Which salt mix brand should I get?

leoslizards

leoslizards

New member
I ran out of salt mix and drsfostersmith has Instant Ocean & Reef Crystals Synthetic Sea Salt on sale. I have a 29g FOWLR tank. No corals as of yet but plan to get some soon. I usually use Instant Ocean but Reef Crystals are only a little bit over $2.00 more for the 160 gallon mix bucket. Is it worth the extra $2.00? lol.

I currently have a problem with hair algae and green and red cyano, would using reef crystals make things worse? I use tap water with Prime btw. The tank has been set up since October and I would love to finally see some coralline algae in it. To increase the growth of coralline I need to increase calcium and magnesium correct? I believe reef crystal come with extra calcium.

This brand seems to be the most affordable but I would also like to hear your thoughts on the other brands they have on the website. They're only like $10.00 more. Which do you think is the best and why.

I was looking at the Oceanic brand and it says " reduces aggressive algae growth" and makes 200g instead of 160g. Plus it's only $10 more. Is it better than IO or RC?

Thanks for you help,
Leo.
 
Last edited:
Dude Sweet lizard (gecko?) on the avatar!. For 2 bucks more on the reef crystals I would just grab it. I think the crystals mix has a bit better Ca Mg and Alk mix. Not sure but someone is bound to chime in.
 
if you don't have corals, just stick with IO.

your algae and cyano problem is caused by the tap water you use.
rather than switching salt mix, i'd suggest to invest in a RO/DI filter.

your coralline algae will start to take off once you have clean and stable water (and light and flow) parameters.



J.
 
when i used reef crystals i didnt like it much calcium was always low, and i think the mg was as well....

i switched over to red sea coral salt pro mix...it was like 4-5$ more but the tub gives you 175gal vs IO's 160 if i remember right
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13062018#post13062018 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rustylugnuts
Dude Sweet lizard (gecko?) on the avatar!.
Click to expand...
Yeah it's an Enigma morph Leopard gecko. They go for about $500 - $1,000+ each depending on colors and patterns. No one is alike, they are all one of a kind, therefor they're called Enigmas.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13062041#post13062041 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MinnFish
Here is a link to a study done on salt mix.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1287118
Click to expand...
Thanks! Awesome link! It's been very helpful but I still haven't been able to decide which is best for my system.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13062201#post13062201 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jph
if you don't have corals, just stick with IO.

your algae and cyano problem is caused by the tap water you use.
rather than switching salt mix, i'd suggest to invest in a RO/DI filter.
Click to expand...

I think I just might.

Yeah I know it's caused by the tap water. I'm saving up for a decent RO/DI unit. I read somewhere here on RC that raising Mg to 1600 will help kill the hair algae. The Oceanic brand has 1650 Mg. It would be nice to not have to supplement Mg. It also has the highest Cal. rating.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13062328#post13062328 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jubjubrsx
when i used reef crystals i didnt like it much calcium was always low, and i think the mg was as well....

i switched over to red sea coral salt pro mix...it was like 4-5$ more but the tub gives you 175gal vs IO's 160 if i remember right
Click to expand...

Right now I'm leaning towards IO, RSCSP, RC, and Oceanic. Red Sea CSP seems to be the most favored one out of the bunch. It's $10 more.
 
As long as you keep using tap water which probably has .2 - .5 ppm of phosphate there isn't much that's going to help. Especially not the salt you use. Adding a Phosban reactor might help, but just switching salt is rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship.

It's like having a stray dog you keep feeding and wish he'd just go away. It isn't going to happen...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13062751#post13062751 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aquaman67
As long as you keep using tap water which probably has .2 - .5 ppm of phosphate there isn't much that's going to help. Especially not the salt you use. Adding a Phosban reactor might help, but just switching salt is rearranging deck chairs on a sinking ship.

It's like having a stray dog you keep feeding and wish he'd just go away. It isn't going to happen...
Click to expand...

Yeah I know, I forgot to mention that I bought some GFO from bulkreefsupply and plan on making a DIY phosphate reactor.
 
I've read like a million threads on what the best salt is... and determined it's like asking what the best midsized sedan is Camry, Accord, Altima, Impala, Taurus, blah blah. Any of them will get the job done just fine, but each also has it's own unique pro's and cons.

FWIW, I use IO right now, but after this bucket I'm switching to Reef Crystals for the added Ca, Alk, Mg. (Reef Crystals is IO on steroids)
 
major problem most tap waters, no all im sure but most, get the ro-di and IO or RC will be fine fo you, i use tropic marin pro reef, i think without corals your current choice of IO is fine, and if you do buy corals you will just need to dose it, plenty of info in the chemistry forum about dosing, start with the water problem first though, by the way good luck
 
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