What salt are you using? (PLUS Recent Salt Study)

[inactive]

Marine Environment

 

[cee]

I hate posting links to other sites but give credit where credit is due:

Synthetic Salt Mixes - Reef Central Online Community

 

[Dave@ARA]

ESV's 4-part Seawater system

We have been one of the lucky ones chosen to test ESV's "4-part Sea-Water System", (2-powder components, and 2-liquid components).

I have been mixing salt since 1978 and have never seen a salt that mixes perfectly clean and clear with absolutely nothing floating on the top,.and not a single granule anywhere.

Bob and Richard Stark, (ESV) is/are the inventors of the original 2-part that everybody wants to mimic/copy, and find out how to make themselves.

Imagine that you like a particular coffee brand, and someone won an award for finding out how the company made it????

I had heard Some guy at MACNA, once received an "Aquarist of the year award" for basically finding out the main components in ESV's 2-part B-ionic, (not all) and then presenting it a MACNA one year,..can you imagine, someone getting an award for basically taking, (what someone else invented) ,...taking it apart and telling the world what he thought was in it and how to get comparable components to make it at home???? then getting an award???

Thats how much people want to copy ESV,..it is the best, and any other company will compare there's to it.

...a car commercial ; they state it gets as good of gas mileage as the Toyota Camry,..well then why not just buy the Camry?

They have simply taken the other salts that tend to not mix well, or mix as fast as the main components, and supply them as liquid, the main salts, (as in most other brands), Sodium Chloride, and Magnesium sulfate, are your 2-powder components, that you add directly and these mix immediately and completely before your eyes.

ESV has done it again,..this time it is salt, ...I feel for the other companies producing, "higher-end" reefing salts.

We have witnessed incredible SPS growth spurts since doing water changes with this salt in just a few months.

 

[seth&angelle]

D&D H2Ocean!!!! I used Tropic Marine Pro and Red Sea Pro for many years before I discovered H2Ocean, and I'm never looking back. I love it!!!

 

[sailfintang]

Running RC but have tried multiple brands from less expensive to more expensive and found that this mix to be an acceptable middle of the road. May even go back to IO in order to conserve some $$$ on salt expenses.

 

[Ike]

I've used most brands on the market at one point or another and keep going back to Reef Crystals.

Also, haven't read through the whole thread and someone has probably already mentioned this, but the testing methods and results from AWT are highly suspect so I wouldn't put a whole lot of weight into the study they did.

 

[revhtree]

I started using Reef Crystals a couple months ago and love it!

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

I just seen that the Reef Crystals formula changed and the Alk and Ca are ridiculously high amounts. I still have two buckets of the old formula and will be switching to IO.

I read the Alk is 13 and the Ca is now 490 and the Mg is 1440(very nice)???

IO supposedly has a Ca of 400 and Alk of 11 and Mg of 1350. That works out perfect for me.

This is mixed at 1.0264

 

[Ike]

I just seen that the Reef Crystals formula changed and the Alk and Ca are ridiculously high amounts. I still have two buckets of the old formula and will be switching to IO.

I read the Alk is 13 and the Ca is now 490 and the Mg is 1440(very nice)???

IO supposedly has a Ca of 400 and Alk of 11 and Mg of 1350. That works out perfect for me.

This is mixed at 1.0264

I wouldn't call those levels "ridiculously high". Higher than NSW sure, high enough to cause any harm, not unless you're running a "ULNS" system. IN that case you should be blaming the harm on messing around with carbon dosing rather than alkalinity being a little higher...:tongue: Usually shutting my calcium reactor down for a day after a water change is all it takes for my parameters to get back to where I want them.

 

[Ike]

ESV's 4-part Seawater system

We have been one of the lucky ones chosen to test ESV's "4-part Sea-Water System", (2-powder components, and 2-liquid components).

I have been mixing salt since 1978 and have never seen a salt that mixes perfectly clean and clear with absolutely nothing floating on the top,.and not a single granule anywhere.

Bob and Richard Stark, (ESV) is/are the inventors of the original 2-part that everybody wants to mimic/copy, and find out how to make themselves.

Imagine that you like a particular coffee brand, and someone won an award for finding out how the company made it????

I had heard Some guy at MACNA, once received an "Aquarist of the year award" for basically finding out the main components in ESV's 2-part B-ionic, (not all) and then presenting it a MACNA one year,..can you imagine, someone getting an award for basically taking, (what someone else invented) ,...taking it apart and telling the world what he thought was in it and how to get comparable components to make it at home???? then getting an award???

Thats how much people want to copy ESV,..it is the best, and any other company will compare there's to it.

...a car commercial ; they state it gets as good of gas mileage as the Toyota Camry,..well then why not just buy the Camry?

They have simply taken the other salts that tend to not mix well, or mix as fast as the main components, and supply them as liquid, the main salts, (as in most other brands), Sodium Chloride, and Magnesium sulfate, are your 2-powder components, that you add directly and these mix immediately and completely before your eyes.

ESV has done it again,..this time it is salt, ...I feel for the other companies producing, "higher-end" reefing salts.

We have witnessed incredible SPS growth spurts since doing water changes with this salt in just a few months.

Uhhhh, ESV did not invent sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, nor calcium chloride... :tongue: They had a good idea, I congratulate them. However, all they did was take known elements already being used for the aquarium, put them in a bottle with some water and dosing instructions, and then charge a ridiculous markup. Much like Thiel, Coralife, and Kent, ESV was taking advantage of people that didn't know better, it just took longer for them to get in the game. That's not something to commend them for IMO.

 

[subielover]

Ike, what salt do you use?

 

[CHALICEKEEPER]

Reef crystals because it was the best my lfs had and i figured salt was an important part of the reef. Good stuff makes my chalices grow

 

[Ike]

Ike, what salt do you use?

I've used many but have always gone back to RC. Of the salts in the poll Seachem is probably the only one I'd outright steer people away from.

 

[subielover]

What makes you say that? I have been using their Reef Salt for over 6 months now with positive results.

 

[Jeremy R.]

I have used RC ever since I got into reefkeeping and have yet to get a bad batch, knock on wood. Granted even with the new study I plan to continue to use RC till I notice a change when tested. I mix at 1.025 and have always got calcium: 420-450 Alk 9-9.5 and mag 1300-1400. Mag test are not done as much as the alk and calcium which is tested in every new box.

 

[hawkfishman]

aquacraft rules (bio-sea or marine env.)

 

[LILBUDDHA]

Seachem Salinity

 

[fishoutofwater]

i use NSW and have had great success with it. have been using for over 10 years. reef and fish only

 

[gdwats]

I use mei Salt mix.

 

[JOSE CASAS]

IO here.