Tropic Marin Salt not silicate free!!!

M

Marc

Member
I have recently changed sea salt due to the annoying diatom algae I am getting from Kent sea salt. I tested my RODI water and it does not contain silicate, it is zero. MY TDS is zero. Since I changed over to tropic marin and made a 40 gallon water change in my 125 gallon fowlr semi reef tank. Three days later the diatom algae explodes even worse!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am am so ****ed off!!!! The tropic marin salt said it is phophate and nitrate and silicate free. This is crap... I am sick of this, what else can I do??? I tried Rowaphos but did not solve the problem....

Marc
 
Did you test the freshly mixed salt solution for silicates? You cannot blame salt until you prove it with a testing kit three times. Until then. You should seek to find a differnt answer before blaming something, that might be innocent. I would go as far to mix another batch and test a second batch of water three times to prove what is going on.

There could be something else going on, food or maybe cheap sand.

I would say keep up with the RowaPhos in a reactor. It cant hurt.
 
I will test it tommorrow when I make a fresh batch. You said a possibility is food??? I feed ocean nutrition frozen foods and nori. What else could cause this??? My sand is caribsea reef sand mixed with aragamax.

Marc
 
It has been set up for 2 years and the liverock itself is fully matured and bright with coraline for 7 years.

Marc
 
FWIW, the diatoms might have previously been limited by something else (like iron) that has now been supplied by the new salt mix. It would surprise me if Tropic Marin had much silicate in it. That would make it an off batch.
 
Iron??? What else contains iron other than saltmixes? How about kent marine phytoplankton? I do use a razor blade to scrape off the diatom algae quickly off the glass...

Marc
 
I have the same problem, I was using Seachem Reef Salt and bought a 200 gal bucketof Tropic Marin ProReef. I made a 30 gal water change and BOOM, it looks like Dinoflagellates!! My TDS meter says 0, So I get worried and do the next thing you would expect I do another water change. This only fuels the problem. I haven't done a water change in 3 weeks and the problem is subsiding. How do I test my salt?
 
You have the same problem to huh??? I called my LFS and told them off and I demanded a refund and they refused to help me. For anyone who shops in Lakewood CO don't shop premier fish and reef. They could care less about you or your system and all they want is your hark worked money. Sorry I had to vent somewhere. As for testing the water all you have to do is make fresh batch and test it from the fresh salt mix. I want to test for silicate to but my test kits expired and I don't trust the reading. I have to buy another one.
 
Check the SPS forum there is a thread 2 pages in about some other people asking whether it is a good salt. 2 other people said they have the same problem.
 
FWIW, someone having a dinoflagellate problem and someone having a diatom problem are not having the same problem. Dinoflagellates do not even use silica.

Bear in mind that lots of reefers have lots of problems. It is often easy to blame a salt mix, but far more often than not, that is not the cause of problems.
 
I just learned to live with alittle algae, as long as my corals are ok, then so am I. Plus, when I get a small amount of diatoms on the glass, I notice its always booming with pods.
 
But don't you find it interesting that everytime I do a water change, I get a bloom. My TDS meter says 0, so I am perplexed.
 
Yes, there may be something in the salt that helps algae grow. That same thing may also help corals grow, depending on what it is.

It wouldn't hurt to try a different mix, like Instant Ocean. :)
 
I have tried instant ocean in the past and the only reason I switched from that is because it caused my coraline to die off. So after I switched to Kent, Kent sea salt brought back the colors of my coraline. I am so tired of reefs anymore. I think I might just get rid of all my liverock and install a huge wet dry for a sting ray or a fish only set up. That is what I used to work with when I worked in a public aquarium years ago. No more reefs for me, there are a expensive pain in the ***!!!!!!!!!!!!

Marc
 
I've not used any salt except IO for more than 10 years, and coralline grows fine for me. :)

Just make sure calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium are OK, and that phosphate is adequately low and coralline should do fine.
 
Marc, I myself have grown so mad sometimes you want to call an end to it. Do us a favor and try Reef Crystals first. I had good luck with it and I am switching back. Do a water change every 2 weeks. I found out that I never needed to add anything else to that mix. Dr. Fosters Smith has it on sale now.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8220849#post8220849 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by KH971
Marc, I myself have grown so mad sometimes you want to call an end to it. Do us a favor and try Reef Crystals first. I had good luck with it and I am switching back. Do a water change every 2 weeks. I found out that I never needed to add anything else to that mix. Dr. Fosters Smith has it on sale now.
Click to expand...

Agreed, we switched from Tropic Marin to Reef Crystals, and have been much happier. Much easier on the pocket book as well!!
 
Thank You,

I will definetly try reef Crystals... I am just not sure of what to do with the tropic marin salt. Maybe I will keep it for emergency.

Thanks again,
Marc
 
I will definetly try reef Crystals... I am just not sure of what to do with the tropic marin salt. Maybe I will keep it for emergency.

I have some coralife salt that they gave me free years ago when I had 2 mh bulbs from them explode. Not wanting to use such a mix in my tank, I still have it, and occasionally use it in my ice cream maker. :D
 
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