Salt Mixes best for RO/DI?

[ccCapt]

Copied from this RC thread.

Calcium Alkalinity Magnesium

Aquatic Gardens 430 8 1240
CoraLife 560 9 1380
Crystal Sea Marinemix 340 9 1050
Crystal Sea Marinemix Bio-Assay 340 9 1050
D-D H2Ocean 450 10 1380
Instant Ocean 350 12 1070
Kent 540 11 1200
Marine Environment 480 7.5 1450
Oceanic 580 8.5 1650
OceanPure 510 10 1320
Red Sea 400 8 1300
Red Sea Coral Pro 490 7 1300
Reef Crystals 420 12 1260
SeaChem Marine Salt 500 10 1400
SeaChem Reef Salt 540 10 1450
Tropic Marin 375 10 1230
Tropic Marin Pro Reef 450 8.5 1380
Tunze Reef Salt 420 9.5 1350

 

[melosu58]

Maybe What I am trying to get at is what salt mix will give you the Best Water Parameter readings without adding anything extra?

You are not upsetting anyone. The answer is there is no one brand of salt mix that is better than any of the rest. All salt mixes have their pros and cons. If there was a perfect salt mix then we would all be using it. I bet if I was to ask Ok everyone based on your experience and not your opinion what is the best salt mix out there. Out of 10 people there would still be 10 different answers. I us Oceanic for the higher calcium but it has lower Alk. Someone else will use IO because they want higher alk but it has lower calcium. It`s all based on what you are looking for. Hope this helps

 

[ccCapt]

hmmm..double post

 

[Fierro Nights]

so there's the culprit ! i was wondering why my calcium is so high all the dang time.

ive been using ocianic salt !!! stupid me i should have read up on my salt !!! my coraline however has been growing still, why would my coraline algae be growing with all the extra calcium w/ the KH?

KH 10, calcium is usualy around 450 or 500+ i bought this book but i still dont understand all the KH and calcium balance, the people at the store said to buy the sand from them and the sand will take care of everything for me, but i didnt buy it, that sand was too expensive, and the lady sounded not so experienced so i ignored that.

 

[ccCapt]

why would my coraline algae be growing with all the extra calcium w/ the KH?

Anything over about 420ppm calcium does no good or no harm. Calcification doesn't increase because of higher ca levels.

 

[Fierro Nights]

so i dont have to worry about high levels of calcium? thats a good thing to know. not that i was worried... much.

 

[Tank2379]

the people at the store said to buy the sand from them and the sand will take care of everything for me, but i didnt buy it, that sand was too expensive, and the lady sounded not so experienced so i ignored that.

Will Thank God you ignored that lady....lol

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Maybe What I am trying to get at is what salt mix will give you the Best Water Parameter readings ...

Ahhh... yet another thing that is impossible to nail down: "Best Water Parameters". Just like salt, you'll find many folks with differing opinions on calcium levels, or alkalinity levels, or, or, or... Granted, there are some basic levels that are best to stay within, but you'll still find people butting heads on what parameters are best to grow out their super screaming blue zombie mozambique red sea variant black eyed purple people eater zoanthids, or their "I was on a 3 year wait list to get this 1 inch frag" limited edition SPS coral.

I think maybe you're getting the point though, that "best" and "perfect" are not well defined things in this hobby. As melosu mentioned in his post, if there *was* a perfect salt... then we'd all be using it, and this discussion wouldn't take place on every SW forum in existence!

Don't forget about the original comments that were made about your water though. If you're that concerned about the "best" salt to use, I'd seriously reconsider tap water.

 

[Patroklos]

Is there a prefered method of switching from one salt mix to another that makes sure your parameters don't fluxuate to quickly?? I currently use Red Sea Coral Pro but it is not available in the local stores and now that I am no longer buying lots of equipment I don't get free shipping. A 30+ pound of salt costs a lot in shipping!

 

[Fierro Nights]

is practical to evaporate old water to reclaim salt wash it, then re evaporate to reclaim, and use that salt to make up at least 25% of the salt used in the next water change?

i think a large shallow tray would be a quick way to evaporate water, such as a baking sheet.

 

[Fierro Nights]

if im not mistaken i think a quick way would to make a stalactite of salt. this consists of a large vessel of water, or a disposable cup for those who want to experiment. with a small hole on the bottom that a string is run through, only small enough so the string tightly fits and a drip of just a couple drop every few seconds, the cup is then placed on top of a box with a hole no larger then an inch so the string will never touch the sides of the box when the string goes through the hole on top, and inside the box, under the string a bowl is placed to catch any run off water if the flow is too strong, there should be a few inches gap between the top of the bowl and the string, in a few days you should have a large stalactite made of salt hanging iside the box.

or you can use what i found afterwards, at a site where a fancy pants shows off his version of how to do so w/ pictures.

Dave Love - Growth of Stalactites

 

[Patroklos]

That sounds like more work than its worth. Also, you won't be recycling the many of the additives in the original salt mix because your criters have used them. You need fresh salt to refresh all your nutrients.

 

[Fierro Nights]

i understand the spent nutrients but it would help to save on salt, just to help get the salinity up in new water.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Not only would certain trace elements be missing from the "reclaimed" salt, but you'd also get all the nasties (nitrates, phosphates, etc) back in the tank. Kinda defeats one of the purposes of a water change - to export nutrients out of the tank.

now that I am no longer buying lots of equipment I don't get free shipping. A 30+ pound of salt costs a lot in shipping!

Check out DrFosterSmith... you can get salt, sand, and other heavy items there with no additional shipping fees. Not free... but you're only paying $10 or so (standard shipping) for a 40 pound bucket of salt, delivered to your doorstep.