Which salt to use.
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Reef Chemistry
Forum Description: A place to discuss reef chemistry.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=63497
Printed Date: September 16 2025 at 2:47pm
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Topic: Which salt to use.
Posted By: SNOWRIDER
Subject: Which salt to use.
Date Posted: April 06 2013 at 3:33pm
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So I know asking what is the best salt out there I will get
a bunch of different answers that I don’t really want, my question and my main goal of this is find
out what would be best for me. I have been using Salinity salt and have liked
it, my only concerns with it are that it’s expensive and I have (herd) that it
raises your alkalinity. So wondering what people think of this salt and what experiences
they have had with others. A little info on my tank, it’s a 120g mixed reef
mostly LPS, I do weekly water changes and I don’t dose anything and hope not
to. Any info would be great thanks. ------------- 75g Just starting out, Stand and canopy From Richins carpentry. |
Replies:
Posted By: Dionysus
Date Posted: April 06 2013 at 4:01pm
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I would try to find a salt that best matches your parameters like alk, Cal, and mag.That will help keep your tank more stable. ------------- AquaMedic 250 Watt XM 20k 2 420s Vhos 29 DT SPS Dominant 20 G Long Frag http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=56607&title=dionysus-tank-build" rel="nofollow - My Tank Progress =) |
Posted By: SNOWRIDER
Date Posted: April 06 2013 at 9:13pm
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I realize that, just wondering which ones other people have had good luck with so i can try some diffrent kinds. What salt do you use Dionysus? ------------- 75g Just starting out, Stand and canopy From Richins carpentry. |
Posted By: Teknik777
Date Posted: April 06 2013 at 10:23pm
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Oceanic used it for year's. 200 gallons for 52.99. ------------- 220 G SPS Display. |
Posted By: builderofdreams
Date Posted: April 06 2013 at 10:37pm
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if you plan on not dosing then you will need to use a balanced salt. Personally stick with what your using. "If its not broke not broke don't fix it". Oceanic is the best cheaper salt. But you will dose mag. Also it will make 200 gallons but it will be at 1.021. ------------- It's Not a Hobby It's an Obsession 150&210 Gallons of Madness and. Sanity! 801-850-4915 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=65135&title=builderofdreams-feedback-post |
Posted By: Dionysus
Date Posted: April 06 2013 at 11:11pm
Currently I'm using Tropic Marin Pro because it matches my params. But before that I use using Oceanic but it was to far off my numbers so I stopped using it. ------------- AquaMedic 250 Watt XM 20k 2 420s Vhos 29 DT SPS Dominant 20 G Long Frag http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=56607&title=dionysus-tank-build" rel="nofollow - My Tank Progress =) |
SNOWRIDER wrote:Posted By: phys
Date Posted: April 07 2013 at 12:16am
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I use instant ocean* reef crystals. It has higher all, mag, and cal than the normal oceanic and is only a few dollars more. I still ass a little cal and all since my sps likes to eat it up. FYI: if you only change your water, your parameters will drop over time since your corals will eat it up. The only way around it is to do 100% water changes or add additives to help increase levels. There's no way around it. |
Posted By: Akira
Date Posted: April 07 2013 at 2:20am
| I used to run aqua vitro and it seemed like I was always adding mag and cal like crazy. So i went to regular oceanic and I didnt have to dose near as much . That was just my experience and now I only use Oceanic but thats just my eperience. |
Posted By: bur01014
Date Posted: April 07 2013 at 10:23am
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I mix oceanic with instant ocean, 50/50, as oceanic alk is too low for my liking and instant ocean has too low calcium....I,ve had good success with this, plus they are 2 of the cheapest salts. |
Posted By: SNOWRIDER
Date Posted: April 07 2013 at 10:36am
------------- 75g Just starting out, Stand and canopy From Richins carpentry. |
Posted By: Jimbo
Date Posted: April 07 2013 at 11:05am
Oceanic makes a Reef formula now? |
Posted By: builderofdreams
Date Posted: April 07 2013 at 11:40am
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Best thing to do is test your water once a week for the next month and that will answer your questions. Test right before you change water. ------------- It's Not a Hobby It's an Obsession 150&210 Gallons of Madness and. Sanity! 801-850-4915 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=65135&title=builderofdreams-feedback-post |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: April 07 2013 at 2:00pm
| Lets say you have initially 60g with a cal level of 400. If you wait a week and you levels get to 380 and you do a water change of 10 gal with a salt mix at 400, you've changed about 17% of the water. Your cal also dropped by 5% before the change. So that raises your cal back by only about 4ppm. So you're sitting at a calcium level of 384 now. If you wait another week and it drops by another 20ppm, you change 16% again, you cal will be at 364 and will only go up to 368 about. So eventually it will drop to levels that are too low for your corals to grow well. I did this same thing in my tanks and ended up with less than 300ppm of cal in my tanks. After several days of adding stuff I brought all my levels back up and now I see much better growth. |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: April 07 2013 at 2:01pm
| Jumbo... Yes, they have the regular blue container and now a red. It has much more cal, mag, alk, etc in it. |
Posted By: SNOWRIDER
Date Posted: April 07 2013 at 2:54pm
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That makes sense, thanks for your help Phys, and everyone else i will just test more regularly and see if i should be dosing. ------------- 75g Just starting out, Stand and canopy From Richins carpentry. |
Posted By: SNOWRIDER
Date Posted: April 08 2013 at 6:27pm
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Tested tonight and everything was good besides my Alk was 14.1 the only thing i can think of is my salt. I guess the rumor that i was hearing was true. ------------- 75g Just starting out, Stand and canopy From Richins carpentry. |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: April 09 2013 at 12:34am
| Do you use ro water? |
Posted By: SNOWRIDER
Date Posted: April 09 2013 at 5:33am
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Ya thats all i use. ------------- 75g Just starting out, Stand and canopy From Richins carpentry. |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: April 10 2013 at 8:00pm
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How many times did you test and what test kit? Do you mix the salt in the bucket before adding it to the water? I HIGHLY doubt your alk is 14.1dkh. Salinity doesn't have that high of alk and your corals should be using it up. If they aren't, something else is wrong. How do check your water, hydrometer or refractometer? Has the instrument been calibrated properly? I will echo what others have said and tell you that long term, weekly water changes won't work. I change my water weekly right now using ESV B-Ionic salt. It has an alk reading of 9dkh every time. I keep my tank at 7.5-8dkh and I have to dose AT LEAST every other day to keep alk around there. If I go more than 5 days without dosing my alk will bottom out around 6dkh and my corals show signs of my laziness. Sorry for all the questions but an alk reading of 14.1 is VERY unlikely. |
Posted By: aceofspadeskb
Date Posted: April 11 2013 at 7:44am
Where do you find it?
|
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: April 11 2013 at 2:09pm
| I get it at fish 4 u but I know reef on has it too. |
Posted By: Bryce
Date Posted: April 11 2013 at 3:08pm
Pictures or it didnt happen....how can they get more calcium/mag in that mix, it mixes up so high already. Oceanic Natural Sea Salt Mix new reef formula? ------------- 65g Reef |
Posted By: phys
Date Posted: April 11 2013 at 3:38pm
| Not oceanic... Sorry.. Instant ocean... |
Posted By: SNOWRIDER
Date Posted: April 13 2013 at 7:54pm
I didnt have a alk test so i took my water and had a LFS test it, so who know's how accurate it really is. I mix all my water in a bucket and let it sit for 24 hours before doing the water change, right now i am using a hydrometer i know i need to get a refractometer soon. I do need to test again, what test kits do you use? Does pretty much everyone dose? ------------- 75g Just starting out, Stand and canopy From Richins carpentry. |
Posted By: Akira
Date Posted: April 13 2013 at 10:51pm
| I do no not have a heavy bio load at this time and have done several 20g water changes every other day to get my high nitrate into check. I have a new system that has had several issues due to me and only me !!!! But with that many water changes using oceanic (blue bucket) salt the highest I ever read is 9.0-10 and I run at 1.025 . I mix in 2 15g totes with power heads for minimum of 24 hrs. Its great to premix but are you using something to keep flow in your container. Also you will get settling in a bucket of salt due to shipping. I always roll new buckets around for a few to help remix the contents . Not so sure this matters but minimal effort to insure an even mix is worth it to me. |
Posted By: SNOWRIDER
Date Posted: April 14 2013 at 9:44am
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I use the same container when i mix up my salt water, i dont know if that is a bad thing or not maybe some other people can chime in on that, i use a pretty big pump to keep my water mixing for the 24 hours as well. What test kits do people like and dont like? thanks for all of your help. ------------- 75g Just starting out, Stand and canopy From Richins carpentry. |
Posted By: Ann_A
Date Posted: April 14 2013 at 9:53am
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I personally use instant ocean reef crystals and do water changes every few months or so. I can get away with this because I run a calcium reactor which maintains calcium, alkalinity, an magnesium. I also dose strontium and molybednum. For nitrates I skim and run a biodenitrator. This has all worked great for me for some time and as log as it works I recommend it for those who are willing to do the work to get it working. As for test kits I like salifert best with Red Sea coming in second place. If you can afford them I've heard the Hanna checkers are good. ------------- http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=53856&title=annes-65g-rsm-reef" rel="nofollow - RSM 250 Reef |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: April 14 2013 at 10:56am
Make sure you get your hydrometer calibrated. you could be running a high salinity and that is causing the high alk readings. .I would say the vast majority of us are dosing in some form. |
Posted By: SNOWRIDER
Date Posted: April 14 2013 at 2:56pm
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Thanks for the info everyone. ------------- 75g Just starting out, Stand and canopy From Richins carpentry. |