Sea Salt Recommendation

[PrettyFishies]

What does everyone think is the best brand and why?

 

[kdogg85]

you are going to get different answers for this. I use a combo of IO and oceanic. Every other pwc gets the different salt. One brand will have great numbers of one thing and another will have great numbers of another. This mix of brands works well for me. You just have to experiment and see.

 

[neilanh]

This is a highly opinionated topic, like kdogg eluded too. Everyone kind of have their personal preferences here. It's also somewhat dependant on whether or not you're keeping corals as well.

aquariumwatertesting.com did a study a few years ago comparing some of the major brands for their content. Have a look if you haven't seen it.

http://www.aqua-medic.com/aquariumwatertesting/AWT_Salt_Analysis_0208.pdf

 

[PrettyFishies]

Will be keeping soft corals. the tank I'm buying already has them. They used Marine Enterprises Crystal Sea.

 

[Krypt]

Since your buying a running system, if everything looks healthy and growing I'd stick with whatever salt the previous owner was using. I wish I could go to their site and double check for you, but my mcafee is screaming at me that their website isn't safe.

 

[PrettyFishies]

They stopped selling it from what I can tell.

Marine Enterprises Crystal Sea Marinemix Salt Mix - 50gal

 

[PrettyFishies]

So I found a retailer with the Crystal Sea marine mix, but the shipping is cost prohibitive. $80 for two boxes of 150 gal mix.

I used Instant Ocean before and had no problems. I kept up with water changes regularly and used RO water.

The family that I'm buying the tank from uses the crystal sea brand, but rarely mixes salt. They explained that between the P/S that's rated for a 500 gal tank and the refugium, they never have a problem with nitrates and just don't do water changes because they don't have to.

I mean, sounds awesome, but I want to be prepared in case I need to or there's an emergency. In any case, when I move the tank, they won't keep all the water so i have to mix some SW. Think I'll be okay with IO Reef Crystals?

 

[abushr]

I use instant ocean without problems. But you will need salt since youre moving a tank. It will most likely go thru a sm cycle (i bought & moved a 120gal complete setup-didnt cycle drastically like a new set up does, but it did do a small cycle for a couple weeks). And that means water changes to keep the critters happy.
Ive never heard of anyone who never has to do water changes. Once a month yes, but not never. Besides removing waste, water changes help replace essential elements and nutrients in the water that the tank cant make for itself. I dont think i would encourage you to follow in their footsteps.

 

[mr_X]

use whatever salt mix you want. they will all do the same job for the most part. just try to get a "reef grade" salt mix. it has more of this and that in it, and will require less/no supplementation, depending on the extent of your reef.
changing salts will not hurt anything.
yes, reef crystals is fine.
btw, good advice on the water changes. do them regularly for a healthier system.

 

[rush]

check out royal nature tropical reef salt

its what i use, its the finest (smallest granules) salt I've ever seen.

but any reef sea salt will do

 

[SAAVE853]

In my opinion if you want a healthy growing tank water change, water change, water change!!!!

 

[Gti_Leo]

i use instant ocean reef salt