what salt do you use and why? thinking of changing my salt and need input

[RogerWilco357]

ok I have been reading that Tropic Marin Pro Salt has had some issues with keeping their dkh consistant . I use Reef Crystals have been for years and want to try some of the higher priced salts but need to know if they are worth the extra money? what do you use and why? what numbers do you get when you test your salt batches for water changes? like :
8.0-8.5 dKH, 440 ca, and 1350 mag?
Thanks for the help in advance.
Roger

 

[jordan3548]

I use the regular Instant Ocean Ive never used anything else for 7 years I figure why change something if its not broke

 

[btkrausen]

I'm in the same boat. I've used Reef Crystals for years, never had a problem, but recently changed to Red Sea Coral Pro since it had higher Magnesium and Calcium levels. I haven't had a chance to test a new batch yet, but I haven't had to add any Mag at all, and its been staying at over 1430.

 

[Znut Reefer]

I used IO for several yrs. And when RC went on sale I started using it for the past 3 yrs.

 

[gumby]

reef crystals!

 

[maharsreef]

Tropic marin pro. I havnt heard of dkh issues, but one should always roll the bag of salt around on the floor, to make
sure it is mixed well before using. Sometimes it settles during shipping. I use it because I like the calcium and Mag levels and the supposedly low dkh, which also works well with Zeovit and calcium reactors.

 

[aj1980]

I use Red Sea Pro Coral and my corals love it.

 

[btkrausen]

I use Red Sea Pro Coral and my corals love it.

I honestly haven't seen much difference in my corals from the change except now I get some cyano in my frag tank, in which I never got before. I'll probably go back to Reef Crystals on my next bucket.

 

[phi delt reefer]

try the new ESV stuff - no chance of stuff settling or getting a batch that wasnt mixed well be cause you do it on your own! Little bit of work but i hear it mixes super quick and you can tweek the amounts to up your alk/calc/mag if needed (they give you a little extra of that stuff for that purpose )

 

[btkrausen]

try the new ESV stuff - no chance of stuff settling or getting a batch that wasnt mixed well be cause you do it on your own! Little bit of work but i hear it mixes super quick and you can tweek the amounts to up your alk/calc/mag if needed (they give you a little extra of that stuff for that purpose )

I have been thinking about that one as well, as one of my buddies is planning to go to it. Have you been using it for a while?

 

[emureef]

I've kinda changed a few salts. Guess my favorite would be Brightwell salt... im using an Oceanic salt right now, nothing really to complain about. After this batch is used up i might switch back to brightwell.

 

[RadReef]

I checked out a comparative analysis of salt mixes and I thought that the Coralife sea salt mix looked like the best. Lower nitrates and phosphates and higher amounts of calcium and magnesium. Here's a link to the analysis doc,
reefsaltanalysis.googlepages.com/AWT_Salt_Analysis_0208.pdf

 

[RadReef]

ok I have been reading that Tropic Marin Pro Salt has had some issues with keeping their dkh consistant .

Yes, on the analysis Tropic Marin Pro Salt did NOT look that great. It's one of the more expensive mixes and you'd be better off using reef crystals. But, you can look at the PDF and draw your own conclusions. :wink:

 

[RogerWilco357]

yeah some of those are like 20 to 40 bucks more per bucket and as far as me mixing everything well for the price I would rather they do it ..Reef Crystals has always worked for me.

 

[btkrausen]

Reef Crystals used to get bashed pretty good a while ago, and still does a little. It worked great for me for years.

 

[skinz78]

I use Seachem Marine salt, I used to use RC but I got a bad batch and my Mag went sky high. Plus I kept getting a brown residue in my mixing bucket and with the Seachem I don't get that.

 

[kgk]

I've been using Oceanic since the beginning, and have been happy with it. I haven't had a reason to change.

 

[bitzerjd]

I've been using Oceanic since the beginning, and have been happy with it. I haven't had a reason to change.

Same here...Oceanic seems to do the trick. Almost every brand of salt has had a bad batch.....They all tend to go in and out of favor. Honestly, I have never seen a real difference between any of the major brands.

 

[reefndude]

I used reef crystals for a few years. Decided to try esv recently. So far I like it...mixing yourself keeps it consistent. Corals are looking better. Can't say if its because of salt...I changed a few things since switching.

 

[hart24601]

I wouldn't exactly swear by that AWT pfd, it's 7 years old now and I don't know how those methods stack up against Tritions. Maybe Randy will find this and comment. FYI here is a triton test of TMP.

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/triton-us/177649-any-plans-test-salt-6.html

Not perfect, but I don't know if anything else is better.