LET'S GET SALTY: What's a FAIR price for salt and what are you using in 2020?

[RalphTech]

Salt is a naturally occurring chemical. We pay for refinement which is automatically operated.
I don't mind paying a little since carrying tablets of salt on my donkey butt is not inspirational. But make it about $10 for a 50 Gallon bucket of Red Sea Pro.

 

[Royy13]

I pay $0.00. NSW for me. Good old home grown Atlantic Ocean water. Occasionally I will go to the LFS and buy water pre-made. For instance, the other day I went to my collection site and the tide was so high it was coming over the inlet wall. I didn’t want my battery that I use to power my pump to get destroyed so I left and went to the LFS. If I’m behind on water changes and the weather is bad I may also go to the LFS. I do, however, make my own fresh water for top-off.

And no, my system is not being over run with parasites or deadly critters. The fish and corals are fine. Been doing it for years after reading about from Paul B.

Roy

 

[Loggerhead]

I buy the Fitz 200 gallon blue box salt because my lfs sells them for $43. It’s normally about $60-$65 online.

 

[radiata]

I love paying $35 for the 200 gallon mix of IO - my LFS uses it as a loss leader to bring in customers...

 

[rsumner]

I switched to Tropic Marin Pro after watching the BRS video series on salt mixes. I was seeking something that would mix easier and leave less residue for me to cleanup.

I was using IO Reef Crystals for years and then running my RO through a 5micron filter to get rid of the nasty brown gunk that was always floating around and eventually sticking to my mixing container. I loved the low price and being able to easily get it same-day on Amazon.

Is the Tropic Marin Pro worth the extra $50/bucket which translates to $50/month for me? I'm not financially strapped and would rather spend my time being obsessive about something else on my tank than recleaning my clean salt water, so yes!

 

[vanpire]

I love paying $35 for the 200 gallon mix of IO - my LFS uses it as a loss leader to bring in customers...

Where do u guys find it for $35? Best I can find is $40/200 gallon box.

 

[Malevolent]

I live in Alaska, so I use what’s available that doesn’t require shipping. My LFS and chain stores here (pet smart, petco, etc.) carry the same product. 57lbs of IO reef crystal for $60.00. It’s very important for me to have a consistent salt and availability because I don’t want to have to adjust my parameters and make it into a full time job every time I get a different salt with different additives/values. I have a pretty good setup for mixing, dosing, temperature control to obtain my end desire. The name of the game is stability with consistent results. The only time you should be seeking different brands, is in the beginning (setup). Salt is not just salt, they all have different additives/values (sometimes not consistent) and you need to be able to adjust it to what you think the end result should be (hopefully with the least amount of cost/work). That’s just my opinion, I’m sure other people may have a different view on this.

 

[SeaJay]

$40 for the 200gal box of IO at my LFS. For a few bucks more I can get it to my door from Amazon, but I prefer to give my local guys as much business as I can while I'm there. He takes care of me when I need anything.

 

[Dorrie]

I think $75 or less is fair, but I‘ve been paying the premium for Tropic Marin Pro-Reef. I’ve used this salt for about 2 years now & have been very happy with the consistency of the mix. I’d love to find a cheaper salt with the same results. I have a 300 gallon tank with a mixed coral reef and a variety of reef friendly fish.

 

[Oberst Oswald]

Tropic Marin Pro Reef. Never used any other salt. I think it is the best and don't care about the price.

 

[Hemmdog]

I only do water changes once a quarter, so the price doesn’t really matter to me. I want the highest quality and I’ve found that, after trying most major brands, with tropic marin pro.

 

[jjstecchino]

Reef Crystals 200g box ~ $50 +/- a few dollars

 

[SAMS]

I purchase the Red Sea Coral Pro Salt 20KG refill bags, which here in the UK is slightly smaller than the refill bags that you Yanks get .
I pay £55.00 for a 20kg refill bag (roughly $72.00). This bag lasts me 5 weeks on my 1000L tank, so can't complain.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Instant ocean regular or reef crystals under $50 and is the most used. I see no reason to pay $75 or more. One of the reasons people try to stay away from water changes. When it cost you $100 or more a month for just salt you start looking at ways to save.

 

[nereefpat]

I think 42.99 is usually the cost of IO 150 gallon bucket or 200 gallon box from amazon. I don't think I'd ever pay more than 50$ for salt.

 

[DEWreefing]

I'm wholesale I have never changed water but I did just buy a 200g bag for my 225g new build

 

[Chris Spaulding]

Tropic Marin Pro . Mixes fast , clean , and constant. I buy it buy the box atm because I am only doing about 30 gallons a month in water changes. Red Sea Reefer 250.

 

[Borg]

$35/ 200 gallon box I.o

 

[RwP]

Just started using HW Marine. So far so good

 

[Johnnynle]

I recently changed to Fritz pro blue box, $50 a box. Was using tropic Marin bio-actif and it was a great salt. So far with Fritz I haven’t had any parameter issues and it mixes really fast. Plus I can mix and hold for when I need it. Couldn’t do that with the Bio-actif.