What's your favorite salt?

[Willow]

I just emptied a bucket of Instant Ocean and am considering changing to another brand... no idea which one.. and, who knows, I may stay with IO... I have never tried any other brand.. and so I don't know what I may be missing!

Basically I'm just curious what brands everyone uses & what their favorites are... I'm not interested in a "salt debate" as to which is better... just personal preference from those of you who have tried different brands...

Thanks!

[Headless_donkey]

Tropic Marine regular not pro for corals
Instant Ocean for fish only

[cpreefguy]

Red Sea, made for RO water

[Shark_Bait]

Red Sea, made for RO water

Just used my free bucket from MACNA and don't know if it's because it's different salt or just the water change but everything in the tank reacted very well.. Next bucket will be this again.

[cpreefguy]

Yeah, Ive got a closet full from MACNA!

[markgsa]

I use reef crystals. Good stuff.

[urban79]

Yeah, Ive got a closet full from MACNA!

then share the wealth.. :P

[cpreefguy]

Yeah, Ive got a closet full from MACNA!

then share the wealth.. :P
Im good, set for life! :lol

Also, since I have had my nano, I mainly use those 5 gallon boxes of Natural Seawater that you get at PetCo, all of my stuff opened up nicely after I started using this (and you cant beat the convenience)

[Willow]

Red Sea, made for RO water

is that for RO water only? Cause I've never heard of a salt for just RO...

<--- doesn't get out much! ...

[cpreefguy]

Yeah, it is specially formulated for use with RO water, not tap.

[Willow]

Yeah, it is specially formulated for use with RO water, not tap.thanks for the clarification!

I'll have to get out more often and see what I have been missing...

[Bill S]

RC. I buy a bucket about every 3 weeks from AD.

[jroescher]

Yeah, it is specially formulated for use with RO water, not tap.


I've always used RO/DI water with Oceanic salt. Should I be using tap water? Everything I've always heard was that tap water was the root of a lot of problems.

[Enigma13]

Wouldn't recommend using tap. The main difference in the salts that are not formulated for use with RODI is that certain minerals calcium, magnesium, etc. that are pulled out by your RODI system will test low in a batch because the salt was assuming a certain baseline that does not exist. For example: Tap usually has a calcium content around 100. After RODI you have 0. The target is 420-450, but often times a batch of salt water with a salt not formulated for RODI will test around 350 because it was assuming a 100 baseline. This problem is easily solved w/ a calcium supplement. The problems caused by tap (algae, etc.) are not as easily solved.

BTW: My preference for a salt is Tropic Marin regular. Only gripe is low magnesium readings, but most of the other salts tend to be low on Mg too. Liked Red Sea fairly well but it took more effort to get a good mix. Had numerous problems with SeaChem salt (Great supplements, great customer service that included sending some free buckets of salt, but just poor salt at this point) that included massive precipitation on the walls of my reservoir and poor Ca, alk, and Mg values. Oceanic worked fine for me, just heard a lot of good stuff about Tropic Marin so I switched.

[LoneStar]

I buy a bucket about every 3 weeks from AD.


With that amount of buckets....you could be the new "Bucket Man"; selling them on the side of 281 and Encino Park.

[Ram_Puppy]

I am almost ready to have Richard and Mark order me a new bucket of Seachem ReefSalt. overall i have been really pleased.

it tested slightly low for calcium when using RODI, but everything else is in balance.

I have always liked trying new salts, and i would love to try that fritz gel salt, but i am happy w/ seachem and know that overall the company makes incredibly high quality prodcuts, so I am going to stick w/ that.