one salt better than another for RO?

J

jenwebber3

Member
howdy! i had been buying pre-mixed saltwater at my local pet store, which was fine
for water changes in my 29 gallon, but will pbly be too pricey for me 65. i always
have RO on hand, so figured in some cases i'll mix my own. Here's the question:
in my reef, no matter what i've tried, i can't get the confounded pH above 7.8.
i want to keep shrimp and starfish in my 65, and i know they don't do well at low
pH (they fell apart in my reef). i saw this Red Sea Coral Pro salt that claims it
is great for RO because it has extra buffers and calcium. is this just b.s.?
anyone have any experience with it? i know most people use Instant Ocean
(which i had been using also). wonder if it's worth using something that claims
it's "for R.O?")
whatcha think?
 
whippetguy

whippetguy

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
PREMIUM
I've used Red Sea Coral Pro for about 15 months. My ph hovers between 7.9-8.1 I don't dose any additional additives. I do have a refugium which is lit up a night which might help with the ph swings. I do get some residue on my mixing buckets from the red sea salt, though. If you mix the water at a lower temperature the residue is not as bad, just make sure you don't raise the ro water to tank temp before mixing or it will be cloudy. Good Luck!
 
reefer gladness

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
I'm pretty certain just about every salt is formulated to be used with RO water and make similar claims about buffering capacity, calcium and trace elements. I've used the RS Coral Pro salt about as long as John and pH is also around 7.9-8.1 naturally. I raise it with kalkwasser through the water being topped off.

Just a word of note, many have noticed the residue John mentioned including myself. The residue doesn't bother me that much but I use a fairly precise digital scale to measure the amount of salt used per 5 gallons of water mixed and have noticed a big variance in the amount of salt needed from one bucket of salt to the next. I'm not sure what was missing or added from one bucket to the next but I don't like the inconsistency. My next salt purchase will be ESV B-ionic.
 
steved13

steved13

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
reefer gladness said:
My next salt purchase will be ESV B-ionic.
Click to expand...

Not to get into a whole salt debate :)..they're all good, the ESV is pricey, and not available at every LFS, so it's not for everyone. :)

I've been using the ESV since I set up my current tank and I like it a lot. I think you'll be happy with it. Since you already use the scale, that makes it easier IMO. I thought the measuring cups were a little bit of a pain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top