A General Guide to Salt Mixes

Thanks Highland, I'll test/post the results of the 4 year old bucket to see how far off it is from the expected values for IO.

if the package is sealed nothing inside the bag can cause a reaction so must be the same, but if its not air tight, I assume caco3 is formed and you will have lower readings on KH and CA ?

I wonder if Humidity in air has the same effects ~ and also light ! as I know light can degrade liquid chemicals.
 
I presently use Reef Crystals in my four year old reef tank with fish.

I use Seachem Reef Buffer and Seachem Reef Complete.

Does Seachem Reef Salt have a high pH than Reef Complete.
 
I'm not quite sure what you mean. Reef Complete won't affect the pH much at all. The Reef Buffer consumes carbon dioxide when added, so it'll raise the pH. How much depends on how much sodium carbonate it contains, but we don't know the percentages.
 
My Bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not quite sure what you mean. Reef Complete won't affect the pH much at all. The Reef Buffer consumes carbon dioxide when added, so it'll raise the pH. How much depends on how much sodium carbonate it contains, but we don't know the percentages.

Duhhhh!!

I meant to ask does "Seachem Reef salt mix" produce a higher pH replacement water then "Reef Crystals salt mix":spin2:
 
Oh, okay. :) If the alkalinity is higher in one than the other, the pH might vary a little. SeaChem also has a high borate level, which will raise the pH some.
 
I have switched from TMPR to Seachem Reef. What DKH do recommend I aim for since the Borate gives a "false" reading. Generally I try to aim for 8 DKH with regular salt mixes. Thank you.
 
Most salt mixes have borate levels about that of natural sea water. Seachem's salt is a bit higher then natural sea water. The additional borate in Seachem has an effect on most hobby grade alk test kits of around 1 dKH (10%), meaning you may want to keep your alk level using Seachem salt around 1 dKH higher then you want.
 
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Most salt mixes have borate levels about that of natural sea water. Seachem's salt is a bit higher then natural sea water. The additional borate in Seachem has an effect on most hobby grade alk test kits of around 1 dKH, meaning you may want to keep your alk level using Seachem salt around 1 dKH higher then you want.

Thank you!
 
Seachem Reef Buffer

Seachem Reef Buffer

Most salt mixes have borate levels about that of natural sea water. Seachem's salt is a bit higher then natural sea water. The additional borate in Seachem has an effect on most hobby grade alk test kits of around 1 dKH (10%), meaning you may want to keep your alk level using Seachem salt around 1 dKH higher then you want.

I wonder whether Seachem's Reef Buffer excessively high amounts of borate as I use it with my Reef Crystals?
 
Seachem tells me their Reef Salt mixes to a pH around 8.1 to 8.4 with borate added.

Anybody have any thoughts on a trial run with Seachem's Reef Salt vs. the Instant Ocean Reef Crystals I have used for years.

I am wondering whether replacement water mixed with Seachem Reef Salt would a have recognizable difference with a higher pH than Reef Crystals for my 10% 12 gallon weekly water changes.

I am not having problems with Reef Crystals although I am wondering whether using an additional Seachem product, Seachem Reef Salt in addition to my use of Seachem Reef Buffer(no borate added) and Seachem Reef Complete(for calcium) would offer my tank any benefits over using Reef Crystals?
 
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That'd depend on the carbon dioxide content of the air. If it's high enough to drop pH noticeably, the SeaChem might have a slightly high pH, due to the borate buffer. I doubt that it'd be significant, though.
 
Finsky, one should never pick a salt mix because of an initial pH reading. pH is moved by many things. It is an insignificant number IMO. There are a few differences in RC as opposed to Seachems Reef Salt which have nothing to do with pH. If RC is working well for you, I would not change salts just to improve pH. :)
 
I agree. I was leary thinking of changing from Reef Crystals which has work so well for me.

One thing I have decided to do was to restart using Kent Marine Essential Elements every two weeks as I usually do weekly water changes along with Kent Marine Iodide and Strontium and Molybdenum weekly.

I also decided to add Kent Marine Photoplex and Chromoplex along with Zooplex and Microvert every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with one capful of each of the four.

I had previously stopped using the phytoplex and chromoplex and now I have five bubble tip anemones four brain corals, two montioporas, and three gonioporas, and with two palythoa covered rocks.

When I arrive home after a week on vacation and somebody topping off my tank every two days I had an 8.5 pH reading during the day. This was after two weeks without a water change. I then changed the water and dosed on Sunday and Monday with Seachem Reef Buffer and I am back in pH business. I checked the alkalinity before buffering and had a reading of 4.5 meq/L.

Seachem recommends not to go higher than 6.0 meq/L with alklanity when buffering and one dose of Seachem Reef Buffer raises pH by .1 and alkalnity by .5 meq/L.
 
I am having trouble with Brightwell Neomarine having phosphates of 0.5 ppm. I've had to run fluidized phosgaurd before using for a water change. Anyone else have this problem?

I'm having the same issue. I've been having phosphate issues and burning my sps. I've been consistantly testing the BW neo at .44 and .45, just to make sure it wasn't my source water or mixing container I tested fresh rodi (.00) and then mixed the water in a frag tank that has only seen water for a few hours. Still at .45, very fustrating when I'm trying to get my po4 down with WC! Salifert and Hanna tests both confirmed.
 
I'd run a GFO reactor on the freshly-mixed saltwater, if the phosphate were that high from my salt. That's a lot of phosphate, IMO.
 
SPS and Reef Crystals

SPS and Reef Crystals

I'd run a GFO reactor on the freshly-mixed saltwater, if the phosphate were that high from my salt. That's a lot of phosphate, IMO.

I have a Lavender SPS Encrusting Montiopora whose polyps have really started to show a nice peach color. It sits in the front right substrate.
I also have an orange Montiopora Capricornous Plate SPS half way up on top of the rocks and it has been growing rounder as well with no nicrosis on it or the encrusting Montiopora. I had to move a neon green eyed favite away from the plate coral as it has been doing so well. I thought of adding a purple maricultured one from Dr. Foster and Smith.

I have been using Seachem Reef Buffer to help keep the pH between 8.1-8.5 and I also use Reef Complete by Seachem to keep the calcium at 420 although the 10% weekly water changes with Reef Crystals keeps my calcium up.

I recently cleaned by my canisters and added eight new bags of Chemi-Pure along with a bag of Dr. Foster and Smith Phospure. I also think my Turboflotor 1000 multi protein skimmer helps keep the phosphates down.
 
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I have been using the Seachem Salinity salt for about 4 months now. Has anyone else been using it? What are your opinions?
 
I would continue using it if it was working for me.

I personally have used Instant Ocean for the first year of my four year old five foot 120 reef with 150 lbs. of live rock, five bubble tip anemones, various LPS and SPS corals as well as some fish.

Sometime about three years ago I started putting corals in with the live rock and fish at which time I switched over to Reef Crystals and it has not give me a reason to switch salts again.

I do wonder about salinity levels recommended.

I read 1.023 to 1.025 for reef tanks.

I keep my water at 53.0 mS/35ppt/1.0264.

I have been keeping my tank at this level for quite a while.

I use a Pinpoint Salinity Monitor calibrated with American Marine Inc. Pinpoint Monitor Calibration Fluid at 53.0mS=1.0264 SG = 35.0 ppt.

Is this too high or is 35.00 ppt alright?

I do not know whether this belongs in this thread. I was also wondering what the faithful think is a good calcium level to shoot for or at least a good range?
 
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