Reef crystals

[56longroof]

There have been thousands of successful reef aquariums with Reef Chrystals. My alk stays pretty consistent at 9.3 with a 25% weekly water change. Calcium and magnesium are rock steady too. I mix it to 1.0255 salinity. I think alot of the stories about bad batches are more due to user error or environmental like Randy described.

 

[njmaddreefer]

Only salt I use and my alk stays 9-10 even after a 40% water change.

Same ….my reef crystals mixes at 10 dkH

 

[njmaddreefer]

I could care less about stability! My corals love to guess and it keeps them nice and healthy!

I’m curious, do you have Acropora?

 

[Troylee]

I’m curious, do you have Acropora?

About 70 different ones lol…

 

[Ryan - Serious Reefs]

In my experience “the best salt” starts with one that has similar perimeters as what is in my tank and consistent. Savings might be a good reason to go another way but there are probably other options out there that are close to the same price and match my tank consistently.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

About 70 different ones lol…

Beautiful tank!

 

[Jasonak]

Im a Mortons man myself. I find the iodine keeps my fish from getting goiter when I cant get them fresh fruit...

 

[Jasonak]

Ok heres something thats actually a little bit helpful and interesting. Supposedly the purple has higher ALK than the reef crystals when it comes to instant ocean.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-ultimate-salt-test.949805/

 

[rtparty]

Ok heres something thats actually a little bit helpful and interesting. Supposedly the purple has higher ALK than the reef crystals when it comes to instant ocean.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-ultimate-salt-test.949805/

In my test it did and showed just how incosistent their batches are. Reef Crystlas SHOULD have higher alkalinity than regular IO. Should being the keyword because clearly either salt can range from 9 to 12dkh and that is okay

 

[Jasonak]

In my test it did and showed just how incosistent their batches are. Reef Crystlas SHOULD have higher alkalinity than regular IO. Should being the keyword because clearly either salt can range from 9 to 12dkh and that is okay

Thank your for doing that test really inciteful and just all around cool to see.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’ll just chime in with my usual complaint about RC (not normal IO). I do not want either the vitamins or metal chelators put in RC.

IMO, the effect of vitamin metabolism by bacteria complicates long term storage for AWC, and the metal chelators may reduce the bioavailability of trace metals that I may not desire to happen.

 

[Jasonak]

I used IO for years then switched to RC for years. Awhile back I switched to tropic marin but I didnt notice any significant change so im back to just IO in the last month. I did notice that RC left a brown residue in my mixing tanks. Ive not seen that with the tropic marin or IO
Ive not tested the ALK on either but would notice a ALK drop in the display when I do the water changes. But im normally only changing 40 gallons in a 330 tank.

 

[njmaddreefer]

About 70 different ones lol…

Wow!!!! Killing it

 

[njmaddreefer]

Wow!!!! Killing it

That’s it man! I’m done chasing stable alk! It’s a myth…just kidding lol

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That’s it man! I’m done chasing stable alk! It’s a myth…just kidding lol

Seriously, though, there’s not a lot of evidence of what sorts of alk stability matter, and to what extent.

For example, alk can vary over the same large range every day, or it can climb or fall day after day, potentially with different consequences.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Did somebody *coughboluscough*

 

[Troylee]

That’s it man! I’m done chasing stable alk! It’s a myth…just kidding lol

It is! My alk has ran from 4.4 to 13.6 and never skipped a beat lol… the 4.4 was after 2 kalk over doses and my tank snowing for a week! It was nasty but the sps never skipped a beat and I didn’t lose a single piece! I believe it’s a myth! I think keeping it rock solid does more harm than good if you ask me!

 

[BeanAnimal]

FWIW - I made a very silly mistake a few weeks ago.

I was headed out of town last week and took a look at the Alk test results and noticed that my alk was steadily climbing from 7-ish to 11-ish

I started cutting back the dosing schedule but it kept climbing. The tank looked great, but Alk usage basically dropped to ZERO.

So I started looking for answers. I tested magnesium, and it was well within range.

Then I tested Calcium - and it was 200 ish, maybe less. It basically was off the bottom of the salifert and hanna test kits range of accuracy. So I get readings like 180, 200, 220... but it was, without question insanely low.

It turns out that I mixed new batches of Triton Core and when I put them back online, I put the wrong doser feed line into the Calcium container. So the tank was getting balanced Alk and Mag, but ZERO Calcium!!!

Over a period of weeks, the calcium dropped from normal range to that low value. As it was depleted, Alk usage dropped and began to accumulate... It hit maybe 12.5 by the time I realized my error and started to make corrections.

Calcification has come back and nothing (at least yet) looks any worse for the wear.

 

[Aquariumaddictuk]

I can’t ever be bothered to tinker with ALK when mixing water.
I keep my tank at the 7-7.5DKH mark and use TM pro because it matches that perfectly.
Horses for courses.

 

[Troylee]

FWIW - I made a very silly mistake a few weeks ago.

I was headed out of town last week and took a look at the Alk test results and noticed that my alk was steadily climbing from 7-ish to 11-ish

I started cutting back the dosing schedule but it kept climbing. The tank looked great, but Alk usage basically dropped to ZERO.

So I started looking for answers. I tested magnesium, and it was well within range.

Then I tested Calcium - and it was 200 ish, maybe less. It basically was off the bottom of the salifert and hanna test kits range of accuracy. So I get readings like 180, 200, 220... but it was, without question insanely low.

It turns out that I mixed new batches of Triton Core and when I put them back online, I put the wrong doser feed line into the Calcium container. So the tank was getting balanced Alk and Mag, but ZERO Calcium!!!

Over a period of weeks, the calcium dropped from normal range to that low value. As it was depleted, Alk usage dropped and began to accumulate... It hit maybe 12.5 by the time I realized my error and started to make corrections.

Calcification has come back and nothing (at least yet) looks any worse for the wear.

I mean this was 2 weeks apart I thought I was gonna lose everything! Ph was 9.4 and not a single issue! It took a week to clear out each time.. I swear I was super lucky the first time and the second I was like oh no! No way they’re gonna survive! Not a single loss! It was crazy!