Best Brand of Salt Mix

They're a few hundred really. I buy my supplements in dry form and mix with RO/DI as needed.

I don't think you get what I'm doing at all. I don't see how you differentiate doing and not doing WC's as more or less natural. But I'll tell you how I differentiate.

The only mechanical filtration I use is a skimmer. I do not understand how you equate not using a skimmer as "more natural". The ocean uses skimmers itself. Giant ones. I would put forward not skimming is less natural.

The fact that one has to do water changes to keep their nitrates and/or phosphates down is the opposite of all natural IMO. In my case, my in tank bacteria/CuC take care of my nitrates and phosphates 100%. Other than the skimmer, I do 0 nutrient export. Not having to do a WC for nutrient export ... arguable which side that falls on. But I would say an in balance ocean is only exporting its nutrients to other areas where they are still broken down by bacteria ultimately. I would tend to say doing WC for nutrient export, therefore, is less natural as that's not really what the ocean is doing.

My dosing has nothing in the world to do with the flora and fauna that do the filtering. It's not relevant. The ocean doesn't get fresh batches of SW. It's billions of years old and as such has the capacity to recycle the elements as other organisms give way to decay and weathering. The ocean is naturally dosed constantly from previous users of the elements. I'd put forward dosing elements daily is more natural than sporadic water changes.

All natural does not in any way "demand" constant WC's. Quite the opposite IME. I do one or two a year.

I consider what I'm doing much more natural than what you're doing. However, what you're doing is fine and I am not implying otherwise.

 

Hehehe...

Opinions will always vary, and so many different ways of reefkeeping will continue to work with proper maintenance, so I don't tell anyone they're wrong.

For the record, I don't do WCs for nutrient export. I, too, have never had an issue with nitrates; My live DSB and LR ensure that. I do WCs to keep all the elements in balance, as opposed to supplementing a choice few for which we can accurately test. And while the ocean doesn't receive constant WCs, the reefs do. Reefs are quite minute compared to the oceans, and the water travels around the world to be filtered and replenished in ways we can't replicate... Again, just an opinion.

Cheers

 

I like this. keep up the debate. haha.

 

It's not sporadic when you do %10 once a week. We keep water. Water is changed in the ocean as well...rain...and we have in no way come close to replicating the sea in our homes. We keep it tolerable for corals which WILL grow better in the sea in ideal locations. Water changes are key. Ask Saxby...

On topic, Red Sea Coral Pro has NEVER let me down. Reef Crystals has. Weak on the Mg side.

 

Reef crystals are where its at!!!

 

I started out useing IO reef crystals. And being a newbbie I just make sure the salinity and temp are good. Change my water weekly and do the test on the DT. Calcium was always low, never could seem to get it up. Finally i had a brain fart and decided to check the new water and it was low. So i always had to add calcium to my new water. We moved and all i have here is Pet Smart. They had IO but not reef crystals so I bought Oceanic checked ok. Just hate running to store every other week because all they carry is the small bags @ 13.00 bucks. The other brand they carry is Corallife and after joining and reading and looking at the graphs comparing salt brands. I picked up a bucket of it for $44.

 

yeah glad you pointed that out. I have always had the same problem with the calcium always being low in the tank or in the new water that I had just made. Because of that im always dosing but its worth it since i get such a good deal on the reef crystals

 

Thanks for the input...see, this is what I am looking for. If you like a product, cool. But if there's something wrong with it, bring it up & tell what is wrong & why you don't like it.

I don't want to have to dose much. So I want a salt that has as close to preferred calc & mag levels as possible.

 

For those of you who use IO Reef Crystals...

What are your calcium & magnesium levels?
Do you dose?
Do you have to dose in order to get it to those levels?

 

Buy $20 worth of Red Sea Coral Pro (55g mix-even comes in a cool small bucket) and you won't go back to IO cr*ap!

Best salt for the price, hands down.