Natural sea water vs blue bucket

[discostew]

For those familiar or use San Diego sea water (scripps). Anyone notice much of a different between growth and salt mix (rs blue bucket or IO)?

 

[KrisReef]

Lots of folks who keep expensive corals (SPS sticks) don't like to use the faucet water because supposedly the water quality is not reliable and the natural viruses and bacteria and what not have been suspects in tank crashes with Scripps water. Perfect for fish, ime, but the rumored consensus is that salt from a box/bag is more consistent with non-hazardous RODI/salt providing stability vs the unknown contents in NSW that is downstream of the San Diego Muni outfall and the TJ River, both sources of potential problems not to mention the impacts of storm runoff. People also notice that the NSW tends to be tinted green from the planktonic component that thrives in our temperate ocean.

 

[discostew]

Thanks. I have softies/lps a few easy sps (montis) slow growing. Would blue bucket or red bucket be better? My current dkh is 7, depending on time of year and the nsw it can be as high as 9.

 

[KrisReef]

Thanks. I have softies/lps a few easy sps (montis) slow growing. Would blue bucket or red bucket be better? My current dkh is 7, depending on time of year and the nsw it can be as high as 9.

Scripps, I have found, is often low in dKh and I would add baking soda and magnesium to raise those parameters when I've used it.

The debate on salt mixes will never be settled as to which is best. I think if you pick one and stick with it that will be your best solution for purity. The sad thing is that occasionally a batch of salt will not have the same parameters that they advertise on the box/bucket, so I would test those also whenever I mix a new batch and adjust, as needed, if needed.