What brand of salt do you use?

[aja19919]

Hi,
Not to start any arguements, but was wondering what brand of salt people use? I had Instant Ocean , only because it was given to me, but I now I have ran out and need to buy more. I was advised to get Coral Pro from Red Sea because it's the only natural salt out there as opposed to the synthetic ones. Of course Red Sea is on the high end of the $pectrum. I do use supplements and try to give my guys (coral,inverts, fish) a healthy and varied diet.

I don't mind spending the extra buck$ if it means a healthier reef.

Anyone have an absolute favorite?

Thanks

 

[TJL]

Hi Amy, good question that is often brought up and always many opinions expressed. IMHO all major brand salt mixes available to us are/would be just fine, some are more targeted to Reef/SPS Corals than others is all. I and many other 'Old Salts' here have used I/O for decades with great success just learning what and how much supplementation to keep Ca/Alk/Mg levels where they need to be in our individual setups. Once again IMHO I'd choose a salt mix that is affordable/available to you in your area. In smaller systems with regular WC's additives are rarely needed especially using Reef-Salts but in larger systems I believe more economical to use I/O or similar then step up needed elements. I went 25+ years with I/O and just recently switched to Sea-Chem Reef Salt, have not noticed much of a difference with dosing needs and will most likely go back to I/O for cost savings and familiarity of product.

Cheers, Todd

 

[NanaReefer]

For almost 4yrs I've been using Reef Crystals with great success. I've a mixed reef. At one time I thought about trying something new but as an ole timer told me....If it ain't broke why fix it?
I can't beat the price either. A 160g bucket delivered to my door via DF&S for $52, oh yeah!!


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[mfinn]

Hi,
Not to start any arguements, but was wondering what brand of salt people use? I had Instant Ocean , only because it was given to me, but I now I have ran out and need to buy more. I was advised to get Coral Pro from Red Sea because it's the only natural salt out there as opposed to the synthetic ones. Of course Red Sea is on the high end of the $pectrum. I do use supplements and try to give my guys (coral,inverts, fish) a healthy and varied diet.

I don't mind spending the extra buck$ if it means a healthier reef.

Anyone have an absolute favorite?

Thanks

One question to you would be, were you happy with the IO?
If you were, why change?

Plus, I don't think I've ever heard the term " natural" when refering to reef salt.
IMO the term is a marketing thing aimed at many things in our life, from hair shampoo to eggs. lol

I am not knocking that brand at all. I'm just stating my opinion.

I have been using IO for 25+ years and have never had a problem. I started with it because it came with my first saltwater setup. Good marketing I guess.
I use this on my 240 softy tank which doesn't have the high calcium demand that other corals would have.
Regular water changes does the trick.

I also use Reef Crystals on my 50 gallon lps/sps tank.
This seems to be working just fine. Corals are growing.

I think what Todd said pretty much hits the nail on the head.
Everybody has their favorite and all have valid reasons.

 

[rainydave]

I've been using I/O since I started in the hobby. I've thought of changing a few times, but never saw the overwhelming reason.

 

[user 26995]

I get the I/O Reef Crystals from Drs Foster & Smith and its free shipping. 200 gal box for around 55$. Its bagged in 50 gal bags so its easy to store and use.

 

[Terrance]

i buy 200g salt mix in boxs at petsolution for $44, but usually buy 2 boxes at a time to get free shipping. this is even more cost effective than IO.

i buy the salt with the best bag for my buck. most salt work jist fine.

 

[trido]

I've also been using IO since starting SW eight years ago. I've considered switching to Reef Crystals but always look at my colorful reef tank and figure why change a good thing.

 

[HUNTER01975]

So I guess I should not be using table salt then? It has seemed to work fine so far..

 

[1guydude]

@hunter LOL!
@terrance so uve been using diffrent salts? Not the same? How's that working out?
Just buying the cheapest? Lol sry looking for more input.

I myself have been using oceanic sea salt since I started three or four yrs ago I would say. I have the smaller bucket of aquavitro that I hear is supposed to be great salt for 3+months sitting unopened.
-d

 

[wes]

I'm not saying its the best but I use aquavitro salinity.

 

[DTECH07]

So I guess I should not be using table salt then? It has seemed to work fine so far..

It can also double for cooking.:spit:

 

[NanaReefer]

I get the I/O Reef Crystals from Drs Foster & Smith and its free shipping. 200 gal box for around 55$. Its bagged in 50 gal bags so its easy to store and use.

Thats my usual too but i needed a couple of buckets


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[Derbird]

I have used Kent reef salt since I started my tank. I really like the way it tests out and its easy to find and inexpencive (at least in Oregon)

I did by 10 gallons of ready mix IO salt from a LFS once when I was too lazy to mix my own. All the corals in the tank closed for two days. I don't know if it was their water or the salt but I will not be doing that again

But as others have said most salts on the market will do just fine for you, look at how the salt tests out and what they cost and pick which one is best for your tank

 

[Terrance]

@hunter LOL!
@terrance so uve been using diffrent salts? Not the same? How's that working out?
Just buying the cheapest? Lol sry looking for more input.

I myself have been using oceanic sea salt since I started three or four yrs ago I would say. I have the smaller bucket of aquavitro that I hear is supposed to be great salt for 3+months sitting unopened.
-d

The salt is not changing by the week since I buy boxes of 200g mix. When I do buy salt, I buy in large bulks of 400-600g mixes, which last me a several months.
My corals are still doing well with no adverse response when I do change salt. But I have only changed from Reef Crystal to Kent salt. I have been able to find those two for cheaper cost than IO.

 

[NC2WA]

Amy,

+1 what Todd (TJL) said.

I aspire to the management theory of Peter Drucker, "If it ain't broke, dont fix it". I've used I/O salt for 15+ yrs and have no reason to change. I/O does require extra calcium buffering, but I'm OK with that as the corals in my tank are LPS so my buffer is not that big of a deal.

 

[senji]

i use IO reef crystals and run a kalk reator hooked up to my ato with a sprinkler type stirrer. works great.

 

[N1Husker]

I use Kent Reef Salt as you know. I like the numbers. Both in test results and the wallet. It's only 44.99 for a 200 lb. box, and if you find something for $4 more you get free shipping. Amy, get what you can afford, any of the major brands will do. Coral Pro is a good salt, but the "only natural salt" is sales hype. I am sure it is okay, but more $$$.

 

[Husker12181]

I used instant ocean, until I got a bad batch and decided to switch to reef crystals and then to aquavitro. Haven't noticed much difference. The biggest part of my decision was in order to maintain my salinity with reefcrystals I needed to mix more salt then with aquavitro. Making it more expensive in the long run.

I usually purchase the big buckets when there is a sale at any of the Local fish stores which also keeps my cost down.

 

[NanaReefer]

I'm always amazed at the difference the same product can be when used by 2 different reefers.
I've been using Reef Crystals for almost 4 years. I've used the same tupperware measuring cup, same food grade container. Per directions 1/2 cup salt mix per gallon mixed in RO/DI. I make 5 1/2 gallons. Without fail I get an SG of 1.026 using a Refractometer well calibrated. I've never encountered a bad batch of salt.
But I've read where others have had different experiences. Go figure right!? Lol


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