chriswalker
New Member
What do you think is the best salt?
Best SalT?
- Thread starter chriswalker
- Start date
Hi Chris 
Welcome to Reef Sanctuary 
There are probably as many opinions about which salt is best as there are kinds of salt mixes available.
I have always used Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. So naturally that's what I would say is best.
Are you doing a tank with fish only or are you doing a reef tank with corals?
Which ever salt you decide to use, mixing it with 0 TDS RO-Di water is better than using dechlorinated tap water. Be picky about your water!
Welcome to Reef Sanctuary There are probably as many opinions about which salt is best as there are kinds of salt mixes available.
I have always used Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. So naturally that's what I would say is best.
Are you doing a tank with fish only or are you doing a reef tank with corals?
Which ever salt you decide to use, mixing it with 0 TDS RO-Di water is better than using dechlorinated tap water. Be picky about your water!
StirCrayzy
Well-Known Member
Ocean salt !
Forgive my sarcasm , that's like the "What is the meaning of life?" Of Reefkeeping.
Welcome to RS!
Seriously though, all salt mixes on the market prove to provide everything a home tank needs to succeed.
You'll find phenomenal tanks all around the web, using each and every mix known to mankind, from homemade dirt cheap stuff, to lab grade high dollar mix.
Forgive my sarcasm , that's like the "What is the meaning of life?" Of Reefkeeping.
Welcome to RS!
Seriously though, all salt mixes on the market prove to provide everything a home tank needs to succeed.
You'll find phenomenal tanks all around the web, using each and every mix known to mankind, from homemade dirt cheap stuff, to lab grade high dollar mix.
pablomay28
Well-Known Member
I have used Red Sea Salt, Regular Instant Ocean, Coralife, and Reef Crystals. What my coral and fish like is Reef Crystals. It mixes kind of dirty compared to other salts leaving a film and dirt in the mixing bucket but its what works for me I mean my coral and fish
Pat24601
Well-Known Member
For the OP purposes right now, the answer of all the salts on the market are pretty good is a reasonable one.
When you get more experienced, though, it's possibe to put more time into figuring this out than you really want to. There are multiple scientific papers examining content of different salt mixes and natural sea water and the toxicity effects of each.
For example this one basically implies that some are better and natural sea water is good: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-03/rs/feature/index.php
Another one that basically says they are all fine (I think):
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/3/aafeature
Also different mixes deliberately have different concentrations of key elements, each of which think their's is best for a reason (usually a good reason).
For now, I'd say don't overthink it and just know that pretty much any one will do fine for you. If you want to research this until your ears bleed later, there is a lot of information out there, though...some of it contradictory, of course...like everything else in this hobby.
Diana's advice on mixing with 0tds rodi water is good, though.
When you get more experienced, though, it's possibe to put more time into figuring this out than you really want to. There are multiple scientific papers examining content of different salt mixes and natural sea water and the toxicity effects of each.
For example this one basically implies that some are better and natural sea water is good: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-03/rs/feature/index.php
Another one that basically says they are all fine (I think):
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/3/aafeature
Also different mixes deliberately have different concentrations of key elements, each of which think their's is best for a reason (usually a good reason).
For now, I'd say don't overthink it and just know that pretty much any one will do fine for you. If you want to research this until your ears bleed later, there is a lot of information out there, though...some of it contradictory, of course...like everything else in this hobby.
Diana's advice on mixing with 0tds rodi water is good, though.
Last edited:
cook county
New Member
anyone ever use aqua vitro salinity for reefs? the guy at the lfs spoke highly of it and was more money than reef crystals.
I used it for a couple years, it's a great salt ! I changed just to save a few $$$
mikecc
Member
Best salt for what?
Pat24601
Well-Known Member
I use Catalina Natural Sea Water (sold by Petco as Real Ocean Water).
Partly that's for convenience, but partly that's because I believe it has some trace elements that just aren't captured in salt mixes.
The science on whether it is actually better appears to be mixed, though.
Partly that's for convenience, but partly that's because I believe it has some trace elements that just aren't captured in salt mixes.
The science on whether it is actually better appears to be mixed, though.
A few observations...
I have noticed that several members have said that you can use just about any salt and you'll be fine. Personally, I would change this to you can use any quality salt.
Regretfully, there are still some low quality salts out there that do not mix anywhere near close to normal numbers. I once used a salt that mixed very low in magnesium. This made it difficult to maintain the calcium and alkalinity balance correctly. Once I made some water changes with a good salt brand, and supplemented the magnesium on a one time basis, the problem went away.
I recommend that you buy or borrow all those test kits and do the tests on your new water to make sure it's good to start with.
There are people that will use a salt the doesn't mix to the correct levels, and then supplement the new water so that the levels are correct. In my opinion this isn't a good idea, because you can only do this for parameters you can measure. You don't know what may have been left out in other areas.
Some salt brands have had quality control problems from time to time, and there have been cases of things being way off. If something doesn't look right, it's best to do all the tests to make sure your ok.
Years ago the "standard recommendation" was use whatever your LFS is using. In hindsight this was poor advice, since most LFS will use the least expensive salt they can get. It's not going to be the highest quality. To get the price down you need to cut corners someplace.
Your water is the life blood of your system. If that's not right, you need not worry about anything else. Use a good quality salt. It need not be the most expensive or exotic.
I have noticed that several members have said that you can use just about any salt and you'll be fine. Personally, I would change this to you can use any quality salt.
Regretfully, there are still some low quality salts out there that do not mix anywhere near close to normal numbers. I once used a salt that mixed very low in magnesium. This made it difficult to maintain the calcium and alkalinity balance correctly. Once I made some water changes with a good salt brand, and supplemented the magnesium on a one time basis, the problem went away.
I recommend that you buy or borrow all those test kits and do the tests on your new water to make sure it's good to start with.
There are people that will use a salt the doesn't mix to the correct levels, and then supplement the new water so that the levels are correct. In my opinion this isn't a good idea, because you can only do this for parameters you can measure. You don't know what may have been left out in other areas.
Some salt brands have had quality control problems from time to time, and there have been cases of things being way off. If something doesn't look right, it's best to do all the tests to make sure your ok.
Years ago the "standard recommendation" was use whatever your LFS is using. In hindsight this was poor advice, since most LFS will use the least expensive salt they can get. It's not going to be the highest quality. To get the price down you need to cut corners someplace.
Your water is the life blood of your system. If that's not right, you need not worry about anything else. Use a good quality salt. It need not be the most expensive or exotic.
Pat24601
Well-Known Member
Good point, Dave.
How about this. That second article I cited compared the following salts and determined they were all about the same.
(The first one, btw, had a very different conclusion, but that's more complicated).
BioSea Marine Mix
Coralife
Crystal Sea Marine Mix
Instant Ocean
Red Sea
Reef Crystals
Tropic Marin
Catalina Sea Water
How about this. That second article I cited compared the following salts and determined they were all about the same.
(The first one, btw, had a very different conclusion, but that's more complicated).
BioSea Marine Mix
Coralife
Crystal Sea Marine Mix
Instant Ocean
Red Sea
Reef Crystals
Tropic Marin
Catalina Sea Water
Good point, Dave.
How about this. That second article I cited compared the following salts and determined they were all about the same.
(The first one, btw, had a very different conclusion, but that's more complicated).
BioSea Marine Mix
Coralife
Crystal Sea Marine Mix
Instant Ocean
Red Sea
Reef Crystals
Tropic Marin
Catalina Sea Water
Well, I can only say that I have used several of those salts. Most seems to be OK, but I wouldn't be caught dead using some of them. I will not name names though.
In my opinion there are serious differences in some brands. If you have one that works for you, go with it, but don't be afraid to change brands if it's not working out.
I should also point out that the manufacturers do change their formulation from time to time, so what was once a good salt could now be not so good. Of course the opposite could also be the case.
Pat24601
Well-Known Member
Dave,
Just to be clear I agree with you. I personally (and I think others as well) agree with you that I believe there are differences in salt. I'm spending more money than I should if I don't believe that..
In fact, that first paper I cited has some not so nice things to say about some the brands the second paper said were OK. You have to love this hobby. Even the more scientific based opinions don't agree with each other.
I can't speak from personal experience like you can. I've only ever tried reef crystals and natural salt water (Catalina). But, I've read enough to form views (correct or incorrect) about certain brands and believe (rightly or wrongly) they aren't all equal.
I was thinking though in terms of advising a new person that saying you are OK with any of the major brands until you have time to research and form your own views is OK enough. Do you think that is a wrong thing to say? You would know far better than me, of course.
Just to be clear I agree with you. I personally (and I think others as well) agree with you that I believe there are differences in salt. I'm spending more money than I should if I don't believe that.
. In fact, that first paper I cited has some not so nice things to say about some the brands the second paper said were OK. You have to love this hobby. Even the more scientific based opinions don't agree with each other.
I can't speak from personal experience like you can. I've only ever tried reef crystals and natural salt water (Catalina). But, I've read enough to form views (correct or incorrect) about certain brands and believe (rightly or wrongly) they aren't all equal.
I was thinking though in terms of advising a new person that saying you are OK with any of the major brands until you have time to research and form your own views is OK enough. Do you think that is a wrong thing to say? You would know far better than me, of course.
Last edited:
I would say most of the major brands are fine, but like any other products. there are some brands that are not very good. Plus, you never know when you might have a bad batch. That's why I say do some basic water tests the first time you use it, and also test if it doesn't seem to mix right.
This is the salt sold by BrightWell Aquatics. I have never personally used it, so I can't say that it is good or bad by experience. BrightWell does seem to be a decent vendor, so unless your having a specific issue with the salt, stick with it.
I will also add that it's not too difficult to switch salt brands if your just a little careful, and if things don't work out, it's easy enough to switch back. Just make the first few partial water changes using the new salt small.
Additional note, with something like salt, don't expect most reviews to be objective. Many of the people writing them do not have experience with a lot of different salts. Also, many people are "in love" with the salt they are using at the moment.
StirCrayzy
Well-Known Member
In my perspective , you find that happy corals are proof of a salt mix's quality. I've only used IO & RC and neither ever proved to need replacing. But I am thankful for all the options out there, because competition is what keeps things interesting and develops breakthroughs in a free market.