difference
- Thread starter sharpie
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In my case, $3 / bucket and much happier corals.
According to the bucket, RC has "more calcium, more vitamins, more trace elements... for optimum coral and invertebrate growth."
I switched to RC after first using IO and our corals (especially the soft corals) started growing faster and looking healthier (with more color).
According to the bucket, RC has "more calcium, more vitamins, more trace elements... for optimum coral and invertebrate growth."
I switched to RC after first using IO and our corals (especially the soft corals) started growing faster and looking healthier (with more color).
The higher the quality the happier all your critters are imo. That being said if I had 20 kilos of I.O. I'd use it first 
with reef crystals i don't use calcium in between water changes, because levels are always good. so, i guess it would save you some money if you would have corals. also note that with RC you will not need to use buffers for alkalinity or ph, which i can't say the same about IO. in fact, when i used IO i always had to add ph buffer. i don't have a need in ph buffer anymore, so more stuff that i woudn't have to buy. also fish needs vitamins in the water and in food, but you'll save on vitamins too, because you will only need it for the food and not the water with RC.
I think slowly converting with normal water changes would be the way to go. Replacing the entire tank with a new mix might cause big problems for your inhabitants, too rapid of a change.
You wouldn't want to change all of the water in your tank at once when changing salt mixes. When I changed, I did it within normal water changes. No problems and the improvement in our coral growth was pretty obvious by the 3rd water change.