Newb to dosing…

[reef chicken]

i’m starting a fijicube 32 ext with the fiji 20 sump. looking for salt recommendations. i’ve always used reef crystals in the past but considering tropic marin or blue bucket. i would like to get into more hard corals this go around. i like reef crystals but it’s super high in alk, well everything for that matter, and i don’t want large fluctuations after water changes, and the blue bucket is low and i don’t necessarily want to have to dose my new made up water to bring it up to what the tank will be at. i like the tropic marin levels and i’ve heard good things but it’s insanely expensive. also i will be running 2 part on this system.

 

[DenverSaltyFarm]

I have used reef crystals in the past and do not like how it fouls up and gets a bacteria growing in my mixing station if I let it sit while I slowly use it up. I switched to the blue bucket and like it a lot. It mixes clean and after about an hour of mixing I turn off my mixing pump and it stays clean for weeks without any weird bacteria growing and fouling it up.

I hear that tropic marin is the best salt but I hate that price. I think most of the salts grow corals great and choose the one that best suits the numbers you are shooting for and stick to that. I would always stay away from fritz salt. I bought a bad batch that killed half my tank and others who bought that salt from my local store had the same thing happen.

 

[edsbeaker]

There is no “best” salt. They all get the job done safely. Pick the one that is most inline to the levels you are trying to keep and don’t overthink it. There are positives and negatives to each brand. I use Instant Ocean. It has the parameters I want. Some people complain that it leaves a residue in the mixing container. Yes it does. Does it hurt anything? No it doesn’t. I’d rather clean my container twice a year and save lots of $$$ for other things.