Sea Salt

[LucidGoblin]

Please forgive me if this is a stupid question. Would it be safe to use pure sea salt used for food if I added the Essential Elements as directed for a small water change? (I'm real short on cash at the moment, and I would really like to maintain my weekly water change schedule.)

[bertoni]

The products sold for human consumption have been purified to contain mostly sodium chloride with only small traces of other compounds. They are not close to providing the correct ionic content for seawater.

[BigBlueTang]

What he said..

It would be better for you to skip a week for a WC and gather the cash to buy salt..

[fishchef]

You would not be able to add all trace/essential elements that are contained in the synthetic blend unless your a Lab. You could use Fleur de Sel which is about $40 a pound...just kidding, sorry.

[C.Eymann]

Agree with all above but I have one question: How are you able to afford sea salt (the table stuff) for a water change? stuff can be crazy expensive! Bought a jar of sea salt "from France" at Tj maxx for like 15$ and that was a steal! but would maybe make only 3 gallons of saltwater.

[LucidGoblin]

Okay, okay. I only did it for a one gallon water change. (I usually do 5 gallons, but I didn't want to risk it.) I already had the sea salt (from Costco) in my cupboard (it's not that expensive!) I promise I won't do it again. I'll have the $10 I need for the reef salt in a couple days. Everything in the tank looks just fine, including a BTA and several types of coral. By the way, I thought I'd give my current tank info, just to see if anyone has any feedback (negative or otherwise). Forgive me, I'm still not very savvy with the technical lingo or abbreviations.

Nuvo Fusion 30L, stock filtration with micron socks, BioCube protein skimmer, chaeto fuge, 2 Finnex 24/7 PlantedPlus leds, (one for the display tank, one for the refugium), Finnex digital control heater, Aqueon back-up heater, and a DIY drip system for distilled water top-offs.

[fishchef]

Okay, okay. I only did it for a one gallon water change. (I usually do 5 gallons, but I didn't want to risk it.) I already had the sea salt (from Costco) in my cupboard (it's not that expensive!) I promise I won't do it again. I'll have the $10 I need for the reef salt in a couple days. Everything in the tank looks just fine, including a BTA and several types of coral. By the way, I thought I'd give my current tank info, just to see if anyone has any feedback (negative or otherwise). Forgive me, I'm still not very savvy with the technical lingo or abbreviations.

Nuvo Fusion 30L, stock filtration with micron socks, BioCube protein skimmer, chaeto fuge, 2 Finnex 24/7 PlantedPlus leds, (one for the display tank, one for the refugium), Finnex digital control heater, Aqueon back-up heater, and a DIY drip system for distilled water top-offs.

When in doubt ask first, not after the fact. Salt for home use can have weird things in it like anti-caking agents.

[LucidGoblin]

I know, it was a rookie move. I read the ingredients carefully before using 1/2 cup for a gallon of water. (My water level was getting low and worrying me. No excuse.) The ingredients read: "Natural Sea Salt. This salt does not supply iodine, a necessary nutrient." The front reads: "Harvested from the pristine waters off of Brazil's northern coast, this sea salt is 100% natural." I don't know how pristine the waters around Brazil could be, but I didn't think a little bit would hurt. I just knew that it wouldn't provide the necessary elements a reef tank needs. I will do a 20% water change in a few days with the proper salt.

[bertoni]

That setup seems fine to me. A 1 gallon change with table salt should be safe enough, although I wouldn't do any more of them.

[BlackTip]

Where do you live? If you are close to Raleigh, come by and I will give enough salt for a month or two.

[heathlindner25]

I know, it was a rookie move. I read the ingredients carefully before using 1/2 cup for a gallon of water. (My water level was getting low and worrying me. No excuse.) The ingredients read: "Natural Sea Salt. This salt does not supply iodine, a necessary nutrient." The front reads: "Harvested from the pristine waters off of Brazil's northern coast, this sea salt is 100% natural." I don't know how pristine the waters around Brazil could be, but I didn't think a little bit would hurt. I just knew that it wouldn't provide the necessary elements a reef tank needs. I will do a 20% water change in a few days with the proper salt.
When your water level is getting low, add fresh water not salt

[sleepydoc]

I won't chastise you for your 'rookie mistake,' but I do advise you to do some reading on reef chemistry and salt mix components. This will help you understand why it wasn't a good idea and move beyond the rookie stage.


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[jayball]

I hope you are tracking your salinity. You should be topping off with fresh water, not salt.


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[LucidGoblin]

No, I am not topping off with salt water. (Please give me a little credit.)
Yes, I am tracking my salinity with a Milwaukee digital refractometer. I try to keep it at 1.025. When it reaches 1.026, I do a slow drip of distilled water with my DIY drip system. (About 20 oz. does it.) However, for some reason, while it lowers my salinity to the desired reading, this amount does not seem to raise the entire water level to where I originally had it. (I don't know why it works this way, it just does.) So, I occasionally have to raise it with a 1.025 salt mix. I now keep a supply of premixed water from my LFS for this purpose and for water changes.

[bertoni]

The skimmer can export some salt water, if there is one, and some splashing and drying might be happening, too.