Salt Mix

[Eddiecorrea]

What salt mix do you guys/gals use? Im very limited in what I can get here. I can get Petco brand or Instant Ocean. Thats it. Is Instant Ocean a good mix? I have always bought the Petco stuff because it has been $15 cheaper per bucket than Instant Ocean but I believe it contains Nitrates when it claims it doesnt. My ro/di water is 0ppm Nitrate but my tank is like 5ppm nitrate. So what mix should I get? I could order but dont care to pay shipping if I can avoid it.

[kryptic4l]

What salt mix do you guys/gals use? Im very limited in what I can get here. I can get Petco brand or Instant Ocean. Thats it. Is Instant Ocean a good mix? I have always bought the Petco stuff because it has been $15 cheaper per bucket than Instant Ocean but I believe it contains Nitrates when it claims it doesnt. My ro/di water is 0ppm Nitrate but my tank is like 5ppm nitrate. So what mix should I get? I could order but dont care to pay shipping if I can avoid it.


if i can find it someone made a very extensive chart on saltmixes.... and compared most of them.

personally i use reefers best. because my tank is small enough i dont burn through it like a rocket. but if your conserned about price i think reefers best is also the most expensive.

never herd of the petco brand so i cant comment on that

[Catpicklesdog]

What salt mix do you guys/gals use? Im very limited in what I can get here. I can get Petco brand or Instant Ocean. Thats it. Is Instant Ocean a good mix? I have always bought the Petco stuff because it has been $15 cheaper per bucket than Instant Ocean but I believe it contains Nitrates when it claims it doesnt. My ro/di water is 0ppm Nitrate but my tank is like 5ppm nitrate. So what mix should I get? I could order but dont care to pay shipping if I can avoid it.


Before you start spending money, you say your RO water is zero nitrAtes but your tank is 5ppm. What is your water after you added the salt, but before you put it in the tank?

I only ask because there are other causes of nitrates such as food and heavy bioload (I learnt the hard way on the bioload:)).

I can't comment on those salts as I use either reef crystals or Deltec H2Ocean Natural Reef Salt.

JMO

[Amphiprion]

Instant Ocean is basically Reef Crystals, minus the extra calcium and magnesium. You'll have to add small amounts of both to the mix to balance it, but those are cheap to supplement. Besides that, it is a good salt overall. CPD is just spoiled by her Deltec salt... I am looking into trying Tunze salt, myself.

[Reefscape]

I stick to Seachem....dont have any issues with it at all..

[Sploke]

I used IO for a while, now using reef crystals. Its ok, I might try something else when I use all this up.

[Slappy*McFish]

I normally buy the 200G bucket of 'Oceanic', myself.

[fsn77]

I use Reef Crystals myself and had no problems with it. I don't know how much benefit I'm receiving from the "extras" in it compared to regular Instant Ocean, but RC seems to dissolve better for me than IO.

[Catpicklesdog]

CPD is just spoiled by her Deltec salt... I am looking into trying Tunze salt, myself.

LMAO it's only because it it had free carriage which made it just £1 more than my usual brand:)

[Amphiprion]

I'm just trying to aggravate you ;). I really like Tunze salt. I don't know if I want to pay that much again, though. Levels are spot on with what is advertised--calcium 420 ppm, alkalinity 9.5 dKH, magnesium 1300 ppm. Seems like a nice, balanced salt so far--but more expensive than just boosting the levels of IO myself.

[Sploke]

Amph what do you use to supplement? kalk, Ca reactor, two-part dosing?

[Amphiprion]

I use DIY 2 (or 3 part, however you look at it) automated with a LiterMeter III. I just make several gallons per mixing time, which lasts for months. Dirt cheap, too (minus the LMIII)