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Might be changing salt mixes.

TurboReef

TurboReef

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So I have noticed that using instant ocean original mixed at 1.025 gives me 1230 magnesium. This is on the low side.
It’s also giving me 396 calcium and a dkh of 9 on the dot.

Dosing magnesium is going to cost me more than just buying salt with more magnesium from the get go.

I had thought of changing to a reef salt such as instant ocean reef salt. I’ve not heard great things about the consistency of this particular salt. Some day they get magnesium in the 1700’s!

I am considering switching to Red Sea - coral pro. It looks like the next most reasonably priced salt. Thoughts about this salt?

what do you folks use and recommend?

Randy
 
I recommend Tropic Marin Pro, it’s the best I’ve used. Red Sea would be my second choice and is easier to find.

If you are supplementing Alk and calcium (dosing or reactor) you’re better off with a salt that mixes up to your target values. The salts with artificially elevated Alk and calcium are for people who aren’t dosing and are using water changes instead to add these.
 
JVU said:
I recommend Tropic Marin Pro, it’s the best I’ve used. Red Sea would be my second choice and is easier to find.

If you are supplementing Alk and calcium (dosing or reactor) you’re better off with a salt that mixes up to your target values. The salts with artificially elevated Alk and calcium are for people who aren’t dosing and are using water changes instead to add these.
Click to expand...


right now I am one those people. I don’t have a calcium reactor, sump or skimmer. The next tank is a significant leap forward in technology
 
www.bulkreefsupply.com

Pharma Magnesium Mix for 2-Part Maintenance

Ultra Pure Magnesium Additive for 2-Part Maintenance in your Reef Tank! Maintaining proper magnesium levels helps achieve the essential balance of calcium and alkalinity in your tank by preventing excess calcium carbonate precipitation. Not all magnesium additives are created equal and the...
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The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this post belong solely to me and are not necessarily those of BAR.
 
I'm using red sea coral pro. This salt is different than most as it recommends using four hours after mixing, or it will cloud, and cal/alk parameters steadily drop after the first couple weeks sitting. I mix 50 gallons at a time for AWC and it'll sit for maybe 6 weeks. I'm looking into other salt mixes, tropic marin is good but always sold out everywhere it seems.
 
ReefSparky said:
I'm using red sea coral pro. This salt is different than most as it recommends using four hours after mixing, or it will cloud, and cal/alk parameters steadily drop after the first couple weeks sitting. I mix 50 gallons at a time for AWC and it'll sit for maybe 6 weeks. I'm looking into other salt mixes, tropic marin is good but always sold out everywhere it seems.
Click to expand...

Thats what I am finding. No one has tropic Marin in stock. It’s back ordered. So my second choice is Red Sea coral pro. When brs did a break down per gallon they found the prices of Red Sea and tropic Marin pro were the same.

Don’t calcium and akalinity steadily drop in all salts? Are you just saying they drop equal parts after a few weeks or faster than other salts?

what was surprising to me is that although instant ocean costs the least it also had to be mixed at a higher ratio than what the packaging suggests.
 
Randyadammartin said:
Thats what I am finding. No one has tropic Marin in stock. It’s back ordered. So my second choice is Red Sea coral pro. When brs did a break down per gallon they found the prices of Red Sea and tropic Marin pro were the same.

Don’t calcium and akalinity steadily drop in all salts? Are you just saying they drop equal parts after a few weeks or faster than other salts?

what was surprising to me is that although instant ocean costs the least it also had to be mixed at a higher ratio than what the packaging suggests.
Click to expand...
Many salts do that with the volume
 
I asked an LFS owner in my area about TMP availability. He said he can get it but has to order a pallet at a time. He also mentioned the price is going up on it to about $109/bucket soon with a new label (same salt). I asked him if we could get a discount if we do a group buy. It would be nice just to be able to get the salt even if it isn’t much cheaper in my opinion. I personally already have enough salt but I’d like to have a more reliable local way to get it. I’ll let you guys know if anything comes of it.
 
JVU said:
I asked an LFS owner in my area about TMP availability. He said he can get it but has to order a pallet at a time. He also mentioned the price is going up on it to about $109/bucket soon with a new label (same salt). I asked him if we could get a discount if we do a group buy. It would be nice just to be able to get the salt even if it isn’t much cheaper in my opinion. I personally already have enough salt but I’d like to have a more reliable local way to get it. I’ll let you guys know if anything comes of it.
Click to expand...
Count me in if you’re able to secure something!
 
Im looking for the most stable parameters while stored so my kalk and cx reactor can make the only additions and consumption by corals be the only reason for them dropping. Tropic Marin had stable parameters for many weeks according to the brs study.

 
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Do you guys think that the ship blocking the suez canal is perhaps carrying a lot of tropic Marin sea salt? Perhaps that’s why no one can get any?
 
ReefSparky said:
Im looking for the most stable parameters while stored so my kalk and cx reactor can make the only additions and consumption by corals be the only reason for them dropping. Tropic Marin had stable parameters for many weeks according to the brs study.

Click to expand...

I’m not storing salt water so having it stay stable for weeks in storage isn’t really a factor in the decision making process right now.
 
xcaret said:
I believe I have Magnesium if you want to give it a try.
Epsom Salt food grade is a good option too
Click to expand...

sure I’ll give it a try. Thank you. I have about 1/2 bucket left of instant ocean. My plan is to use this up and just add the necessary doing of magnesium to it. Going forward I am going to use switch to Red Sea pro coral salt. My first choice was tmr but everywhere is out of stock and I’m not going to pay 109.00 for 175 gallons mix.

I’ve done the math and at current rates I am looking at 47 cents a gallon for the Red Sea when mixed to 1.025sg.

Randy
 
Randyadammartin said:
So I have noticed that using instant ocean original mixed at 1.025 gives me 1230 magnesium. This is on the low side.
It’s also giving me 396 calcium and a dkh of 9 on the dot.

Dosing magnesium is going to cost me more than just buying salt with more magnesium from the get go.

I had thought of changing to a reef salt such as instant ocean reef salt. I’ve not heard great things about the consistency of this particular salt. Some day they get magnesium in the 1700’s!

I am considering switching to Red Sea - coral pro. It looks like the next most reasonably priced salt. Thoughts about this salt?

what do you folks use and recommend?

Randy
Click to expand...
It is my experience as well that IO has slightly low magnesium, but I still use it.

1) Natural seawater is 1285.
So 1230 is < 10% off, and possibly within the accuracy of your measurements.

2) It is still cheaper.
You can easily add magnesium to the salt mix as you make it, and total is still less than other fancy salts.

3) You don't want *HIGH* magnesium in your salt mix.
MG depletes very slowly. It is easy to adjust it up, but it is very hard to adjust it down.
So it can be a benefit for salt to be a tiny bit low instead of a bit high.
 
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