ESV Multi-Part Salt System
- Thread starter njreefermadness
- Start date
Just checked your profile, and you ARE checking this thread!!!!!!!!!
The best thing about this salt is you can control the parameters when making salt, so if your calcium is to hight you can lower the dose to the salt or if mag is to high you just dont add the mag. No other salt can do this, your if full controll of you salt theres no othere salt like this.
JG1
New member
Well, you can't really do that with ESV. It's not meant to be adjustable. You can't control individual parameters except Mag with the ESV systems. If you try to raise or lower Ca/Alk, other parameters are going to go up and down as well.
dzhuo
Active member
Even if you can, it's probably not a huge advantage since you can adjust individual param with any other salt.
I have heard nothing but great review on ESV and it's one of the 2 salts I always want to try (the other is Tunze which has won the best salt award in Europe). When you prepare the mix, do you have to be very precise with the water volume? For example, I normally use a 20g mixing container but I have no idea how accurate the rating. I also do not fill the container to the top so I have no idea how much water I actually have. Do you guys just do an estimate and adjust slowly? Also, can I prepare the dosage separately and store them say in its own little bag ahead of time to avoid weighting and measuring for each salt mix?
JG1
New member
The first time you mix you'll spend a little time guestimating the correct water volume. After you figure that out, it goes very fast. I used 5 gallon buckets to estimate how much 20 gallons of water was, and marked a line at the correct height in the container that I mix the water in. Now I just fill top the line, and add the mix.
The salt mix comes with measuring cups, and instructions for various mixes from 1g , on up.
Yes, you should use a precise water volume each time (that amount is in the instructions)...mark your container after you've established the correct volume.
You could 'pre-measure' the ingredients, but that would include 2 liquids, as well as the 2 'powders'
dzhuo
Active member
The liquid parts are going to make it hard to 'pre-measure' and store. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to give ESV a try. Thanks for the info.
reefrubble
Premium Member
I stop using TM pro reef salt , because they got crazy with the price . My LFS has the best price around here on the ESV salt , and they get $72. for the 200 gal. package . So with the sales tax it comes to $77.04 . That is way to steep for me . I have a 300 gal. tank , and change out over 50 gal. a week . If IO gets to high , I'll go back to NSW .
rkaires
New member
Premium has it for $80.00 shipped. One of the LFS by me has it for $59.99. This is probably because ESV is located on Long Island.
Yes the Mag is Separate, but if you "Tweak" your Mag, you won't have enough Mag left for the rest of the 200G Mix as he gives you just enough for the Salt mix size you purchase. If you use more than stated in the directions, you run out.
You can also Tweak your Calcium, Mag, and Alk with anyone's Salt. Point is why pay a Premium for a Salt you still have to Tweak?
So just 2 boxes & a test kit...and you're in at $72 a box!
where does acesq say he tweaks his Mag. up? (he might)...but, some ppl may 'tweak' their levels up OR down for their particular tank...so if you use less Mag., you have extra!
ESV params are right on...so it does not HAVE to be 'tweaked'
...when you 'tweak' some other salt, you still would have to buy extra chemicals somewhere.
Haven't checked, but I'll bet you can order extra Mag. from ESV. if you 'run out'
Personally, out of the 8 200g boxes, I've used, I haven't made 200g in 1 shot...but I believe there is enough EXTRA chemicals left over to make more than the 200g.
Nope, it works out to be just enough of everything for the Mix. And My Mag was really Low with ESV. As well as My Brother In Laws Tanks. If yours is Perfect, Great! Use it if that's what you want. I am Simply stating our experience with this Salt. My Point being, Why would you have to add anything to a Premium Salt? My Mag level was really low, and i used over 200Gal of this Salt. Check the other older thread on the Chem Forums, and you will see other People reporting low Mag with this Salt.
And BTW, the Reef Crystals doesn't require any Mag addition, and is fine where it is. Use what ever Salt you want! I've used Both and I Like Reef Crystals better.
rkaires
New member
I had mag left over as well as some sodium and a little A & B component. I'm going on my third box and can say that the first two were spot on.
njreefermadness
Member
I have been mixing to the 20 gallon recipe, in my 32 gallon Brute. Once the ESV is all dissolved, I will put in another type of salt (lately Brightwell, Red Sea CP or RC) to get the entire batch up to 35ppt.
This way I don't need to be too precise w/ the ESV, and the bulk of the batch is ESV. I have always been blending at least 2 different salts. This will avoid any possible batch problems w/in a single manufacturer and possibly even out any Mg or Ca issues that might be specific to a single salt.
Herb
This way I don't need to be too precise w/ the ESV, and the bulk of the batch is ESV. I have always been blending at least 2 different salts. This will avoid any possible batch problems w/in a single manufacturer and possibly even out any Mg or Ca issues that might be specific to a single salt.
Herb
