Salt Mix Analysis Report

BobbyV

BobbyV

Established since 2008
I have been tons of research to justify the cheaper prices of Instant Ocean and Instant Ocean Reef Crystals.

I came across this salt analysis report:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt5IfWJD_qs

13 mainstream popular salts.

Of the entire 13 the most popular in my opinion and the operator of the video is:

  • Instant Ocean
  • Reef Crystals
  • Red Sea Coral Pro

My main attention focuses toward Phosphates in the salt mix.

Reef Crystals actually has the lowest. (of the three)

  • Instant Ocean .06
  • Reef Crystals .04
  • Red Sea Coral Pro .07

But then again, who is to say the testing facility has accurate measuring devices. I believe our cheap Hanna testers are + or - .02

I know there a multiple opinions to what salt is preferred but .. .. .. in this analysis Reef Crystals looks like the better buy overall.

I also discovered that the residue left behind in the mixing tubs of Reef Crystals are the additional properties of metal diffusers & trace elements which are man made. Everything about Reef Crystals is man made. (Normal Instant Ocean doesn't leave behind a residue.)

From the website:

Instant Ocean Reef Crystals also help detoxify harmful copper and other heavy metals often found in domestic water supplies. Ok well 99% of us have great quality RO systems, so doesn't this take all the metals out anyway? I don't need this detoxifying supplements. Just costs me more money.

Red Sea Salts are made with actual dried Red Sea water. The company puts aside huge ponds on the coast of the Red Sea. They evaporate, scoop up the salt that is left behind, clean it and package it. Maybe this is where the elevated phosphates are coming from? However all the trace elements in the rich coral sea is actually in the mix. Very natural which is why it probably mixes so clean.

Personally I have used Red Sea Coral Pro with no issues, it mixes clean super fast and doesn't leave behind any residue. But of course more money than Reef Crystals.

I know BSV is awesome stuff (from all the reviews) but super expensive!

Just looking to cut corners in this hobby to save money where I can.

I perform 30 gallon water changes per week. Doing the math, reef crystals compared to Red Sea Coral Pro will save me about $250 - $300 per year.

So is that worth going back to Reef Crystals?? By all means - if I had a much smaller set up I would probably go with BSV.

Now this is another thought .. .. .. if I were to perform 2 part dosing with dosing pumps what does it matter the salt KH,CA,MG content? I can just dose it up and control the overall levels very easily.

Isn't the whole point of a saltwater change is to export excessive phosphates and nutrients? So why not go with the cheapest gold standard staple salt regular Instant Ocean?

If you are running a ULNS SPS system wouldn't you want to keep lower KH?

With that in mind, isn't the additional KH in some of these more expensive brands a waste of money for your ULNS particular situation?

If I went the normal IO direction would be saving even more per year.

Another twist average salinity results of 7.0g in 200ml:

  • Instant Ocean 30.3
  • Reef Crystals 31.0
  • Red Sea Coral Pro 33.3

Thoughts??
 
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Notice the tests where done in 08. It says to contact the companies to find up to date info. That being said It makes me question my salt choices. I have seen super nice systems using reef crystals. I use RSCP but I like that RC comes in 50g bags. So no mixing.
 
sirrealism said:
Notice the tests where done in 08. It says to contact the companies to find up to date info. That being said It makes me question my salt choices. I have seen super nice systems using reef crystals. I use RSCP but I like that RC comes in 50g bags. So no mixing.
Click to expand...

You are right .. .. the 50 gallon bags do help.

The whole reason I started this thread is for those who have been in this hobby for a while that understand phosphates, nitrates, KH, CA, MG and etc.

I wanted us to rethink .. .. ok so what am I buying again?

If we don't have Phosphate issues or Nitrate Issues and we 2 part dose anyway.

Why are we investing more money in the elevated salt mixes?? Marketing hype?

I know I am splitting hairs with this thread but for those who are confident in the hobby can appreciate how I want to finely tune our buying behaviours.

To be honest I would like to use the knowledge I have gathered to potentially save $200 - $300 per year in salt if it makes sense.

I will admit the elevated Salinity potency in the RSCP compared in the IO & IORC does really chip away at the savings IO & IORC offer.

Maybe RSCP or RS is the better buy over IORC or IO.

I simply don't know.
 
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Start with whatever alk you would like to keep your tank at, low all for ulns or natural sea level and yeild great color and decent growth or high alk for faster growth. From there you can narrow it down to brand.

I wouldn't worry about phosphates, you need some phosphates or your corals will bleach. This is probably why RSCP has ellivated phosphates since the corals are under accelerated growth the zooxanthellae needs to keep up I.e. higher nitrates and phosphates are needed and consumed by the coral. This opposite for low nutrient systems where the coral doesn't grow as fast but colors up better due to being able to the colors coming through the skin of the coral.

You don't want to buy cheap salt and then dose to adjust levels prior to doing a water change, you'll be spending more money on test kits and a lot more time doing your water change which should be a simple and quick task anyway.

I use red sea coral pro and still get that brownish residue in my mixing tub, could be temperature related but its much less then when I used to use reef crystals. I will never go back to instant ocean because of the residue it makes. I also can't justify the higher cost of esv so I'm sticking with red sea coral pro.

Doing a water change is for removal of excess nutrients, replenishment of minerals, if you want to reduce the amount of water changes to save some money you can try another form of nutrient removal as in a sulfer reactor or a denitrator, both I think are ticking time bombs and can cause more damage then good IMO but to each there own.

So moral of the story pick your alk level then pick salt that fits your budget, then keep levels in your tank the same as the levels of your salt.
 
aguila88psi said:
Start with whatever alk you would like to keep your tank at, low all for ulns or natural sea level and yeild great color and decent growth or high alk for faster growth. From there you can narrow it down to brand.

I wouldn't worry about phosphates, you need some phosphates or your corals will bleach. This is probably why RSCP has ellivated phosphates since the corals are under accelerated growth the zooxanthellae needs to keep up I.e. higher nitrates and phosphates are needed and consumed by the coral. This opposite for low nutrient systems where the coral doesn't grow as fast but colors up better due to being able to the colors coming through the skin of the coral.

You don't want to buy cheap salt and then dose to adjust levels prior to doing a water change, you'll be spending more money on test kits and a lot more time doing your water change which should be a simple and quick task anyway.

I use red sea coral pro and still get that brownish residue in my mixing tub, could be temperature related but its much less then when I used to use reef crystals. I will never go back to instant ocean because of the residue it makes. I also can't justify the higher cost of esv so I'm sticking with red sea coral pro.

Doing a water change is for removal of excess nutrients, replenishment of minerals, if you want to reduce the amount of water changes to save some money you can try another form of nutrient removal as in a sulfer reactor or a denitrator, both I think are ticking time bombs and can cause more damage then good IMO but to each there own.

So moral of the story pick your alk level then pick salt that fits your budget, then keep levels in your tank the same as the levels of your salt.
Click to expand...

++++1 I use regular red sea...I love the fact that I can mix it in about 30 mins or less....
 
I was using ESV, tried RC, and ended up sticking with IO. It mixes fairly clean. I have my mixing tub marked with how much water to add for the desired salt concentration and use the 50g bags. Dump it in and forget about it. I test and it has been very consistent.

Works great and it mixes close to where I keep my Alk.

Also with larger containers you have to worry about the contents settling which can cause inconsistent mixes. I haven't had that problem with the premeasured 50 gal bags.

I liked ESV but I didn't see a difference to make it worth the expense especially with a larger tank. Also you'll see a lot of nice tanks or long timers using IO. It suits my purpose just fine.
 
Also you need to take into consideration when you compare pricing that not all of the salt ratings are based on the same specific gravity when they say a 200g box.
 
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Since you linked this from the chemistry forum, I'll post here as well.

IMO, and in simple scientific analysis, the phosphate level in salt mixes is unimportant unless it is astronomically high. The first day you feed the fish you added 10-100 times as much phosphate as comes with the salt mix.

The stuff about natural vs man made chemicals is misleading (IMO), and is almost like a sales pitch for Red Sea (maybe that is where you read it?).

NO SALT MIX is made from just dried seawater. Numerous things precipitate and will never redissolve. Calcium carbonate is one, eliminating most of the alkalinity in the "seawater". It is also not likely true that all trace elements in seawater will redissolve and be available using simple drying of seawater.
 
I think red sea only harvests the NaCL from red sea dried sea water, all other elements are man made and added to the end product
 
screamincamaro said:
I was using ESV, tried RC, and ended up sticking with IO. It mixes fairly clean. I have my mixing tub marked with how much water to add for the desired salt concentration and use the 50g bags. Dump it in and forget about it. I test and it has been very consistent.

Works great and it mixes close to where I keep my Alk.

Also with larger containers you have to worry about the contents settling which can cause inconsistent mixes. I haven't had that problem with the premeasured 50 gal bags.

I liked ESV but I didn't see a difference to make it worth the expense especially with a larger tank. Also you'll see a lot of nice tanks or long timers using IO. It suits my purpose just fine.
Click to expand...

What is the average KH you have been seeing with your regular Instant Ocean mix? At what Specific Gravity?

Thank you -
 
I've been using RSCP for the past year, first year of my tank's life however, I just bought RS blue bucket because the the Alk in a fresh batch of RSCP was 12-13dKH. I keep my tank around 8. Ca and Mg were pretty good around 500, 1240. I haven't mixed up a batch of RSBB yet but the bucket states 410, 7.7, 1230. Mg is a little low but the other numbers are just about right in line with where I keep my display. I agree with Pedro, find a salt mix that works for you and your tank. I'd also like to add another note, just something to think about Bobby, IMO this is not a hobby to cut corners in. It may be difficult sometimes, but I never base my purchases off price. I look at what I need, plug in a few key word google searches and purchase what I feel will get the job done. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about getting the job done job cheaper but at what cost? I will be following along.
 
Bobby,

I'm interested to know what kit showed your phosphate numbers that high? I always test 0 with my hanna phosphate checker to make sure my water change water is good to go. Is it the phosphorous (more sensitive?) checker you're using or was used to get those results?

Also, I had thought the brown stuff in RC was an anti-caking agent. I always leave it alone and clean out my water change system every few months...

My main attention focuses toward Phosphates in the salt mix.

Reef Crystals actually has the lowest. (of the three)
Instant Ocean .06
Reef Crystals .04
Red Sea Coral Pro .07
 
ChadRaay86 said:
Bobby,

I'm interested to know what kit showed your phosphate numbers that high? I always test 0 with my hanna phosphate checker to make sure my water change water is good to go. Is it the phosphorous (more sensitive?) checker you're using or was used to get those results?

Also, I had thought the brown stuff in RC was an anti-caking agent. I always leave it alone and clean out my water change system every few months...

My main attention focuses toward Phosphates in the salt mix.

Reef Crystals actually has the lowest. (of the three)
Instant Ocean .06
Reef Crystals .04
Red Sea Coral Pro .07
Click to expand...

Thank you for contributing to the thread.

One of the slides in the video reflected the measured Phosphates of each of the 13 salts.

Check out the youtube video for reference.
 
I watched that video as well and have no idea what that guy was talking about. He said several numbers that I didn't see when looking at his charts. Can this person be trusted to help in your decision making?

What I would do is look at people that are having great success. I will not use anyone's names in the Tampa area because I have not seen everyone's tanks and I don't want anyone offended if I miss their's. I say look at locals of course but check out the different websites including RC and study the tanks of the month's. Reef keeping's July 2014 Tank of the Month is Reef Crystals and looks pretty amazing. Not saying use Reef Crystals just that every salt brand out there works wonders for somebody. There is obviously no negative cost to using the IO products. Maybe an extra buck or two to bring the calcium and magnesium up but it's not an extra $50 that's for sure.

The further back in time you go the more IO you should see in some amazing tanks. There just weren't as many boutique salts around then. I am yet to see a salt actually mix up clear but I have not tried the ESV "yet". I have heard it mixes clear but many salt companies I have tried makes that claim.
 
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I will confirm that using Red Sea Salt for about two years (from my experience anyway) it has 100% always been accurate and reliable. I guess that is why you pay a premium.

My wallet wants me to use standard IO and save some money, but if you read the many posts of salt threads - IO & IORC has been all over the place in regards to solid parameters. Apparently the salt is not designed to be mixed clear right away and dumped into your tank. However as the salt mixes for long periods of time to become clear it has the chance of KH falling. (respectfully)

With what I have gathered from personal experiences - the most reliable choice for my needs if solid parameters are unnegotiable is Red Sea Salts.

Red Sea in the end to me worth the premium.

Current Tank of the month:

Salts used: DD H2O, ESV, Red Sea (Blue Bucket)

http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/147-tank-of-the-month

Thank you all for humoring me with another salt thread inquiry.
 
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