What salt is everyone using?

[pythpyth]

I use Nyos salt, mixes fast and clear. And I love that it has its parameters on the bucket.

 

[56longroof]

Have you ever done a ICP ? I cant say for sure but my lithium was always high when using reef crystals. So I switched and last ICP I did it had come down but I have not done a ICP in awhile. But it was the only thing I could come up with that might be raising it.

I haven't. I know that's mentioned by everyone that uses RC and has a ICP test. There doesn't seem to be any negative effects that I've read or noticed so far.

 

[mcarroll]

salt dumped all at once

I understand you are being purposeful in the way you are doing that and that it's working for you. And that's fine. ...I'm also curious if you would enjoy the results more if you didn't do it this way.

By dumping it in all at once, you get the most extreme concentration gradients (eg calcium, alk, pH, etc) in the water at the beginning of mixing.

If we are shooting for ideal results (given that we are making a supersaturated solution) this is not the best way to begin.

But a lot of folks, especially anyone just starting out, understandably don't know what's going on when they mix salt water so I'm going to post this link from one of Randy's older articles that he wrote for that purpose and which specifically deals with precipitation:

A Simplified Guide to the Relationship Between
Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium and pH

(http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-06/rhf/index.php)

(All of Randy's older articles are must-reads for anyone getting into keeping stony corals, IMO. Most of them deserve two or three readings IMO. Still can't believe they haven't been collected into a book yet. )

 

[08TRDOFFROAD]

I'm using Nyos. If you watch the sales you can snag it for around $75 a bucket!

 

[mook1178]

The rationale from Red Sea is that the mixing heats the water, promoting precipitation of calcium carboabnte in high alk mixes like Coral pro.

I never heat mine (normal IO) and only stir during initial dissolution.

So it is really not mixing but heating. I mix my salt the night before and add an air stone to keep CO2 and O2 balanced. I use purple IO

 

[Sophie"s mom]

ESV… been using it for many years (probably 15-20yrs) , once you figure the measurements for the amount that you want to make (60g for me) its easy to do!

Happened across this thread and I feel dumb but I must ask, what is ESV ? I currently use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals

 

[IceNein]

Happened across this thread and I feel dumb but I must ask, what is ESV ? I currently use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals

ESV Aquarium Products

Simplicity Beyond Complexity

www.esvaquarium.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So it is really not mixing but heating. I mix my salt the night before and add an air stone to keep CO2 and O2 balanced. I use purple IO

Yes, although Red Sea makes some cryptic and unexplainable comments about mixing without aerating. Maybe they mix to a lower pH that will rise with aeration and make the problem worse.

 

[mook1178]

Yes, although Red Sea makes some cryptic and unexplainable comments about mixing without aerating. Maybe they mix to a lower pH that will rise with aeration and make the problem worse.

pH is so locked into CO2 that I can't really imagine that, unless they mix to a high enough alkalinity that the speciation is all carbonate, drastically lowering pCO2/raising pH. But in that case, aeration would help.

I understand the heat argument due to off gas of CO2, potentially, but aeration seems a large stretch to me. Maybe the mix of heat and aeration drives more CO2 off.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I asked them a while back how one was supposed to mix without aerating, but did not get a reasonable answer.

 

[cdbean]

I use Nyos in my DT and 2 Little Fishes in the nanos because it’s convenient.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

ESV Aquarium Products

Simplicity Beyond Complexity

www.esvaquarium.com

Thank you

 

[Sophie"s mom]

ESV Aquarium Products

Simplicity Beyond Complexity

www.esvaquarium.com

Thank you, is it their Bionic sea water system?

 

[gkprevite]

I used io to fill my tank, then I was using reef crystals for water changes to replenish minerals taken up by corals. When their consumption out paced the water changes I switched back to regular io and started doing AFR. My carals stay happy and since I don’t have a good lfs in my area, I can find salt at petco or pet smart when I need it.

 

[cobraz]

Been using Reef Crystals for years with good success...decided to bite the bullet and see if Tropic Maren Pro Salt is worth the hype...
$134 for 200Gal mix bucket.
I will do a write up..after I go thru the entire bucket..at 10 to 12 Gallons a water change weekly..in approx 18 to 20 weeks or 4 months it should be empty. Will keep stats weekly to see if the major elements and ICP tests agree.

 

[mcarroll]

Thank you, is it their Bionic sea water system?

Maybe not for everyone, but it is a very nice setup where the hard to mix parts are in easy-to-use-and-measure liquid form. Not cheap, but not everything can (or should) be!! :)

I asked them a while back how one was supposed to mix without aerating, but did not get a reasonable answer.

I think it's hard (read: expensive) to do continuously good customer service as a company. :)

If I read that on a box of salt I would have to imagine they were talking about not using an air stone (or some kind of bubbler) to specifically aerate during mixing. I think air stones were one of the old-timers ways of mixing saltwater, and some folks might use the venturi air input on a powerhead during mixing....so maybe there's a specific cohort they think they are speaking to...

I don't think normal "aeration" just from regular low-speed mixing is what they are advising against. I don't think most folks think of "mixing" as "aerating" due to the lack of bubbles. LOL

I don't remember the words you used, but you made a good distinction over this difference in mixing vs aerating in one of your kalk articles that mentioned the "still reservoir".

 

[Gregg @ ADP]

On my tank, I’ve been using the ‘contaminated’ Turkish Tropic Marin Pro for a couple of years. We got 2 pallets of it and can’t sell it, but the salt itself is fine.

 

[BryanM]

I use tropic marin reef pro salt.

 

[Brocksamson7]

I use Aquaforest and it mixes clear in like 15 mins and leaves no residue behind. Buttttt you can’t store it for more than a couple days. I keep a premade back up of some salt my LFS sells just in case there’s a real emergency. Or better when I forget to turn off my ATO when I’m messing around in the tank and accidentally run my salinity down . Then I just let it go all day off and top off with that premade water to get me back in range. But the aqua forest stuff is incredible. My corals look amazing and plump.

 

[Damage12]

I just switched from Reef Crystals to NYOS. Even though NYOS is more money, I can’t justify paying $80 for a 160 gal bucket of Reef Crystals.

Interestingly enough, the same amount that I eyeball and use to add salt to my water changes via red solo cup comes to a much higher specific gravity with NYOS than Reef Crystals, which appears to differ from other posts in this thread.