seen them using Seachems Aquavitro Salinity. Was told that it does well for them but they mix at 30 because of the amount of corals in their system & the amount of elements that the coral pull out of the water column. I’ve also met people that like AquaCraft & say it does well for them.

 

[wranodj]

Regular IO, 10% weekly change.