A General Guide to Salt Mixes

Billybeau1 -

I heard that the "boron" can throw off Alk settings (im using Salifert test and dosing 2.5grams a day of Seachem Builder to maintain 9.3 to 10 dkh).

How does Alk affect the way a tank 'looks' ? Ive heard that you need to keep Alk up to allow tanks to burn up calcium.

I agree that Oceanic is probably overkill for my hardly populated, 3 month old tank. But I'm looking to try everything since I cant get SPS to grow.
 
I think targeting the middle of the acceptable alkalinity range is a safe way to go and I doubt alkalinity is your problem getting sps to grow.

There are many other factors that come into play with sps.

Examples:

Elevated nitrates can limit sps growth
Elevated phosphates can limit sps growth
Poor or inadequate lighting can limit sps growth
Poor water flow can limit sps growth.
Low specific gravity can limit sps growth.

There are many possible reasons why you can not get your sps to grow.

I would suggest tackling these problems one at a time until you start seeing growth. You can't be too far away because they are not dying. :)

Good luck. :)
 
Well my SPS are dying... Only last about 2 wks then birdsnests turn white and grow red/brown alge. Acro/Torts lose tissue from bottom up..

Nitrate is at 5 (using API)
Lighting - using 150W MH Geishman bulb
Flow - Vortech MP10 on max (>1500 gph)
SG is 1.0265 (using calibrated digital probe)
Phosphate - not sure (need to get test kit)... I've got a HOB refug that has/had chaeto which was growing fast. Then I put a two fishies phosban reator and ran carbon and phosban - After a month of this the chaeto stopped growing and some of its turned white.

All-in-all sounds like I should stay with Reef Salt is the way to go otherwise I'm going to need even more Seachem builder to keep Alkl up.
 
Well, I still do not think alkalinity is your problem, unless you test kit is way off.

You may want to purchase a phosphate test kit and see what it shows.

Something has to be wrong if your sps are dying.
 
Billybeau1

I've got a Phosphate test kit (Salifert) which is showing me zero. When I put my first SPS in the tank and started having troubles (tissue loss) the LFS suggested that I install the phosban reactor - I did so with a combined mix of carbon and phosban (granted I tested for Phosphate and it was zero then).

I have noticd that since the installatoin of the reactor, the chaeto in the reguium has shrunk and some of it has turned white.

I agree something must be wrong, but then all params are within spec and maintainged very tightly...

Perhaps its just that the tank is new (less than 3months) and very clean ?
 
Yes I've posted in several areas on here... Ran the typcial tests over and over. Even had LFS owner visit home to check things out and nobody has been able to figure it out.

Now the theory is that with the excellent filtration (skimmer, phosban reactor, etc.) Ive created too clean of environment ... I cant even get coraline to spread.

So Im thinking of taking off the filters (leave skimmer), changing to Reef Crystals and seeing what happens. Then just wait a few months
 
OK well I have been using the Get Tanked Salt for about 2 years. I really like the salt and would love to continue using it. My issue is that Gary is to far from me and shipping makes the salt a little pricey. From the consensus of this thread it seems like most people use Reef Crystals. I am torn between Reef Crystals, Oceanic and Seachem.....

Can you help me decide....Please....I usually go thru a almost 2 buckets a month.....
 
RBU, for me to answer that, I would need to know what you have in your tank, how often do you do water changes and do you supplement anything ?
 
Billybeau1 said:
RBU, for me to answer that, I would need to know what you have in your tank, how often do you do water changes and do you supplement anything ?
Click to expand...

I have a variety in my tank softies...SPS....great deal of coraline algae. I do weekly water changes 50 gallons a week on the 300 and 10 gallons a week on my 75. I have a kalk reactor and shortly will have a calcium reactor on the 300. I just use kalkwasser on the 75 in my top off water. I only add alk to the 300 every couple days. I think the weekly water changes are keeping parameters in check.
 
balloonpilot said:
Billybeau1

I've got a Phosphate test kit (Salifert) which is showing me zero. When I put my first SPS in the tank and started having troubles (tissue loss) the LFS suggested that I install the phosban reactor - I did so with a combined mix of carbon and phosban (granted I tested for Phosphate and it was zero then).

I have noticd that since the installatoin of the reactor, the chaeto in the reguium has shrunk and some of it has turned white.

I agree something must be wrong, but then all params are within spec and maintainged very tightly...

Perhaps its just that the tank is new (less than 3months) and very clean ?
Click to expand...

what fish do you have in your tank and how many?

what are you feeding your sps corals?

If the chaeto is white then it should be removed otherwise it will release the nitrates and phosphates that it has uptaken from the system
 
RBU1 said:
I have a variety in my tank softies...SPS....great deal of coraline algae. I do weekly water changes 50 gallons a week on the 300 and 10 gallons a week on my 75. I have a kalk reactor and shortly will have a calcium reactor on the 300. I just use kalkwasser on the 75 in my top off water. I only add alk to the 300 every couple days. I think the weekly water changes are keeping parameters in check.
Click to expand...

Well then I would stay away from the Oceanic. Either Reef Crystals or the Seachem Reef will be fine for your situation IMO. Which ever is cheaper since you do a lot of water changes. I'm guessing the Reef Crystals. :)
 
I recently switched to Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. I did notice a 'smell' kind of reminds me of a multi-vitamin type smell...

Question about dosing ALK. Prior to doing a water change (10 gal on my 28 gal JBJ), my tank was at 9.6 dkh. The RC mix came out to 10.6 prior to water change. 2 days after doing the water change my tank Alk dropped to 8.6.

I am still dosing Kalk. However...
I had turned off my Alk drip system thinking I would not need it because my SPS had died. So I guess I need to turn that unit back on... I make a batch of 25grams Seachem Builder to 25 oz water and drip that over 10 days. That w/ the Kalk drip seems to keep me at 9.6 to 9.9 dhk.

As for living corals - I still have, small qty maybe like 1 or 2 small cluster of each:
Favia
Recordia
Hammer
Green Candy

I've stopped dosing Ca, Mag, Stront, Amino, Potassium, Trace, and Tech-I and will reduce future water changes to 5 gal (or less)... Hopefully tank will start to age and grow coraline and I can start to have success w/ SPS
 
You will smell that vitamin smell in RC. No worries IMO.

I'm concerned your alk did not read higher from a new batch. It should have been 12 - 13 dkh. Which leads me to believe you may not be mixing your salt to a specific gravity of 1.0264 or 35 ppt.

Where do you keep your s.g. and how do you measure it ? If a refractometer, what do you use to calibrate it ?
 
I mix my water changes to 1.026 and keep my tank same.

Measure using Conductivity probe attached to Profilux controller (set to read SG). The probe is calibrated and set to correct for tank temp. New salt is mixed in a 5 gal bucket w pump, heater, and air stone.

I have double checked salt mix and tank w/ refract that was calibrted with solution at room temp.

It took 880 grams of RC to get the 5 gal to 1.026
 
Well, that all sounds reasonable. Then the next thing I would check is the accuracy of your alkalinity test kit.

Did you mix the bucket up real good before use ?

Although an alk of 10.6 is not your problem I dont think.
 
Test kit is Salifert and I've got one that is almost gone and a new one (dates on both are still good) and both read almost same, darn close.

I generally let my salt mix 12 to 24 hrs simpy because of my not-at-home schedule.
 
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