Red Sea Salt ---- bad for reef tank

[chiefrokka]

I was at LFS and i bought a bag of the Red Sea Salt for like 10 bucks that does 50g

the LFS guy said that salt sucks and he doesn't reccommend it at all and he won't be stocking it much longer. does anybody else know if this is bad salt for a reef tank or if he's just trying to sell me more expensive salt?? i thought I read long time ago that salt is salt and it doesn't really matter cuz they were all pretty good salt.

it's nice and cheap but is it worth the risk.. give some details of your reasoning.

[bertoni]

Which Red Sea product did you get? Their Reef Pro or whatever is rather high in calcium, and I wouldn't particularly want to buy it, but I wouldn't throw it away either. The standard salt seems okay, and I wouldn't worry too much about using it. Instant Ocean is a lot more popular, and should be about the same price.

[jeffb3t]

Red Sea salt is what I use and I have never had a problem with it. It's cheap but does the job.

[XeniaMania]

I've heard Red Sea was good, I've heard Instant Ocean was good, I've heard Tropic Marin was good. I've used them all, and haven't noticed much. Currently I use Red Sea. I think they're all good, just what you believe.

[Bebo77]

deepends on what you are looking for in the salt.. some salts have higher trace minerals and such than others do...
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-03/rs/feature/index.php

[jumpincactus]

Before you think that cost and brand of salt doesnt matter, take the time to read this entire article. Heres the link. You can come to your own conclusions.....

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/11/aafeature1/view

[XeniaMania]

They didn't test Red Sea..WHY?! WHY?! WHYYYYYY?! :lol:

[chiefrokka]

ya, great articles but they both didn't talk about Red Sea... I use Red Sea cuz it's the cheapest and most common around here... but I just need to know if this LFS guy is right and instead of me saving money on salt, I should be buying stupid salt at like 25-35 bucks a bag for same amount.

Red Sea I use (http://www.um-um.pl/shop/images/redseasalt.jpg)



here's another article I just found that mentions Red Sea.
article (http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://web.archive.org/web/20010303215133/www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1999/mar/features/1/default.asp)

[Shoestring Reefer]

I think it's been establiched that every salt brand is bad for all of the following reasons, depending on who you ask:
-Nutrient/element deficiency
-Nutrient/element surplus
-Bad salt batches will kill your tank

[XeniaMania]

Well...for me...the old saying goes "Don't mess w/ success". I've always done well with Red Sea, and I supplement my tank with multiple supplements. As long as my corals are growing and not dying, then I'm happy w/ the Red Sea salt I'm using...:)

[jumpincactus]

Yea thats a funny thing about this hobby.... what doesnt work for one tank may be a killer setup on another tank. If you have had good results with the salt you are using why change??? If it aint broke dont fix it...........

[fareforce]

I personally like red sea, I have had a bad batch of Instant Ocean before. The only thing I have to supplement is 1-2 tsp of pickling lime once a week.

But then again I am the odd-ball person. I use tap water instead of RO/DI. Why bother with a RO/DI when you live in Alaska, and the water out of the tap is pristine to begin with.. lol

[Serioussnaps]

Red sea blows. Full of nutrients(nitrate and phosphate sometimes) Just use IO and TM. If i elaborate it will take hours to write.

[XeniaMania]

Well, I finally did an official test since I have the tests I wanted. Here are my findings, water was at 78 degree SG of 1.025 on a freshly made batch (approx few hours old) w/ RO/DI water.

Ca 374ppm ideal (400-450)
Sr 0-3 mg/l (low) ideal (8-10mg/l)
Mg 1140ppm ideal (1250-1350)
pH 8.4
Alk "normal" the test kit doesn't give numerical values, but just to make sure it worked, I dropped in a driplet(if this word exists :p) of buffer and it turned blue "high".
Now I understand why I am dumping in over 100ml of Tech-M and why I always feel there's an uphill battle for Ca whenever I do a 25% water change (granted I understand my inhabitants absorb some as well). Either way, I hope some of you find this information useful, but after I'm done w/ this bag of salt, I'll most likely be looking at another salt. I've been happy with their salt, so maybe the "Pro" formula or watever the newer formula that they've come out with should be my choice. But I'm sure it's still a good salt for fish only tanks.

[a4twenty]

did you test for phosphates and nitates? the guy at my LFS said it was bad for that ( my tests came back good ) and i should use IO. why do they sell it if it's so bad?? i think they just make more $$ of the products they push. as for the low levels of Sr/Mg/Ca , i think you'll have that problem unless you upgrade to the top $$ products. and then people complaing about the levels being to high......

[XeniaMania]

I didn't test phosphates or nitrates because the test kit I have for phosphate is too broad. The lowest level was .1, and as for nitrates, the scale is 0-12.5mg/l so either way, if there was a trace of it, it would come out as undetectable w/ my tests. Perhapse my testing was slightly biased due to the fact I only tested for what is important to me. Phosphates are no concern to me because I actually add phosphate through tap water for my xenias, and I have a denitrifying system that keeps nitrates at extremely low levels even with multiple feedings on a daily basis. Basicallly when I run 2 tests side by side, new water and tank water, the tests come out identical. So we can say my tank water is as good as freshly made water, or the new water is as bad as old tank water..:lol:

[CrOsSwIrE]

Since we are on the topic, and not to hijjack the thread but is coral Life salt ok?

[WaterKeeper]

In my humble opinion just about all commercial salts will be fine for the reef tank. As Mike said above, they all have small problems that make them differ from NSW but those problems are correctable and not all that troublesome anyway.

[XeniaMania]

Here's a link on salt mix comparisons. I'm not familiar w/ Coralife, but a quick glance at the reviews show that it's also lacking in elements.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/11/aafeature1

[FishingBob]

Could you explain what TEC M is and why you use it?

[a4twenty]

tech m is a kent product used to raise magnesium levels.

[XeniaMania]

You want magnesium in your tank because it helps you maintain a high Calcium level and some if not most hard corals also use it in their building process.

Plug regarding elevated levels in the newer mixes, if you were starting a new tank, I can see how that can be a problem, but it's a huge plus if it's used for water changes, because I don't see how 25% water change w/ elevated element levels can hurt a tank, it's actually $$ saved in your wallet.:)