A General Guide to Salt Mixes

[kc350twin]

Billy

It has been a while since I have been on this thread and I'm wondering if you are you planning to test the new ESV Salt mix? I din't see much info on it but I am curious.


Also did the Seachem ever get released? I cannot check since their departure from RC...... I think that will really hurt them in the long run...............


Kc3

 

[Finsky]

Reef Crystals versus Seachem Reef Salt

Reef Crystals versus Seachem Reef Salt

I recently decided to start using C-Balance and I was temporarily tempted to switch to Seachem. My head is now clear and I have a 200 gallon box of RC on the way from Drs. F & S along with my C-Balance. I think the RC will work well with C-Balance.

 

[redsea reefer]

I recently decided to start using C-Balance and I was temporarily tempted to switch to Seachem. My head is now clear and I have a 200 gallon box of RC on the way from Drs. F & S along with my C-Balance. I think the RC will work well with C-Balance.

What made you change your mind on switching salts as I am still on the fence on either one, can't make up my mind..lol

I am thinking of going with SeaChem though...This is a post by PhreeBYrd below.

Over the years I've used a lot of different mixes, including IO, RC, Seachem Reef and Marine, TM and TM Pro, and MEI Crystal Seas. The MEI was my favorite of all, but it's hard to get so I started using Seachem Reef, which I like very much... although the Ca was always so high I had to take my Ca reactor offline to prevent the GFO in my phos reactor from fouling with Ca.

Long story short, DFS started a promo on RC a little more than a year ago, so I switched and used it for the past year (I left the Ca reactor out of the system). In that time, the populations of stomatella, asterina stars, and amphipods in my tanks took a nose dive, and my cleaner shrimps never spawned (with the MEI and Seachem mixes, they would spawn at least once a month). After switching back to Seachem a couple of months ago, the populations of those critters are back on the rise. I have some new baby stomatella again and a lot more life on the sand bed. My skunk cleaners spawned last week. Really, the only thing attributable is the salt mix.

I also like the fact that the Seachem always mixes to a pH of 8.30, while the RC was always 7.9. The RC left loads of brown crud in my mixing tub, while the Seachem (and the MEI) leaves no residue at all... but in the end, I figure the Seachem Reef mix is a better product, at least for my tanks, because of the animals' response.

 

[Finsky]

Reef Crystals vs Seachem

Reef Crystals vs Seachem

My reef tank is 3 1/2 years old. As I added more live rock and corals, I decided to switch to Reef Crystals from Instant Ocean two years ago. I am told Seachem buffers there salt which could raise my pH AND my alkilinity. I am waiting for my alkilinity to go down to 7 so I can start dosing with C-Balance for a more stable pH and I think changing one thing at a time is the best way to go so I won't have to guess was it the C-Balance or the different salt mix which is causing ............

If I need to, I figure I can always buffer my Reef Crystals water change water on my own. I hand mix three four gallon buckets of saltwater for each weekend's 10% water change and I have never had any foreign matter in my mix buckets. After emptying them into the tank, I wipe out all three buckets with white hand towels with no discoloration whatsoever.

:bounce3:

 

[Billybeau1]

Billy

It has been a while since I have been on this thread and I'm wondering if you are you planning to test the new ESV Salt mix? I din't see much info on it but I am curious.


Also did the Seachem ever get released? I cannot check since their departure from RC...... I think that will really hurt them in the long run...............


Kc3

I have not seen either yet, but I'll confess, I haven't been looking. Been very busy at work lately. I will probably start looking after the first of the year.

For those talking about the pH of salt mixes, it is of little concern what the pH is of a freshly made batch of saltwater. In fact, I never tested the pH of any salt mix I tested for that reason.

There can be many reasons why one salt mix works for some better than others. RC, Coralife and Seachem are all fine salts IMO.

 

[Billybeau1]

I just looked up the new ESV B-Ionic salt mix. I think I'll pass.

This is apparently a four stage salt mix made up of 2 solids and 2 liquids that need to be mixed together.

Way too much work for me.

 

[Aquarist007]

I just looked up the new ESV B-Ionic salt mix. I think I'll pass.

This is apparently a four stage salt mix made up of 2 solids and 2 liquids that need to be mixed together.

Way too much work for me.

why would someone want to go to all that work in the first place---what would the advantages be or the practicality of it. is it for really big tanks that have equipment that mix it automatically??

 

[wfournier]

I believe the idea is that people complain or variation in their salt mixes, this way there would be no variation as the user is mixing it themselves. It does seem like a bit of a hassle but for people who insist on everything be "just so" I imagine they will see it as worthwhile.

 

[Finsky]

Billybeau1:

I hear you i.e. work. I even woak up Saturday morning to get ready for work until I realized it was Saturday?

Mixing Reef Crystals with return water is fine for me and my head does not spin around on my shoulders. My big maintenance job is the four to five hours each month to thoroughly clean out my canisters and power filters along with the weekly 12 gallon 10% water change and additional 8 gallon water change to replace the filter water.

My pH was 8.2 before I did my 10% water change with Reef Crystals at 8:00 pm Saturday evening with the all lights on. Immediately after the change the pH was 7.9 with the lights on and went to 7.8 when all the lights went out at 10:00 pm.

Early Sunday morning at 8:40 am with all lights out the pH was 8.0 and I did not use any buffer.

From what I remember before I started using buffer, the pH should get back to 8.2 - 8.3 with the lights on and 8.1 to 8.2 with the lights out a day or two after a 10% water change with Reef Crystals.

 

[Billybeau1]

The pH in most tanks will be a little lower in the winter months as our houses are closed up and CO₂ accumulates. Just no way to get around it in the winter. At least where I live.

 

[Finsky]

We just have just switched fall to winter weather with the daylight temps in the low thirties and tonight it is supposed to down to 13 fahrenheit. I have had the apartment shut up tight in Olympia, WA.

 

[Billybeau1]

You can expect pH to be a little lower in those conditions. I would not sweat it. Too many reefers get hung up on the 8.3 thing IMO.

 

[kfick]

Billybeau1:

I hear you i.e. work. I even woak up Saturday morning to get ready for work until I realized it was Saturday?

Mixing Reef Crystals with return water is fine for me and my head does not spin around on my shoulders. My big maintenance job is the four to five hours each month to thoroughly clean out my canisters and power filters along with the weekly 12 gallon 10% water change and additional 8 gallon water change to replace the filter water.

My pH was 8.2 before I did my 10% water change with Reef Crystals at 8:00 pm Saturday evening with the all lights on. Immediately after the change the pH was 7.9 with the lights on and went to 7.8 when all the lights went out at 10:00 pm.

Early Sunday morning at 8:40 am with all lights out the pH was 8.0 and I did not use any buffer.

From what I remember before I started using buffer, the pH should get back to 8.2 - 8.3 with the lights on and 8.1 to 8.2 with the lights out a day or two after a 10% water change with Reef Crystals.

Are you mixing your fresh batch of saltwater at least a day to let the pH stabilize before adding it to your tank? Freshly mixed up saltwater usually has a pH below 8.

 

[Finsky]

Salt Mixing

Salt Mixing

I mix thoroughly until dissolved in two gallons of hot water and then pour in two gallons of cold water to adjust the temperature and then pour. Do you think I should be letting my fresh batch of saltwater made up of three buckets of four gallons per bucket sit overnight. I wonder whether 12 gallons is a large enough quantity to initially lower a 120 gallon tank from a pH of 8.2 to 7.9? It would not be a problem for me to mix a day ahead of time and I will definitely start doing it straight away if this is the case. This would not be a problem for me at all, although I do not remember reading about this and I am wondering why since I have read all three of Sprung's volumes, etc. Duhhhhhh!!!!!

Thank you kfick, head of time?!!!!!!

 

[Aquarist007]

The pH in most tanks will be a little lower in the winter months as our houses are closed up and CO₂ accumulates. Just no way to get around it in the winter. At least where I live.

Acutually there is Biilybeau---
crank up the skimmer
vent the skimmer to the outside
run a refugium with cheato macro and keep the lighting on 24/7
increase the flow across the top of your tank and make sure it is not covered with solid material like glass
these will all help with bring down the co2level and inversely keeping the pH up

 

[rigleautomotive]

I mix thoroughly until dissolved in two gallons of hot water and then pour in two gallons of cold water to adjust the temperature and then pour. Do you think I should be letting my fresh batch of saltwater made up of three buckets of four gallons per bucket sit overnight. I wonder whether 12 gallons is a large enough quantity to initially lower a 120 gallon tank from a pH of 8.2 to 7.9? It would not be a problem for me to mix a day ahead of time and I will definitely start doing it straight away if this is the case. This would not be a problem for me at all, although I do not remember reading about this and I am wondering why since I have read all three of Sprung's volumes, etc. Duhhhhhh!!!!!

Thank you kfick, head of time?!!!!!!

Not the best method by far.
heres how i do it,fill the entire vessel with the desired amount of rodi water,use heater to warm the water to the desired temp,use power head to start the water mixing and slowly add the salt until you reach the desired sg,
let the water age 24 hours with aeration and mixing,test params and match to tank params if necessary with additives
have no concern of the ph,it will vary greatly with many uncontrollable factors.

 

[PhreeBYrd]

I agree w/ Dan Rigle, and I think that's how most of us do it... at least I hope so. Heating the water drives out oxygen, along with, I'm sure, some other undesirable effects... and I highly doubt that any salt mixes are designed to withstand high temperatures. I'm no chemist, so it's hard to imagine the many possible issues with Finsky's method.

I might suggest that your ro/di water should also be made at least 24 hours prior to mixing, and heated and aerated during this time. After adding the salt, it really is not necessary to mix or aerate the water continuously until it's used, and in a closed mixing vessel, this can actually cause problems of precipitation. After the salt mix is completely dissolved in the water, you can turn off circulation and aeration until an hour or so before you use it... or aerate/agitate it for a few minutes once to a few times a day. But I agree that even if the manufacturer states that it's OK to use newly mixed water immediately, it's better to let it sit for a day or two.

I can also tell you that there is no way I would make 12 gal of water in three separate containers. The temperature and salinity at the very least are bound to vary from each bucket to the next. Rubbermaid (among others, I'm sure) makes a 20 gal lidded plastic trash can (not quite a Brute, but plenty sturdy) that will easily hold 15 gallons of water and still fit in a hall closet.

 

[PhreeBYrd]

About to try the Brightwell Neomarine...

About to try the Brightwell Neomarine...

Just a heads up to anybody who's interested... I have 3 buckets of Brightwell's Neomarine mix in the garage waiting to be opened. Though I'm skeptical of much of the manufacturer's hype, I'm anxious to see how much, if any of it, is true. I've used alot of RC and Seachem mixes over the years, but won't be trying RC again for a long while... and since I started using Zeovit, the Seachem Reef's borate content concerns me; thus the Brightwell test.

Don't hold your breath... it will be at least 2-3 weeks before I start using it, and probably a couple of months before my tanks are really running on it. But I'll be happy to post initial test results to see how they compare with BillyBeau's.

 

[Finsky]

PhreeBYrd:

Yes, I think I will look for a mixing container which is smaller than the 30 gallon plastic trash can I have in the loft at the moment which I am using for storage. I have two Hagen 402 powerheads and two 802 Hagen powerheads, a working 300 watt Visi-Therm heater, and an air pump.

I used to mix replacement water in the 30 gallon container and pump it into the aquarium with an 802 Hagen powerhead which can do 400 gph. The 20 gallon container size range will give me the flexibility of mixing a 12-18 gallon 10-15% water change or I can pull out the 30 gallon container for a 24 gallon 20% water change.

From what I have read, I pour the salt into the mixing container filled with water along with an operating powerhead and heater for circulation and heater to keep the water at aquarium temperature. Once the salt is thorough mixed with the powerhead, I shut the powerhead off and leave the heater in the mixing container with the lid open slightly to allow for the heater cord to keep the replacement water at aquarium temperature.

An hour before pumping the replacement water into the tank, I should turn on the 802 Hagen powerhead to circulation and aerate or powerhead and air pump to circulate and aerate before pumping the replacement water at aquarium temperature into the tank(Also checking for proper salinity of replacement water).

Is it a problem to allow a slight gap in the mixing container lid overnight for the heater cord or should I wait until the day I am changing the water to turn on the heater, powerhead, and air pump on an hour before pumping the replacement water into the tank?

 

[bertoni]

Calcium carbonate tends to precipitate more as the temperature rises, so I wouldn't mix salt into water that was much above reef temperatures.