reefman Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 I'm starting a new thread on this because since the last thread, which I have re-read, I've done some further investigation. Also, I haven't seen the Bornman resutls, so if anyone does have that it would be great to post it. Also, I've read on some sites where they are apparently talking about "aging" the salt water mix before adding it to the tank? Can someone elaborate on that? Below is a summary (much of per the advertising, some from the comments from the previous thread). I would appreciate comments and opinions. I've also added Nature's Ocean Nutri-SeaWater to the list. Although not considered a salt mix, I would appreciate any one's comments, and opinions where it might be good to add every now and then on water changes for the bacteria. Tropic Marin ? levels match real sea water (rsw) levels, balanced, all 70 trace elements Red Sea Coral Pro Salt ? made for RO/DI water Calcium ? 420ppm at 1.021 450ppm at 1.023 480ppm at 1.025 Have read where high Ca is not necessarily a good thing, although logic would seem otherwise Seachem ReefSalt ? enhanced levels of Ca, Mg, and Strontium, all essential trace elements High borate alkalinity levels mentioned, I assume this is bad AquaCraft Salt ? can?t figure out from the website which is the main sea salt product, seems to be 3 different ones, highest rating on supposed S-15 Report, used for years in public aquariums Reef Crystals (IO) ? not part of the consideration if I am looking to move to a ?higher quality? sea salt Nature?s Ocean Nutri*Seawater ? natural live ocean seawater, enriched with Ca and a bunch of other minerals, contains live ocean bacteria Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 Reef crystals is considered a "higher end" mix by many aquarists, and ranked well in the borneman study. Borate alkalinity is not bad. It can become a problem in aquariums that benefit from a calcium reactor. This is why people use tropic marin pro. Aging saltwater is a topic of debate. If many brands are mixed at too high in salinity and with improper aeration, they can precipitate various cations (alkaline earth metals) including but not limited to ca, mg, barium, strontium etc. Here is some info on whether to use tropic marin pro or not. To decide which of the Tropic Marin sea salts are appropriate for your tank please use the chart below to compare the specifics of your tank and count the plus for every sea salt. Pro there is a wide variety of organisms; your tank is a mixed community tank. there is a slight additional demand for calcium and carbonates, which is satisfied by modest additions of calcium through supplements or by a calcium reactor. the number of hard corals is quite high: you have a reef tank with a high demand for calcium and magnesium. buffering and calcium supply is done by high quantities of supplements or by a calcium reactor with high flow rate. the alkalinity tends to increase to more than 9?dKH. To use regular Tropic Marin the alkalinity (KH) tends to drop below 6?dKH. the number of calcareous animals is rather low, so the calcium level does not vary strongly even without additional calcium sources. there is a wide variety of organisms; your tank is a mixed community tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted October 7, 2006 Author Share Posted October 7, 2006 Thanks for the correction on the Reef Crystals. I guess I misunderstood and/or mixed people's comments about RC and IO. Any other views on the Red Sea or Aquacraft salt, or the Nature's Ocean SeaWater? Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 The borate alkalinity problem in Seachem has supposedly been corrected but it affected everyone not just calcium reactor users. It DID hurt the calcium reactor guys much worse as their alkalinity came down much slower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apmark Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 I asked about Tropic Marin at Aquatek and they said that they didn't think that it was as good as it used to be when they started producing it in America instead of Russia. They recommended a salt mix that hasn't been mentioned in these discussions, Marine Mix Professional by Wiegandt GmbH in Germany. Anyone know anything about that? A small bag that mixes 25 gals of saltwater sells for $20.00 bucks. Is that higher priced than most? dontknow.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted October 7, 2006 Author Share Posted October 7, 2006 Interesting site http://www.hw-wiegandt.de/Englisch/Meersal...z/meersalz.html Still reading on it and looking to see if its available in the US. Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfish Posted October 7, 2006 Share Posted October 7, 2006 I have used HW marine mix for years. I started my first reef tank with it 6 years ago and have used it off and on with I.O. and Oceanic. I do not think that it is worth the extra money, and have had better results with Oceanic. Plus, the batches have been inconstant for me, with some batches mixing clear and some precipitating calcium. It is $69.99 for a 150g mix, so it is quite expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted October 8, 2006 Author Share Posted October 8, 2006 Thanks for the info, Kingfish. That's what makes this forum so great. I can learn from other's knowledge and experience and hopefully keep my expensive mistakes down to a minimum. Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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