What kind of salt?

[ylmaya]

What kinds of salt mix do you guys use? Anyone know if Reef Crystals is really better than Instant Ocean?

Almost set-up time for my new 65 so I thought I'd put in an order for supplies......advice please!

[Junkzoo]

IO here,,,,Reef Crystals are pretty much IO with added goodies.
IMO not worth the extra $$, if you are going to be using additives anyway,,,,just my 2 cents,,,stand back , this thread is starting up again!

[thefatman]

Instant Ocean salt is the most carefully formulated and most carefully manufactured synthetic seasalt in the world - a tradition of quality that dates back more than 30 years.
Aquarium Systems, Inc., manufacturer of Instant Ocean, was founded in 1964 to supply the needs of industrial and academic scientists who were exploring and researching in the rapidly expanding fields of marine biology and marine technology. These scientists expected and demanded the highest standards of quality., uniformity, and consistency. Our commitment to these needs continues, and to this day, Instant Ocean salt is the most widely used product for scientific research. As interest in marine aquariums developed among hobbyists, it was only natural that they too, would recognize the high quality of Instant Ocean salt, and make it the worlds most popular brand for hobbyist use, as well.

There ya go. Proof positive that IO is best.. That's written right on the package, so it MUST be true!


Btw: I use IO for two reasons, it's convenient to get, and it's more affordable than RC. But I am also new, so what do I know lol

[SouthernReefer]

you could save more money and just get a few buckets and head down to the ocean. no mixing required.

in my opinion, there are other synthetic sea salts that better replicate natural sea water than instant ocean (its just the cheapest brand on the market).

i am currently using up the last of my reef crystals now, i stopped using instant ocean awhile ago, because it wouldn't dissolve completely. luckly, my lfs provide more than just io, and i have done my own reading, so i have my own opinion now.

to start off a tank, i (just me evidently) would recommend marinemix professional sea salt. after that, how you take care of your tank, will be up to you. io, rc, kent, coralife are just a few manufactures that make synthetic sea salts that are acceptable.

also, a point to be made about advertising, any manufacturer can claim to be the best, but if they can't say they are better than the "x" manufacturer, chance are, they aren't. your tank is your investment.
peace and good luck with your reef tank!

[Mrs Smith]

We use IO. Great stuff. That, and you can buy it in huge buckets. (I wish we could just go out to the ocean and get it. Too bad there isn't an ocean around Kansas...)

We keep the cat food - and the dog food - in IO buckets. Very handy to have around.

This discussion has been going on awhile... check the archives or search for more.

Danielle

[Doug1]

This is other thread that reply got lost on, o I will make it short and sweet
I started off using IO back in 75, its still good stuff , better than some and definatly adequate, but what ever salt you choose buy bulk and do water changes
Oh and anyone posted on previous thread theat IO was junk and they loved Reef Crystals, then posted a few days later about dialing in the calcium reactor THANK YOU

[tdwyatt]

Originally posted by Doug1
...what ever salt you choose buy bulk and do water changes

Interesting that someone makes a comparison to IO and says that it is not one of the best incomarison to nsw..., Read this article. BTW, the salinities may vary from one place to another on the face of the globe, but the seawater in terms of its chlorinity is pretty much the same in terms of proportions and most trace elements. Only when you get to the very deep oceans do you start to see variaboility in the proportion of conservative elements based on solubility maxes and depth profiles. See Craig Bingmans (and Ackinson) article on salt mixes. Everyone seems to have an opinion on saltmixes and appropriate ASW results. To me, the proof is in the pudding. Lemmesee now, almost 25 years here with IO and no failures due to the saltmix... Hmmmmm...

Interesting that the saltmixes that a certain killer of naugahs has recommended as the most like nsw seems to be causing a number of closed system bleaching events now... Wonder what THATS all about???

[Junkzoo]

Thanks Tom,,,,
Things that make you go hmmmmmm,,,

[ylmaya]

NSW scares me - unless you have a boat and can go way out to the clean clear stuff all the time.....

I have used both Marinemix and Reef Crystals in the past and haven't seemed to have bad luck - but as I am reading in the above threads....and have read in the past.......it seems everyone is happy with IO - and since I know I'll be buying a lot of salt it will be nice to save some bucks.....

So a gather the general consensus is go with IO. (What do you guys think about Chromags idea above about using marinmix at startup and then going with less expensive salt?????

Wouldn't I just keep using marinmix?

[ylmaya]

Got the Good O'l Dr. Foster Catalog today in the mail - difference in price between the bucket of IO and RC is $6.00. Since there is so little price difference - should I go with the RC???? I also see they are selling a 150 gall of Marinmix for $49.99.....also TropicMarin for the same price (but 200 gal bucket).

Help me guys - are you saying just stick with IO no matter what?