Salt Analysis Study

Jason25

Jason25

Active Member
Hmm, now that's interesting to see. Just goes to show that even though some brands fair better than others in certain areas, there is no "perfect" salt.
 
Kirblit

Kirblit

Active Member
I say just go with what works for you. If your tank looks good then why change it. Even after seeing these results it doesn't change my mind about TMPR. I like the way my reef looks and I don't think that I have any reason to change it.
 
tippMANn98

tippMANn98

Has been struck by the ban stick
thanks Kirby, that was awesome reading....i use I/O with no problems at all, but i see where, from a technical standpoint, where it lacks.
 
Dentoid

Dentoid

Smile Maker
PREMIUM
I've used several different salt brands and have found no difference in the health, color or hardiness of my reef between the brands. Regardless of which salt I use, I still have to supplement for some deficiency.

Salt mixes are basic, it's how you supplement that makes the difference!:D

Great find Kirblit! Thanks for posting that.
 
kathywithbirds

kathywithbirds

Well-Known Member
It wasn't that study, but the one where they used urchin fry (or whatever they're called) in different salts that prompted me to try switching salts for a while. Once I get everything ironed out I'll report.
 
S

Scouter Steve

Active Member
According to what I read the test was done with salt mix made only by weight. The numbers all come from a mix lower in sg then most of us run! I like the fact they did show that the needed salt would vary from one to the other but I think I make salt like most of us...dump it in until the sg is right.
 
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prow

prow

Well-Known Member
ahhh man that test is flawed.
i mean it does not mix how i mix my salt. they used the same amount of salt for each type salt mixed. salts are not the same wieght and in a bag of mixed salts that effects the salinity. i mix my salt to a certain salinity then test, they put in a certain amount of salt mix and tested that, none of the mixed up salt batches matched in salinity so the levels of this and that really dont work for me. if they mixed each brand of salt mix to a certain salintiy then tested and noted the amount of salt it took to mix to that certain salintiy level the results might be of more use. i dont know, is it me? anyone else mix there salt to a certain salintiy opposed to adding x amount of salt and leaving it at that?
 
Kirblit

Kirblit

Active Member
prow said:
ahhh man that test is flawed.
i mean it does not mix how i mix my salt. they used the same amount of salt for each type salt mixed. salts are not the same wieght and in a bag of mixed salts that effects the salinity. i mix my salt to a certain salinity then test, they put in a certain amount of salt mix and tested that, none of the mixed up salt batches matched in salinity so the levels of this and that really dont work for me. if they mixed each brand of salt mix to a certain salintiy then tested and noted the amount of salt it took to mix to that certain salintiy level the results might be of more use. i dont know, is it me? anyone else mix there salt to a certain salintiy opposed to adding x amount of salt and leaving it at that?
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Exactly what I thought, that's why I take it with a grain of salt (no pun intended) I just thought everyone would get some good discussion about it so I posted it. This information would be a lot more useful if they mixed it all to the same SG, then it would actually show differences. I know that some salts are made to have higher calcium ect. at certain SG so if you mix it higher than that it will change. Even when you talk to other people about their mix they give you the results but that doesn't really help without the SG. I think that's why you get so many people with different numbers for the same salt mixes.
 
tippMANn98

tippMANn98

Has been struck by the ban stick
prow said:
i dont know, is it me? anyone else mix there salt to a certain salintiy opposed to adding x amount of salt and leaving it at that?
Click to expand...

Thats what I do prow, mix it till i get it to where I want it. But that study was all about control. They mixed using the manuf. suggested dosing. So of course the levels will be higher, but really, HOW MUCH higher? Take my tank for example. its a 29 gallon cube. I change 4 gallons a week. I use I/O salt, recommended: 1/2 DRY cup/gallon. As Prow does, I also mix until its at desired salinity(1.025-1.026). Therefore i use about 1/8 to 1/4 cup MORE. How much more Elements and trace could actually be in 1/8 to 1/4 cup of salt? Couldn't be much. I do not dose anything at all....just run chemi-pure elite, and a skimmer.
 
Woodstock

Woodstock

The Wand Geek was here. ;)
RS STAFF
I like the study.
It shows gram for gram what the salts mixes have in it.

I always purchase buckets of salt so I do see a strong need for me to somehow mix the buckets/boxes thoroughly before making new saltwater to alleviate inconsistencies.
 
Origami2547

Origami2547

Member
kathywithbirds said:
It wasn't that study, but the one where they used urchin fry (or whatever they're called) in different salts that prompted me to try switching salts for a while. Once I get everything ironed out I'll report.
Click to expand...

Kathy, it was this 2003 study that you were referring to, I believe: The Toxicity of Some Freshly Mixed Artificial Sea Water; A Bad Beginning For A Reef Aquarium by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com

In that study, Shimek investigated heavy metal concentrations in salt mixes.

Unfortunately, it would seem that the conclusions Shimek reached were refuted 2.5 years later in Marulla & O'Toole's 2005 study documented here: Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Feature Article: Inland Reef Aquaria Salt Study, Part I and here: Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Feature Article: Inland Reef Aquaria Salt Study Part II

In the second study, the researchers concluded (in part), "No salt in this study is an accurate simulation of natural sea water. All salts had at least one toxic heavy metal that was far in excess of NSW levels. When all factors are considered, Tropic Marin, Instant Ocean, and Kent Marine score the best, but such a score can not be arrived at without some amount of subjective judgment in evaluating the pertinent factors. "

Yeah, I know the thread is month's old, but a few of us were discussing these same studies in my local aquarists' forum.
 
H

HowardW

Member
FWIW.......some very experienced and knowledgeable people have serious issues with several of AWT's testing methods as well as their results on samples sent in for testing. Also, the tests in that study WERE done using samples of each brand mixed up to 1.026 SG.
 
prow

prow

Well-Known Member
well since this thread came back to life, i am feeln' the need to reply:D
tippMANn98 said:
HOW MUCH higher? Take my tank for example. its a 29 gallon cube. I change 4 gallons a week. I use I/O salt, recommended: 1/2 DRY cup/gallon. As Prow does, I also mix until its at desired salinity(1.025-1.026). Therefore i use about 1/8 to 1/4 cup MORE. How much more Elements and trace could actually be in 1/8 to 1/4 cup of salt? Couldn't be much.
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actually it could be much more. if you add an additional 1/4 cup to the suggested 1/2 cup, thats a 50% increase. ex. if a 1/2 cup contains a Ca+ level of 300ppm then adding a 1/4 cup more would increase the Ca+ level by about 150ppm for total of about 450ppm. thats big difference. even if you go with just 1/8 cup more than the suggested 1/2 cup that would result in a 25% increase and bring the Ca+ level up from 300ppm to 375ppm, thats still a big difference.
 
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