Is there a difference in Salt

[CrayolaViolence]

Okay, my local guy is HUGE on Red Sea. Swears by it. I looked up a chart comparing all brands (as to what they have in each) and Red Sea actually had less in a lot of categories compared to Instant Ocean for example. However, my dealer still swears RS is better, works better, etc. The only marine salt that I could not find an ingredient list on was the stuff from Pet Smart (their brand) and the only reason I could find is that they have it manufactured in so many places even they don't know whats in it. And no, I don't use it. I uses Instant Ocean. However if Red Sea is better I can get it for the same price I am paying for IO.


SOOOOO----what's your opinion on saltwater brands? Thanks

P.s. I am on well water so my water already has some minerals in it.

 

[heathlindner25]

I've been a long time user of tropic Marin, but in the last few months I've been using Instant Ocean...no difference
I'm really starting to think, salt is salt

 

[kmbyrnes]

As long as your salt provides the big 3 - Calc Alk and Mag - you should be OK. The trace ingredient variances may benefit folks running SPS or LPS dominant tanks in different ways, thus the varying opinions.
None of the name brand salts will be bad for you, so choose what meets your needs.
IMO, don't switch in one WC, mix them until your tank gets used to the new chemistry.
IO has done me just fine and I get it at a good price.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I've been a long time user of tropic Marin, but in the last few months I've been using Instant Ocean...no difference
I'm really starting to think, salt is salt

I was using IO for 2 years while my tank became established. When my sps and lps coral growth took off I switched to IO Reef Crystals due to the higher Ca, Mg and alk. Then a friend talked me into trying Tropic Marin and after two 5g buckets I saw absolutely no difference. At twice the price I expect to see something! I've been back on IO Reef Crystals for several years now and again I saw no change from when I used Tropic Marin.

Salt is salt. However, some have measurable differences as in Ca and alk. But the 'extras' that are in some other salts that cost way more... I think you kid yourself if you think they are really any better.

 

[heathlindner25]

I don't particularly like" the other stuff "and other salts.. if I had to tell anybody what salt to use it would be tropic marin or Instant Ocean, I don't even like reef crystals anymore.

 

[Jscwerve]

Having just purchased my first bucket of salt I can only tell you what I did.

I looked at the different ones like I do for my dogs food, I read the ingredients of the different brands. Chemically speaking, salt is exactly that, salt. It's the other stuff in the mix, calcium. magnesium, etc that can be different.

 

[CrayolaViolence]

Having just purchased my first bucket of salt I can only tell you what I did.

I looked at the different ones like I do for my dogs food, I read the ingredients of the different brands. Chemically speaking, salt is exactly that, salt. It's the other stuff in the mix, calcium. magnesium, etc that can be different.

Yes, I looked up a table that compared all the major name brands and then some. The only ones with no available data were store brands like PetSmart.

I chose via ingredients, levels of calcium, etc. That's why I don't understand why my local guy is so hard for Red Sea. When looking at the chart it did no better (and worse) than some areas than others.

 

[Jscwerve]

Yes, I looked up a table that compared all the major name brands and then some. The only ones with no available data were store brands like PetSmart.

I chose via ingredients, levels of calcium, etc. That's why I don't understand why my local guy is so hard for Red Sea. When looking at the chart it did no better (and worse) than some areas than others.

Who knows, hell, I know a guy that still uses a Blackberry and swears by it. Some folks are just set in their ways!

 

[scooter31707]

Honestly, IMO, it's all a preference. I use AquaVitro Salinity just cause of the test result label outside of the bucket of the parameters and it's close to what I keep my parameters at in my tank.

 

[Sk8r]

!) Salt varies.
a) reef salt supplies more calcium, mg., etc.
b) fish-only salt supplies less.
Be sure which you're buying.
2) even within a 'type' there are variances. And occasionally you get a bad box. I've used Oceanic for years with no problems. Then for no particular reason and without announcing it on the label in any prominent way, magnesium in the mix seems to have increased to the point of problem in my tank. So I switched to Instant Ocean, which is slowly working me out of the overload.

You will also find it cheaper to buy in the very large size---but if you do, take care to roll the barrel about now and again to assure that one element (by reason of being finer grained that one of part of the mix) hasn't settled into a layer.

To save sanity, have one measure you can use to define your typical mix---for me, a gallon measure (makes 32 gallons of salt water when mixed with 32 gallons of water) and a vessel that will hold a set amount of water.

You will also need a mixing pump. One of the stronger Eheims works for me.

 

[Indymann99]

Use what you can get easily, local or mail order and fits within your price range - note with mail order often the bags arrive damaged and salt exposed to moisture - (hard clumps of salt)...

That said I have used IO for 15yrs.

 

[CStrickland]

More isn't always better for the levels, it's just that it makes for good advertisements. You only need to add what your tank uses up so for a lot of people the extra stuff is wasted, or accumulates and gets out of balance.
With well water that comes in hard, I'd be checking every batch of new saltwater for ca alk and mg. You don't want to do a 20% change with alk at 19kdh because it didn't rain very much that month and the water came out the tap extra hard and the salt pushed it up into the danger zone. Especially for things like qt where you are using a high percentage of freshly made water, as opposed to diluting it in the stabler water of the tank.