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kmax74
06/10/2007, 02:19 PM
what brand of salt do you use and what additives do you have to add i curently use tropic marin pro reef and it is a pain to get i am thinking of switching to oceanic is thier really that big of a diffrence

arts007
06/10/2007, 02:46 PM
I currently use oceanic, but Ive been thinking of switching to this salt (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SALT-ME-50&Category_Code=Salt), seems to be well balanced... just have to mix the solution with it

When I tested my oceanic again this is the results that I got...Calcium always seems to be high and the Mg is lower than I would like it to be. I think the majority of people here use reef crystals

Temp - 78
SG - 35PPT
pH - 8.1
dKH - 9.6
Nitrate - 0.5 mg/l
Calcium - 520 ppm
Magnesium - 1260 mg/l
Strontium - 2 mg/l
Phosphate - 0
Iodide - 0.1

All tests were with Salifert , pH done with probe and salinity with refractometer.

Billybeau1
06/10/2007, 02:55 PM
kmax, there is no perfect salt mix as far as I know. Everyones tanks have different requirements for the big three. Cal, Alk and Mag.

You should try different brands until you find one that suits your tank with the minimum amount of additives.

You are always going to have to make adjustments. It's just a matter of what adjustments you want to make.

Oceanic is extremely high in calcium and mag. Actually higher than arts posted. He must be mixing below 35 ppt (1.0265) Arts, how do you measure s.g ?

I have tested many salt mixes and if you tell me what kind of tank you have and how heavily it is stocked, I can recommend a salt to try. :)

gistsc
06/10/2007, 03:23 PM
I like Oceanic. I seem to have a well balanced system with weekly water changes.

Billybeau1
06/10/2007, 03:30 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10115735#post10115735 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gistsc
I like Oceanic. I seem to have a well balanced system with weekly water changes.

Well then you should change your info at the bottom because if you have no fish or corals and you use Oceanic, your calcium is in the high 500's and your mag is close to 1600 ppm. Unless, of course, you are mixing much lower that 35ppt. :D

arts007
06/10/2007, 03:40 PM
Billybeau1..

As I stated I measured with a properly calibrated refractometer (calibrated with 35ppt solution).. Ive tested 3 different oceanic batches from 3 different sources with 2 different test kits, and all tests were averaging around 1260 on the Mg and 520 on the Ca

-Joe

jasonak
06/10/2007, 03:40 PM
I read a article about all the diffrent salts and it had analized the diffrent brands had there chemical makeups etc and listed which was best (wish i could find it) Instant ocean didnt do so well which i thought was wierd cus they been around so long. I cant rember if it was link on here or a magazine,but it basically said that even the good brands are not consistenty the same.So i get whats on sale :)

Billybeau1
06/10/2007, 04:24 PM
jason, that salt study was from 1999. A little outdated.

Joe, that is interesting because when I tested a fresh batch of Oceanic at 1.0265 I came up with 580 ppm calcium, 8.5 alk and 1650 ppm mag, all with Salifert kits, ro/di at 0 tds and measured by a properly calibrated refractometer, calibrated with 53ms Pinpoint calibration fluid (which, by the way, agrees with my lab grade floating hydrometer. )

Don't know why the difference then.

:)

kmax74
06/10/2007, 05:29 PM
my tank is mostly lps and starting to put zoos towards the bottom i have around 170 lbs of live rock tank is 48 x24x 30 high

Saltwater_Dog
06/10/2007, 06:38 PM
Instant Ocean

Roy G. Biv
06/10/2007, 06:46 PM
I buy whatever is on sale at the time or who has the best free t-shirt or fake plant in the bucket. I never paid much attention to it, I always add my additives when needed.

InLimbo87
06/10/2007, 06:50 PM
I/O Reef Crystals here. Never added anything before doing water changes, but dosed tank daily with two-part ocean's blend to maintain calc/alk.

frederickk
06/11/2007, 06:37 PM
I tried coralife the last time and I can see a difference in a month. I guess I will keep on buying that brand.

coraladdict
06/11/2007, 07:04 PM
I change salt mix every time I start a new bucket.

Billybeau1
06/11/2007, 07:49 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10123401#post10123401 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by frederickk
I tried coralife the last time and I can see a difference in a month. I guess I will keep on buying that brand.

Fred, Coralife doesn't get much press here, but I think it's a decent salt mix for certain tanks. :)

kmax74
06/12/2007, 05:53 AM
I SWITCHED TO OCEANIC AND TO BE HONEST IT MIXES ALOT BETTER THAN TROPIC MARIN PRO

aquarius77
06/12/2007, 11:25 AM
Tropic marin pro reef is overpriced, cloudy junk IMO. I use reef crystals.

drummereef
06/12/2007, 12:15 PM
I use Instant Ocean. I bolster the calcium with approx 70ppm calcium chloride at water changes. :)

specialkb
06/12/2007, 01:25 PM
OK i currently use, IO but was thinking about switching to IO reef crystals is there a big advantage to it? I'm going to be adding alot of corals soon, and was just wondering if it would be a good idea or just continue to use IO and add additives?

Billybeau1
06/12/2007, 08:37 PM
Personally, I would give RC a shot if your going to have corals. You will still have to supplement, just not as much if you do regular water changes. :)

frederickk
06/14/2007, 02:40 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10123970#post10123970 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Billybeau1
Fred, Coralife doesn't get much press here, but I think it's a decent salt mix for certain tanks. :)

Hey Billy

I'm just curious. Why does the Coralife salt isn't that popular here?

Billybeau1
06/14/2007, 10:56 PM
Because in the infamous 1999 salt study, Coralife showed an extremely high lithium content. Now grant you, nobody even can tell me if this is harmful to fish or corals but you know how word spreads around here.

It may even be changed by now, I can't nor do I desire to test for lithium. I know the salt worked pretty good for me. :)

frederickk
06/17/2007, 06:38 AM
So does it for me.

Thanks for the info

jmicky41
06/17/2007, 06:56 AM
For me Tm and TmPRo grows a ton of diatoms. I just switched to Coralife and the problem went away after only one water change.

Billybeau1
06/17/2007, 11:35 AM
I'm hearing that a lot. I haven't tested TM or TM Pro yet but it is on my list. :)

thrillreefer
06/17/2007, 12:06 PM
I used to work in a LFS. We used I/O or Reef crystals for the display tanks, but sold Tropic marin to anyone who would buy it because we got a better markup. It seems a lot of people equate a higher cost with a superior product.

For my own personal reef, I like I/O Reef crystals. It is usually on sale, and I find that my corals perk up after every water change, even if done weekly.... Wish I could do a change every few days, but its just not feasible in terms of time

thrillreefer
06/17/2007, 12:06 PM
If anyone finds a more current salt study, it would be awesome to have some data to back up people's claims

sac-bobme
06/17/2007, 12:27 PM
I like the red sea coral pro, or reef crystals ...

badpacket
06/24/2007, 06:13 PM
OK, I switched from IO to Oceanic a couple of years ago, and didn't see any great change. Except that no matter whether from a bag or a bucket, the Oceanic always causes diatom blooms for several days after. A lfs owner I knew suggested I switch to Kent, and so far results are pretty nice for my softies and lps. Running low on my last bucket and haven't done a w/c in 3-4 months, and mag is down to ~1000, so picked up a small 50g jug of Oceanic. We'll see if the cursed diatoms comes back.

I'm thinking of mixing my own special blend once I see how the Oceanic turns out. What other mixes have higher ca/mag levels?

Billybeau1
06/24/2007, 10:02 PM
Coralife has pretty high Ca++, not as high as Oceanics and has higher mag than most again not as high as Oceanics.

badpacket
06/28/2007, 06:32 PM
Thanks. Well, didn't see any bloom with this bag o Oceanic.

TarheelFrag
06/28/2007, 06:57 PM
I will never use oceanic again! I used some for the first time a few days ago and my softies and shrooms look like crap! My devils hand has discolored and my clam is drawing up a bit. I learned quick on this deal!

Glad I only bought the 5 gallon size bag to try it out.....

:mad2:

old salty
06/28/2007, 08:31 PM
Bio Sea salt; no additives are used.

mr.maroonsalty
06/28/2007, 09:08 PM
I used tm and tm pro when it came out; late last year I got tired of paying for it and have been in limbo, I know rc is the tried and true yet I still feel a need to try red sea pro??? rated well overall somewhere. I liked tm very much mixes best and it feels like powder, but I concluded I could by one or two designer frags a year by finding something that works LIKE RC why don't I buy some and use it? Coral life is what I can get w/o travelling more than 20 miles when in a pinch, so I have a few shirts, but its near to last on about every study I've seen; I thought it is high in Cu?

OmarD
06/28/2007, 11:02 PM
Anything except Oceanic.

TarheelFrag
06/29/2007, 03:55 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10237775#post10237775 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by OmarD
Anything except Oceanic.

;)