type of salt for brackish tank

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i3k

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Quick question...what type of salt is best for brackish water tanks. I have been using Instant Ocean by aquarium systems salt. Is it better to use regular aquarium salt or marine salt or? Let me know what kind of salt you are using if you have a brackish water tank.

Thanks
 
Diamond Crystal Kosher salt is what I use to treat stress and for fry

nothing but pure NaCl
 
There is no reason not to use a marine salt. Most brackish waters are brackish because of their proximity to the ocean. Why not replicate nature? Also, the marine salts have added trace elements and are typically higher quality than FW salts. Since you are using so little anyway (price not really much of a factor), I would definitely go with Instant Ocean.

By the way, Instant Ocean is what I used for years in my reef tanks. I also use in my brackish tank.
 
I use IO also. AFAIK, it sets the pH close to 8.3. My water here is about 7.6 and I don't have to add any buffers to the IO to get 8.2-8.3 pH. What kind of fish are you keeping? I believe most brackish water is fairly alkaline.
 
well i would recomend Doc Welfish's Aquarium Salt. this is the most popular and best kind around here. i have also read a lot from sites saying it works great if not best. hope that helped
 
I have white tip catfish sharks...never had any problems with them using InstantOcean salt...however my pH level never gets up to 8.0 unless I would do water changes every 3 days or so...currently I do 20% water changes once a week and of course I replace the salt...my pH is about 7.1 right now and usually stays between 6.8 - 7.2...don't know why but InstantOcean has never raised my pH level above 8.0
 
Well...you're not mixing it full strength. So you're not getting as much buffer in the water as those of us who use it in reef tanks. I'm not sure what pH your fish need and, since I have to go to work in a few minutes, don't have time to look it up. If the fish are doing well in the pH range you have, I wouldn't try to change it. If not, you might try one of the marine buffers. I have used the Seachem PH 8.3 before. I believe Kent also has something similar. It would depend on the carbonate hardness in your tap water as well. Have you checked the alkalinity of the brackish water once you have it mixed up? As long as your pH is staying stable, you probably have enough buffering capacity.
 
you dont need to replace your salt because the crystals never compose, they just sit at the bottom like gravel, and you dont replace your gravel every time you water change. also with a ph test kit it should come with Ph down. follow instructions
 
coolkidthatlikesfish said:
well i would recomend Doc Welfish's Aquarium Salt. this is the most popular and best kind around here. i have also read a lot from sites saying it works great if not best. hope that helped

DO NOT USE THIS !!!! This is aquarium salt and has no effect in making your tank "brackish" Do not recommend this for brackish use. It's for treating illness not for synthesizing ocean salt.
 
Use instant ocean, it's the most widely used for brackish tanks. It keeps the Ph around 8.3 and buffers the water. Just pre-mix it in a large container before water changes. I use a 32g garbage can w/ a powerhead to constantly mix the salt in the water. I have a 135g brackish, so you don't need to use as big a container unless you'd like to avoid the hassle of doing it everytime your change water.
 
Yea thats how I do it...mix it in a 13 gallon bucket when I do my water changes...I have been using InstantOcean ever since I got the tank...but I was just wondering if other types of salt would be better for brackish water tanks...I guess IO is the best out there for brackish tanks.
 
You can try using others, but generally I've heard it's the best for brackish. There is a thread about this on aquaria central that may prove otherwise. One of the users there had his mono sebaes spawn regularily after he switched to another brand. Monos spawning is VERY rare indeed, however this is no isolated and is usually caused by replicating their natural enviroment very well.
 
The small amounts of IO you would be using would have little if any effect on pH. Furthermore, pH would likely increase whether you used large quantities of IO or FW salt. I used IO for years in reefkeeping. I had problems keeping my pH high enough. It had nothing to do with the salt, it had to do with my house being so "tight". I could open a window and the pH would increase pretty quickly.

Replicating nature is usually best. For example, folks used to advocate keeping lower than natural salinity in SW tanks. They claimed you kept more oxygen, had less problems with ich, ... . The reality is that water with salinity lower than natural natural seawater is often detrimental to invertebrates. Fish can stress too. There is really no reason to keep a SW tank @ a lower salinity than what occurs in nature.

Why not go with what is natural? If brackish water fish live in areas that are brackish due to their proximity to the ocean, why not try to replicate? How can anything different really be better for the fish? JMO
 
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