LEW Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 I realize this an old topic for anyone who keeps a reef. But I am interested to hear what y'all have to say. I have always used Instant Ocean, mostly because it was familiar and available. Yesterday I bought a bag of Reef Crystals. But, haven't tried it yet. I tried looking for conclusive studies on different salts but while many articles analyze salts they seem to on principle make no conclusions on quality. What are you favorite salt brands for keeping inverts that are readily available in Austin? I read that some of you are using Tropic Marin. Is that a superior salt? Is there such a thing, or are we at a point where salt is salt because you can't get away with an inferior product? Thanks, I am looking forward to frequenting ARC. I have never lived anywhere that had a significant SW population. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irishtexan Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 I have always used Oceanic Salt and I am really happy with it. I even have a BTA and it is doing great and it just split actually after being in my tank for about 1 month since switching from Instant Ocean that the pet store was using. HTH texx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph9123 Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 I used oceanic for yrs, but recently bought Reef crystal after some friends where testing it out and letting me know how much the coral love the salt. After the second water change the corals bloom and grows faster than when I had oceanic. I also notice alot less algae problem. -Joseph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEW Posted February 10, 2007 Author Share Posted February 10, 2007 Hmmm. Maybe I will be keeping the Reef Crystals. I read some bad reviews of it. But, a lot of reviews I read were done by companies who sell salts. So as much as I trust my fellow man I don't trust most reviews. Just for fun, since I only make 2L at a time I was thinking about using bottled rain water, Cloud Juice, from Drippin' since I am not sure if I can trust my buildings purified water. Everyone says it is distilled, but I am 98% sure it is actually deionized and not distilled. It would be amazing to source an entire building off a still. It surprises me that a lot of scientists I work with don't know the differences between water purification techniques. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 We switched our whole operation to Tropic Marin and have had excellent results with it. Very consistent batches, good mix time, and great coral growth. I personally at home use Tropic Marin Pro Reef as I run a calcium reactor. HTH, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEW Posted February 10, 2007 Author Share Posted February 10, 2007 Where do you get your salt? Do you run an LFS? I am intrigued. I am not really worried about price since I use so little at a time. Is it a "premium" salt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Yes I run a LFS so I get all my salt from secret LFS salt mines. Seriously though, I don't consider Tropic Marin to be a "premium" salt but have been impressed with its batch to batch consistency. I had no problems when I used instant ocean except for low magnesium and my seachem experience was bad. One thing I think puts Tropic Marin above all the rest is their essential element concentration. They put every essential element present in NSW into their salt and I for one, think it helps. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcreonx Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 I've used IO and Red Sea salt for years with no issues. A few months ago, after talking to john and his success with Tropic marin, I bought a box and I have to say everything in the tank looks great. I'll stick with the Tropic Marin for a while. Especially sine John has it in stock.... gotta support the good guys! blob7.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Isn't reef crystals just IO anyways? IO is meant to mix with tap water and reef crystals is designed with RO/DI water in mind. I thought that was the only actual difference. I would be interested in switching to Tropic Marin myself as I have seen tanks that run it and heard the praise. Always positive. I've never heard a bad thing about the TM. Myself I use Seachem Reef as it is considered only slightly lower on the pole then TM but way above the others. Honestly it's because I'm cheap and think I'm saving a few dollars. Then again I was also told that tropic marin actually makes more tank water then Seachem so in the end they are the same price. I have heard of one bad experience with Seachem when a member could not get their CA levels up after mixing it. They called Seachem and Seachem quickly sent them a new bucket, no questions asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 I am a TM user too. I started out with IO but after switching will never go back. I have had better growth and no more problems with Cyano or nuisance algae. I had the opportunity to talk at length with the TM rep at MACNA last year. After hearing all the research and the philosophy of the company I was hooked even more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph9123 Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 I was going to buy the TM when my bucket runs out to see if it as good as people say, but like everything else. Their tank speak for themselves and I'm impressed with so much positive remarks on the product. Couple of people that I know have test both Reef crystal and Tropic Marin and said the Tm was a better quality and had slightly more elements but if your saving money, than Reef crystal is second above the other salt. Hope you judge for yourself and get back to all of us what ya think. -Joseph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noodle Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 I'm also a TM user too. Love it since it dissolves quickly, no leftover salt chunks left at the bottom of the water like IO, very consistent numbers b/t mixes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEW Posted February 10, 2007 Author Share Posted February 10, 2007 I think I am going to try TM. The precipitate in IO always bugs me, and I imagine RC does the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos@River City Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 We sell and use Tropic Marin in all our coral tanks. Most will agree it is one of the best salts out there; the real debate comes from whether or not it is worth the few extra dollars. All I can say is that when my new reef tank is finally up and running at home I will use nothing but Tropic Marin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Rangoon Posted February 13, 2007 Share Posted February 13, 2007 I gotta say, ever since I tried out Tropic Marin, I haven't used anything else. A lot of people who make the transition never go back, or ever try anything else after using Tropic Marin. Dont spring for the Pro version unless you're running calcium and/or kalk reactors on the tank, as it's specifically formulated with a low KH in mind. On another note, one of our employees used to work as a lab tech for LCRA and decided to independantly test (not experiment, just test) between all the different salts we stock, and since the test, has used nothing other than Tropic Marin on her tank. The only close seconds I can think of that are generally available locally are the coral formula of Red Sea (which takes forever to mix, but is otherwise great), as well as SeaChem Reef Salt (random undissolved particles left-over). When comparing price-per-gallon, TM costs 10 cents more than standard Instant Ocean in bucket supply, which is a minimal cost IMO. Tropic Marin FTW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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