changing to reef salt

[sansouci01]

can I just change from the regular instant ocean salt mix to reef salt ? I mean, do I have to change over gradually or can I just go from one to the other. Boy..that sounds like a dumb question

 

[bribo12]

You should be fine switching over completely. Just use it whenever you do water changes. That's what I did when I went from regular instant ocean to reef crystals

 

[sansouci01]

thanks.
I see from your profile, you have a 20 gallon high reef tank. That's what I have. A pair of clowns, yellow clown goby, and two chromis. I only have soft corals but heard that a reef salt mix would benefit them also. You ever any problems with hair algae ?

 

[bribo12]

I had serious issues with Cyanobacteria and bryopsis when I started. No hair algae though. My 20 is a mixed reef tank with mostly lps, sps and zoas. The reef salt will help with softies and if you get into lps or sps.

 

[Maridia]

What is the difference between instant ocean and reef crystals? Don't they both cost the same?

 

[Sniperhank]

What is in the salt is the difference. Reef crystals has higher levels of mag, alk, and calcium in them to better support a reef.
For the most part, most salts cost about the same and yet have higher levels of this or that.
Softies can benefit from a reef salt as well, they just don't use calcium to build a hard skeleton like LPS and SPS.