Is there a difference in Salt Mixes?

[navarcus]

I just set up my 75 gallon tank 4 days ago and used a different brand of salt mix. In the past I have used Instant Ocean salt mix with no problem. I started using a mix by Oceanic called natural sea salt mix. It seems to just muck up everything so far with salt residue.... I know this comes with the territory however with the Instant ocean mix it wasn't nearly as bad.... Does anyone know if there is a difference in salt mix? Which is the best to use? Has anyone else out there had a similar experience?

 

[1journeyman]

There is definitely a difference...
As to the best, I think we're all scratching our heads around here wondering that ourselves...
If you mix it and let it sit for 24 hours it should all dissolve pretty well.

 

[ruaround]

I have always used IO... dont want to change what morks for me "If it aint broke, dont fix it"

but as stated before...opinions run wild on which is the best...

 

[merredeth]

Originally Posted by Navarcus
I just set up my 75 gallon tank 4 days ago and used a different brand of salt mix. In the past I have used Instant Ocean salt mix with no problem. I started using a mix by Oceanic called natural sea salt mix. It seems to just muck up everything so far with salt residue.... I know this comes with the territory however with the Instant ocean mix it wasn't nearly as bad.... Does anyone know if there is a difference in salt mix? Which is the best to use? Has anyone else out there had a similar experience?
I have used Oceanic and Instant Ocean as my LFS carries both. Personally, I see no visible differences in the salt. Some people claim there is differences from a scientific standpoint, but both brands have worked fine for me.
Did you aerate the water with a powerhead or use airstones for 24 hours before adding it to your tank? Did you heat the water while aerating it? Or did you just mix it by hand and just dump it in?
Are you using RO water, tap water, well water or RO/DI water?
Denise M.

 

[milomlo]

I have used Corallife and Oceanic. I personally like Oceanic better. It seems to disolve faster to me. JMO though

 

[navarcus]

I mixed it bucket by bucket with just tap water that I used a water conditioner in. I plan to use RO water for my water changes though. 75 gallons is alot of trips to Wal mart for water, I just wasn't up to it with 2 kids although thats what I would have liked to have done. I have 2 powerheads running right now. It should have been dissolved by now its been about 5 or 6 days, temperature has been steady 80 degrees.

 

[navarcus]

This is probably a dumb question but what if I change salts? Is that safe to do? I only have IO available here locally... I purchsed the Oceanic out of town because I liked the pour container and it was cheaper. What if I use Instant Ocean for my water changes?

 

[merredeth]

Originally Posted by Navarcus
I mixed it bucket by bucket with just tap water that I used a water conditioner in. I plan to use RO water for my water changes though. 75 gallons is alot of trips to Wal mart for water, I just wasn't up to it with 2 kids although thats what I would have liked to have done. I have 2 powerheads running right now. It should have been dissolved by now its been about 5 or 6 days, temperature has been steady 80 degrees.
Am I understanding you correctly? You mixed the salt and water in buckets and then poured it straight into the tank with the powerheads running?
If that is what you did, you probably don't have enough aeration going on in the tank as a whole which would be slowing down the dissolving - that would be my best guess. Aeration would move the water around and thus your salt crystals would dissolve. No movement, and you have a longger time frame for the crystals to dissolve.
This I know to be true because I have poured the salt into the five gallon bottles and a day or two later I got around to aerating the water and saw crystals still in the bottles.
When I mix up Instant Ocean or Oceanic I use five gallon water bottles and stick an airstone in it and allow it to aerate for 24 hours. By the end of 24 hours everything is dissolved completely - regardless of the brand.
In the future, for the health of your fish, if you just mixed the salt and water in a bucket and poured it in, you might want to aerate it first for 24 hours as I believe it affects the PH and possibly the 02 levels.
I have no preferred brand and use both brands. I don't believe switching is going to make any difference and I alternate back and forth all the time. The way I look at it, sea salt is sea salt - provided we aren't dealing with pollutants in the salt. Both are from reputable companies so I use both.
Denise M.

 

[mudplayerx]

I have heard that Oceanic has a lot of calcium in the mix, which can cause problems unless you have a tank heavily stocked with stony corals. I have also heard that oceanic can cause nasty fluctuations in ph. I have never used it though, so this is just hearsay.
I have always used Instant Ocean. It is cheap and it seems to do the job. However, when you get to the very bottom of the bag, the crystals tend to not dissolve in the water very well... even with 24 hours of aeration via an airstone. You also have to dose kalkwasser using this brand of salt (if you have stony corals).
I have just switched to Instant Ocean with Reef Crystals. Hopefully I will have to dose kalkwasser less often and monitor ph/alkalinity less with this mix.

 

[ophiura]

Eric Borneman is currently working on a long term study comparing different salt mixes. It is being carried out with our local reef society. But the results may not be known for many months. Several comparison studies have been done over the years but the best choice may still depend a lot on the person using it.

 

[merredeth]

Originally Posted by ophiura
Eric Borneman is currently working on a long term study comparing different salt mixes. It is being carried out with our local reef society. But the results may not be known for many months. Several comparison studies have been done over the years but the best choice may still depend a lot on the person using it.
Ophiura,
When that study is completed I hope you let us know the results, as I'm always up to learning something new.
Thanks,
Denise M.

 

[colorteck]

I just got a bucket of Reefsalt that was highly talked about. anyone use this yet? I plan on getting my new 75 gallon going and after the cycle and everything complete moving my 30 gallon contents in to it.

 

[merredeth]

Originally Posted by colorteck
I just got a bucket of Reefsalt that was highly talked about. anyone use this yet? I plan on getting my new 75 gallon going and after the cycle and everything complete moving my 30 gallon contents in to it.
Not me. My LFS doesn't carry it but I know he can get it. What have you read or heard about it? I'm not asking where you purchased it due to the guidelines of this board, but how about a percentage higher or lower in cost posted as well.
Always anxious to learn something new,
Denise M.

 

[pontius]

from what I've heard about IO, I'd never use it.

 

[mudplayerx]

Originally Posted by Pontius
from what I've heard about IO, I'd never use it.
What have you heard?

 

[pontius]

that there are known to have been entire bad batches of IO salt that ruined peoples' livestock and corals. I may be wrong about the brand, but I am almost completely certain it was Instant Ocean.

 

[mudplayerx]

I guess that could be said with any bag of salt really. Thats one more reason to do weekly 5% water changes instead of monthy 20% changes if you ask me.
Only problem I've personally found with instant ocean is the very last few scoops out of the bag have a lot of crystals that don't dissolve. This may be typical of all brands though...dunno.

 

[pontius]

Originally Posted by mudplayerx
I guess that could be said with any bag of salt really. Thats one more reason to do weekly 5% water changes instead of monthy 20% changes if you ask me.
no, I don't mean one bag. I mean an entire batch, which would have been probably hundreds or thousands of bags. this was from a laminated poster in my lfs. it had numerous accounts from people saying that they lost all livestock because of salt that came from a particular batch. on the poster, there is also a response from the company admitting that a mistake had been made. I will check to make sure of the brand and let you know, though I am almost certain it was IO. I know that my lfs will not sell that brand. I'll find out.

 

[1journeyman]

I think one of the Mods on here also had a horrible exp. with IO.

 

[pontius]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
I think one of the Mods on here also had a horrible exp. with IO.
yeah, now that I think of, you're right. I believe it was either Thomas or NMreef. ask one of them, because I remember hearing that from them as well as the poster at my lfs.