What salt is everyone using for sps only aquariums

snake1

snake1

Premium Member
Like the title says I'm curious what everyone is using for sps only systems, I have always used instant ocean reef crystals with great success, but for a little time between instant ocean I was using some tropic Marin reef salt and had noticed my sps colors looked brighter and better but pondering trying something new when I start up in the next few months. I'm also looking to keep the price down the instant ocean reef is like $40 a box and the tropic Marin reef was if I can remember around $90 a bucket. Basically what's the best price, easiest to mix with no residue, and best quality. Thanks
 
There is no way to say best and actually be right.
I use Reefgrow because that is what works for me at the moment.
You said you thought the Tropic Marin was better than the Reef Crystals. Isn't that worth paying extra for? Maybe you can buy 2 buckets if you find it on sale somewhere to help a little?
I like my tank as close to natural sea water as possible. I too was thinking about trying Fritz until I saw the numbers it mixes to. Just not what I am after.
I have never seen a salt in all that I have tried not leave a residue. I have used a lot of different brands over the last 20 something years. I have seen claims but when I try them at home in a clean mixing barrell they leave a residue. I don't mix salt for 20 minutes and then use it either. I mix at minimum 24 hours.
 
robthorn said:
There is no way to say best and actually be right.
I use Reefgrow because that is what works for me at the moment.
You said you thought the Tropic Marin was better than the Reef Crystals. Isn't that worth paying extra for? Maybe you can buy 2 buckets if you find it on sale somewhere to help a little?
I like my tank as close to natural sea water as possible. I too was thinking about trying Fritz until I saw the numbers it mixes to. Just not what I am after.
I have never seen a salt in all that I have tried not leave a residue. I have used a lot of different brands over the last 20 something years. I have seen claims but when I try them at home in a clean mixing barrell they leave a residue. I don't mix salt for 20 minutes and then use it either. I mix at minimum 24 hours.
Click to expand...

Yeah I used to mix for 24 hours and sometimes I would forget and a few days would go by and I would find a brown sludge forming on the sides of the brute can. I have heard of good and bad results with red sea reef. I have had good success with the cheaper io reef crystals over the past years.
 
robthorn said:
There is no way to say best and actually be right.
I use Reefgrow because that is what works for me at the moment.
You said you thought the Tropic Marin was better than the Reef Crystals. Isn't that worth paying extra for? Maybe you can buy 2 buckets if you find it on sale somewhere to help a little?
I like my tank as close to natural sea water as possible. I too was thinking about trying Fritz until I saw the numbers it mixes to. Just not what I am after.
I have never seen a salt in all that I have tried not leave a residue. I have used a lot of different brands over the last 20 something years. I have seen claims but when I try them at home in a clean mixing barrell they leave a residue. I don't mix salt for 20 minutes and then use it either. I mix at minimum 24 hours.
Click to expand...

Rob, have you tried ESV?
I have been using it for years and never had it leave any residue.
 
Postal said:
Rob, have you tried ESV?
I have been using it for years and never had it leave any residue.
Click to expand...

Is the esv salt the one where you have to be a chemist to mix using weight and uneaqual parts of each part to mix properly
 
yes it is, but not too bad one you mix it a few times, or if you get lazy and have a small tank, you can buy it from john pre mixed
 
Yeah I have tried esv. I bought it for no residue because they used better ingredients. I did have this brownish red slime that would form after a couple days in my mixing container. I have only had one other salt do that which I can't remember which one that was. Since I was still getting this I figured it really isn't worth the extra money.

On another note there is a couple new salts. One is not mass market yet but should be soon. This one has to be mixed for 24 hours with no exceptions. It is because of some of the trace elements need extra time. I have seen a couple tests that look really good. Targets are very close to Nsw which are what I like to run my tank at.
There is another called Ocean potion that you can get through Billy Hay/Hayes. He is Lakeland or Plant City area I think. It is supposed to be made by a very long time manufacturer but has added a new brand. I will wait to say who it is until I am sure. They make the very first salt I used back in the 90's but that brand is not found in Florida for whatever reason even though I tried many times.
The best salt for me is one that is readily available to me and mixes up as close to the numbers I run in my tank so when I do a water a change all the majors stay fairly consistent.
 
Birtikidis said:
I've been thinking about the Aquaforest probiotic salt. Anyone have any experience with it?
Click to expand...

I is it for 48 hours sometimes and have never had a problem but then again I use it for my biocube so it's in a 5 gallon bucket. I also mix 30gallons for my 125 for about 5-8 hours and no residue
 
I have been using Fritz, mix it the day before I perform a WC and no residue and parameters are consistent. It's a very tough call lots of different opinions out there.


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