NSW vs. box salt

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Is NSW better than using mixed salt water? Or does boxed salt contain a higher concentration of trace elements, which benefit our little biospheres.

I've been doing water changes every two weeks with NSW and have pretty good success, just wondering if things would be even better with the mixed SW. The LFS claims the NSW comes from 300ft depth 20 miles off the coast of California (off Catalina island to be exact). Does the pacific Ocean have different qualities than the Atlantic? With that being said, where this water is supposedly harvested from is not a "reef" type environment. Could this water also lack some of the needed trace elements, or do the currents do a pretty good job of mixing things up?
 
Is NSW better than using mixed salt water?

It is better in the sense of it not having any heavy metal build up in it like what is associated with using synthetic salt. Of course, you can have pollution in NSW as well... It also has a ton of live phytoplankton and zooplankton in it. This does benefit your filter feeders and corals in the tank, but in reality, can actually pollute a tank as well because the creatures in our tanks cannot consume all of this. We just don't have the capacity so what doesn't get eaten eventually dies of. This is why most NSW is sterilized before introduced into a tank. If you are buying it bottled up at the LFS, I assume they have already taken care of this step.

Or does boxed salt contain a higher concentration of trace elements, which benefit our little biospheres.

Most synthetic salts have slightly higher and lower concentrations of the major and minor constituents of NSW. It depends on the brand. None of them exactly mimic NSW no matter what they claim.

Does the pacific Ocean have different qualities than the Atlantic?

Aside from temperature differences and pollution, no not really. NSW is fairly stable no matter where you go in the world when talking about the makeup and salinity of the water.

With that being said, where this water is supposedly harvested from is not a "reef" type environment. Could this water also lack some of the needed trace elements

Again, no not really. NSW basically the same everywhere...
 
If you are buying it bottled up at the LFS, I assume they have already taken care of this step.
It's a self serve. They have a 2000gal holding vessel. I have free roam of the LFS (preferred customer) and there is no filtration system on their holding tank. I will ask the owner if the water has been filtered by the supplier. Is it a normal practice for this water to have been filtered prior to distribution. There is always a line to get this water, so I know I'm not the only one doing this.
 
Ask him if the company he buys it from does any type of sterilization and mechanical filtration on it. Also ask him how long the water has been taken out of the ocean before you get it. If it takes 2 weeks or longer to get the NSW to you, nothing alive is left in the water....

Another thing, if you are not seeing any negative effects from using it, I wouldn't switch. If it working for you, great!! I just don't want to turn you away from using NSW. Its great stuff if it is collected and treated properly.
 
Thanks. I only pay $0.35 per gal as well.
My only concern was I am starting a 100gal reef soon and I was wondering if I could use the same practices as I do with the Nano.
 
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