A General Guide to Salt Mixes

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Lots of valuable info. Thanks for all the effort. I'm new to this site and have been using Marine Environment for some time now. I was getting good results until lately. I've been buying the 50 gallon mix and I'm getting no where near 50 gallons at 1.026. I thought about contacting MDP but I thought why bother. Also the bag is not weighing out to the specs stated on the bag. If you complain over there you will get bashed. Some of the folks over there have had problems with the Alk of ME. around 6.5 when it's supposed to be eight. I usually got eight using elos test kits. I've heard the hipe about not having to add anything between WCs but this is not true either.
I've been looking to try a new mix because I'm not exactly happy with ME. I was looking at the Tunze Reef Salt. Does anyone here use it or have anything to share about it? Thank you
 
Most salt manufacturers base their volume using 1.024 not 1.026

That's why you do not get 50 gallons.

No sense in contacting MDP. All you'll get is B.S. IMO. That's all I've ever gotten.

Anyways, Tunze seems to have pretty good numbers. I wouldn't be afraid to try it. :)
 
Billy, thanks for sharing all this information with us, and inspiring many of us to take a second look at what were really getting from our salts. Ive decided myself to make a switch from IO to 50% coralife / 50% reef crystals. If I can get ahold of a magnesium test kit, i'll post my mix values.
 
I do not see that as a bad thing to try. If you are going to buy a hobby grade mag kit, I would stick with Salifert or Elos.

Good luck. :)
 
Billy thanks again for this thread. I am now able to tune in fresh RO/DI salt water mix to the exact parameters I am looking for. I have been using Tropic Marine for years and by simply adding 10.1 fl oz of Ca, 1 fl oz of dkH, and 8.5 fl oz of Mg I can dial fresh mix to 440 ppm Ca, 11 dkH, and 1300 Mg. Very much appreciated and my reef thanks you :beer:
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13526311#post13526311 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Diveshaman
adding 10.1 fl oz of Ca, 1 fl oz of dkH, and 8.5 fl oz of Mg I can dial fresh mix to 440 ppm Ca, 11 dkH, and 1300 Mg.
Click to expand...

Which brand(s) of supplement are you using?
 
I received my 8kg bag of Tunze Reef Excel Lab Marine Salt this week and decided to do a little testing and post the results. I first checked my RO/DI water and found my TDS was hovering around 4/5. I changed out the filters and flushed and I'm now running 0.2TDS. I decided to mix 5 gallons. I mixed the salt ( about 6 1/2 cups ) to 35PPT and 1.0265 SG. This was done on my refractometer. I double checked with my cheepo swing arm unit and got aprox. the same values.

Temp 70 degrees F.
pH 8.4 pinpoint electronic prob and Elos titration
Calcium 380 tested with API because my Elos test ran out.
( I normally get 20/30 higher with Elos )
KH 8dkh with Elos 9 with API
Mg 1200 Elos
po4 0.5 or a little less Elos


I did not shake the bag. This salt came right off the top.
Take this for what it's worth. Thought I'd share my results.
 
Well Thomas, If it took you 5 1/2 cups of any salt mix to get 5 gallons of ro/di to 35 ppt, I'd say something is very, very wrong. Most Salt Mixes I've tested took anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 cup per gallon tops.

I'd try again. :)
 
Fog in the brain or cob webs. What I was trying to say was 5-1/2 scoops or 1/2cups, not cups. just like you said above. I'm planning on mixing up the bag and trying again today.
 
I mixed up the bag in a clean plastic container and made the SW as before to 35PPT. Same exact results. Mg read slightly higher on my Elos test kit.
 
Sounds like you are a little lean on the s.g. I'd recalibrate your refractometer with Pinpoints 53 mS solution and try again. I would ignore the swing arm value.

All that said, you are not really that far off from the actual value. :)
 
Thanks,
I've been looking around this weekend for the calibration solution that your speeking of. Do you have a source? I'll tell you the results are better than the ME I just tested.
 
Billy I have a question I'm hoping you can answer. I've been using IO salt for about 3 years now. I alway buy the 200g mix in the box, it comes with 4 of the 50g mix bags. My test results are about what your's are. In the past I had used Oceanic and notice the cal was up there.
My question is this: I bought a bucket of the Oceanic due to it's higher Cal levels. I run a Geo 618 Calcium reactor and I thought ( hope anyway) that the Oceanic's higher Cal level's might help reduse the amount of Arm medai that I use?? In other words would higher cal in NSW reduse the amount the Cal reactor try's to maintain?? Or help keep it from using up the medai as quickly?? Or am I way off on this??


Thanks in advance.

Stu.
 
Oceanic's higher Cal level's might help reduse the amount of Arm medai that I use?? In other words would higher cal in NSW reduse the amount the Cal reactor try's to maintain??

No, you'll just end up with higher calcium. The reactor cannot add less calcium because you still need to maintain alkalinity with it, and that will take the same amount of dissolution as before. :)
 
Thank you Randy. I think I'm going to just go back the IO salt. I've used it with no issue's other than boosting the cal & mag as you've suggested, and that's not really that much work nor does it cost more. It's cheaper to use IO and then boost than to buy the Oceanic for me.

Ahh, once again another one of my hair brain Ideas shot down. :lol:

:)
 
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