Toadstool coral

[FishFreak1961]

I am on well water and I wonder how there is enough supplementation
in my water changes. I have to get the ph up with buffer - there is
no ph at all in the well water. RO unit removes TDS but I just don't know
how they are getting enough of what they need. I use IO salt mix. Does that contain supplements?

[HN1]

Yes, the salts will contain the needed elements. I personally prefer other salts (primarily Seachem) over IO.

You said that there's an angel in this tank?

[thincat]

Look, the water should be 0 everything through an RO/DI unit. Well almost, then you add your salt mix and that is what adds everything that you need for an early reef or fish only tank. The salt mix corrects all the off element stuff that you need. It's not the water......
PS the reason you use ro/di water is so that you are not adding bad elements from your well water!!!!!

[FishFreak1961]

Yes, I do have a pygmy angel but I haven't noticed
him picking on anything but the chili coral a couple
of wks ago, but he's bored of that now. He trys to get the cb shrimp
to clean him and my mythrax I think it is crab,
but they have none of him. There is another little crab
in there that hitched a ride that looks like a baby mythrax.
I guess that is what they are I don't rememeber, they
were in my reef kit from SWfish.com. My colt coral is looking
good and has started to stand more erect.
I have never seen Seachem salt. All these places just carry IO
around here. Guess I can order it.

[mr_X]

what other salts do you see available at your LFS?
how about oceanic?

[FishFreak1961]

Just Instant Ocean at both stores in my town.
Haven't gone to adjacent towns looking. They
have become accustomed to the IO, would that
bother them to change after a year?

[FishFreak1961]

Ok ya'll just checked the ph and it had backed off some
to 8.5.
Does anyone else have an algae blenny that eats out of your
hand and lets you rub his back?? Is mine weird? He is not
afraid of me at all. Crazy! My foxface is afraid of his own
shadow.

[mr_X]

you can change salts immediately with no transition and it won't hurt anything.

[David S]

my lawnmower blenny used to nibble at my hands when I was cleaning the tank.

[Jimbo7]

Petsolutions is having a salt on salt, no extra shipping fees for the big buckets over standard ground rates. There are some really good deals.

I would add a +1 to considering changing salts. Battling pH constantly is a dangerous game.

[FishFreak1961]

which salt would be the best? I see several brands there.

[Jimbo7]

That my friend is an age old discussion with no clear answer.

Oceanic and Reef Crystals are a solid lower cost brand you may want to try out. You can get reef crystals in the box for quite a bit cheaper if I am remembering right. I also hear good things about the base Tropic Marin salt.
It all is personal preference, and lots of people will jump salt mixes from bucket to bucket depending on whats on sale, with no ill effects. There are actually some really beautiful tanks maintained in this fashion.

Do some searches on the site concerning "Salt Mixes" there is enough reading and user experiences there to last you a lifetime.