POLL: What's YOUR #1 factor when buying your Salt?

What's YOUR #1 factor when buying you Salt?

  • Price - It has to be reasonably priced, I refuse to OVERPAY for Salt

    Votes: 37 36.6%
  • Consistent Alk - if the Salt throws my Alk # off, I won't use it

    Votes: 16 15.8%
  • Calcium - the Salt must mix out to the low-to-mid 400s for Calcium

    Votes: 2 2.0%
  • Magnesium - the Salt must mix out to at least 1300 Magnesium or higher

    Votes: 1 1.0%
  • Clarity - the Salt must mix out clear in a matter of under an hour

    Votes: 10 9.9%
  • Purity - unacceptable if my Salt bin develops "crud" on the bottom

    Votes: 18 17.8%
  • Trace Elements - unacceptable if an ICP test reveals unwanted elements to Mfgring process

    Votes: 3 3.0%
  • other - plz explain

    Votes: 14 13.9%

  • Total voters
    101

rtparty

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I selected purity but don't really agree with the crud portion. I want purity from a cleanliness and overall quality of ingredients stand point. But consistency is also a huge factor for me. Overall consistency too, not just a single parameter.

I've just had better success using the "higher end" salts than the cheap stuff. Cheap always means cutting corners somewhere. You aren't just magically the cheapest because everyone else is over charging for the same thing. You are the cheapest because your QC is lower, your ingredients aren't as pure, you don't pay as well, etc...I'm not implying the expensive salts pay employees more but more saying you can create the cheapest salt because you cut out expenses somewhere. Usually a combination of many things. I highly doubt one salt company is THAT much larger than everyone else and can get that large of bulk discounts on quality ingredients. I can tell you by looking at the salts the ingredients/quality control aren't the same quality.

A lot of people don't care about these things and that is totally okay. Some of us do. I'm not sure why both sides can't let the other side just do their thing. I, for one, love having all the choices as a consumer. This hobby would be so boring if every tank was the same from lack of choice.
 

jtf74

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This is NOT a "which Salt Brand is BEST" thread

This is discovering what is peoples #1 factor is in choosing/buying a Salt Brand.

KEEP IT CIVIL PPL!

Plz no arguing over your brand of salt is better than everyone elses....or I'll sick Daniel@R2R on you, Lololololololololol



.
My deciding factor is when I'm running low on salt and what's on the shelf! I also like to order Instant ocean in buckets rather than bags and use the buckets for water changes, cleaning, acclimation, etc.
 

((FORDTECH))

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For me the first thing thats important is not having that crude at the bottom of mixing bin. If it’s in your bin it has to make it into your tank. I use 250 gallon mixing containers and it’s to much work to clean them. Also the crude eventually falls off and is free floating in the mix. When this happens it gets sucked into my mixing pumps and then eventually clogged my pump intakes. To much work to have to clean all this.
Second is a salt that match’s the perimeters that I am running my tank at.
 

JCM

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I selected purity but don't really agree with the crud portion. I want purity from a cleanliness and overall quality of ingredients stand point. But consistency is also a huge factor for me. Overall consistency too, not just a single parameter.

I've just had better success using the "higher end" salts than the cheap stuff. Cheap always means cutting corners somewhere. You aren't just magically the cheapest because everyone else is over charging for the same thing. You are the cheapest because your QC is lower, your ingredients aren't as pure, you don't pay as well, etc...I'm not implying the expensive salts pay employees more but more saying you can create the cheapest salt because you cut out expenses somewhere. Usually a combination of many things. I highly doubt one salt company is THAT much larger than everyone else and can get that large of bulk discounts on quality ingredients. I can tell you by looking at the salts the ingredients/quality control aren't the same quality.

A lot of people don't care about these things and that is totally okay. Some of us do. I'm not sure why both sides can't let the other side just do their thing. I, for one, love having all the choices as a consumer. This hobby would be so boring if every tank was the same from lack of choice.

I agree people should buy what they like. I disagree about the "one salt company not being larger" part though. Instant ocean and Red sea are both large companies that make alot of products, so it's possible they get ingredients cheaper than others. Not that I'm saying any are better than others.
 

vetteguy53081

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-affordability
- Availability
- Reliability
 

chadfish

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VALUE - what’s the best product for the money?

To me it’s Reef Crystals. Extra calcium and mag and trace elements, but not too expensive
 

ReefBeta

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The choice is always a combination of factors.

I want the salt to mix up to clear fast, leaving minimal crumbs, and can store for long time without precipitation. But I will only pay so much premium for those. The salt I chose satisfied all those point, while less than 10% more expensive than others that don't. That's a price I can take. But if the difference is like over 30%, I will most likely choose something cheaper instead.
 

md2882

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All of the above except for price. Don’t really care about that. I think it is funny we will pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for fish and coral but some of us balk at a $30 higher priced salt that is better in every aspect. I just started using. Quantum. It’s about $75 a box
 

md2882

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All of the above except for price. Don’t really care about that. I think it is funny we will pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for fish and coral but some of us balk at a $30 higher priced salt that is better in every aspect. I just started using. Quantum. It’s about $75 a box
 

High pressure shells: Do you look for signs of stress in the invertebrates in your reef tank?

  • I regularly look for signs of invertebrate stress in my reef tank.

    Votes: 42 31.3%
  • I occasionally look for signs of invertebrate stress in my reef tank.

    Votes: 31 23.1%
  • I rarely look for signs of invertebrate stress in my reef tank.

    Votes: 27 20.1%
  • I never look for signs of invertebrate stress in my reef tank.

    Votes: 34 25.4%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
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