H2Ocean salt question

[Macaframa14]

hey i was looking at H2Ocean's salt mix and it clams to maintain your parameters such as Ph, dKH, Calcium, and Magnesium at perfect level ranges.

anyone use this product before or still use it?
do you still dose with it?

 

[Randy-S]

I have not used that salt but the reality is if you have a lot of corals and go long enough between water changes you will have to dose or use a calc reac to keep your levels correct.

 

[jhampton_wsu]

I've not used H2Ocean but there's a thread on RC about salt mixes the guy tested many salts and H2Ocean mixed up at 450 cal 10 ALk and 1380 mag.

 

[Macaframa14]

yea true, overtime youre going to have to dose.
also looks like H2Ocean puts up good numbers. i think i am going to start using it.

 

[maysorum]

i tried a big bucket of it and i didn't like it at all. it mixed up really dirty, left tons of brown residue and a oily sheen on the water surface. i read a thread on RC about it and the H2Ocean rep said that the debris was normal and not harmful to the tank, but i thought it was weird. also, i had a bad algae bloom after i made the switch. i suppose, i could have caused a mini cycle, but i made the salt change gradually over a 2 month period. i have since switched to tunze (cheaper) and i really like it. it's quick dissolving and the corals seem very happy with good coloration and polyp extension.

 

[Darthv247]

there was another person saying the same exact thing as maysorum here as well. The tunze salt is the way to go if you can get it. Im trying the brightwell salt atm. it seems decent but it has a really bad smell to it when mixing. like a strong mineral smell. i will be switching back to the tunze asap.

 

[Macaframa14]

i think ill give both a try for a little bit and see what works best. i looked at some other forums and saw mixed reviews. but for what ive read, tunze seem to have less, bad reviews.

 

[jill]

I use Tropic Marine Pro and really like it.

 

[maysorum]

btw, barrier reef switched all of their tanks to tunze...

 

[Boomer]

maysorum

That "stuff" is usually anticaking agents and binders, common to some salts. I did not know this till recently and have always given it an Tunze a heads up based on assay of elememts alone. SeaChem also has a new salt out batch tested and dated. I'm still not sure yet if it has hit the market.


it's quick dissolving

Really means nothing and is an old trick in the industry, just raise the Chloride ion level a tad to get it to dissolve easier.

I will add when is the last time you tested/tried IO or RC, they are not the same anymore. After 2 decades of advertising IO finally has what they have always
claimed :lol: With all this said NO salt is going to make or break a tank. Any salt is more or less a choice.

 

[jill]

I just bought the new SeaChem Salt product and have used it once. I mix 30 gallons in 5 gallon buckets, use a small heater and nano powerhead in each bucket for at least 48 hours. I do a water change about once a week.

The problem I have with this new product (I was using Tropic Marin) is that it never cleared up - remained pretty cloudy and the pH was 7.7 at a salt Conductivity of 50. I had to dose each bucket with a 1/2 cup of SeaChem's Aquavitro Eight-Four to get the pH to 8.4. I am serious.
I never had this problem with the Tropic Marin.

I've only had a reef tank for the past year and knew absolutely nothing about the hobby. I've learned alot but mostly what I've learned is how complicated it is and how much MORE I need to learn.

Am I doing something wrong in the mixing?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[lvsuckerfish]

I never had a brown or oily film when i used dd's salt it did mix dirty though like more of a cloudy but I really liked it I have not found it here I like the levels it leave as i always kep my ca alk and mag to the higher side of the scale.

 

[Drjusc00]

I like it in my 180g.

 

[TJL]

You like what in your 180g? It would be nice if you needed 50 real posts to buy/sell

I have used I/O for 25+ years with great success, just recently bought a bag of I/O Reef Crystals but have only made one 15g water change with it so far. It did test a bit higher in CA, ALK & Mg than regular I/O afterwords so may help decrease dosing a bit. As Boomer stated pretty much all commercial salt mixes available today are good. Some are more suited for sps dominated reeftanks than others with elevated levels of required elements at/for a price and this may or may not be a better deal depending on how & how often you change water. I believe both Kevin and Dr. Lee have stated that its best for fish & corals to be consistant with our salt mixes.

Todd

 

[iroll253]

I made the switch to io reef crystals and like it much better than regular io.

 

[Skeptic9962]

ive tried alot of salts starting with IO, then going to tunze, and now ever since i switched to brightwell everything looks alot better after a water change, it mixes perfect no residue at all im just impressed with the whole brightwell line in general but the salt is imo the best around, but it is pretty pricey....

 

[Boomer]

Well, I hate to be a "skeptic " but BW salt has not really been up to par as far as their claims go. And I never buy into I changed salt A or B and things look so much better from salt X, Y or Z. I have heard this remark from almost ever salt on the market by somebody at some time.

 

[Skeptic9962]

Well, I hate to be a "skeptic " but BW salt has not really been up to par as far as their claims go. And I never buy into I changed salt A or B and things look so much better from salt X, Y or Z. I have heard this remark from almost ever salt on the market by somebody at some time.

all im saying is it mixes very well and calc, alk, mag are all up to par atleast in the 3 buckets ive used so far...dont know what they are claiming, so cant comment on that...but im happy with it and thats JMO....

 

[lvsuckerfish]

salts are salts in my honest opinion.... I look at whats best for my tank and corals higher readings less doseing. I do weekly water changes and have done so for over 15 years in keeping fish. it is a habit I will not change. I like to have a clear mix when doing so but dd's not the clearest, I have found out of all the salt I mixed and different brands I used has the highest mag results. now I am using reef crystals as thats what is readly avail here in Wa. I can always order DD's online or hit up Rob @ red sea to get some for me. I do tend to stick to something that works and is better for the system because a change in salt can change your doseing reactor settings everything off and thats ='s a PITA.

it seems like salt and skimmers and equipment is a area thing here skimmers loved are swc salt is IO, vegas salt choice is coral life or dd's skimmers are atb and vertex wierd to me.

my advise stick to what works with your indivdual system.

 

[NWDiver]

Boomer: You were born a skeptic