What salt does everyone use

[rock-n-reef]

Hw marine and Brightwell Neo Marine mixed 50/50. Don't ask me why i'm mixing those. There is absolutely no valid reason or science behind it! I do test alk after every batch is mixed and suuplement that to bring it to the tank level before water change.

 

[coralfishreef]

IO salt is inexpensive not due to lesser quality, it is due to the mass amount it is produced.
Many public aquariums use IO salt, if I remember correctly, the whale pool at the Mystic aquatium is IO salt. (Using local natural seawater May not be the best idea in many situations).

I used IO salt in the past for many years and had no problems with growing corals: soft, LPS, or SPS.

 

[coralfishreef]

Redsea Pro after overnight mixing (12 hours) without a heater.

 

[Lizbeli]

I use TMP and mix in a 20gal grey trash can. Mixes clear within about 40mins. No residue left but to be safe I rinse bucket with hot water and dry with paper towels before next fill. I used to use HW Marine and like that salt too, just wanted my alk closer to 7.

 

[JeanR]

I did reef crystals for my first two years then regular instant ocean for the last 1.5 yrs. Both work very well, I have a 120g mixed reef with lots of acros, other SPS, LPS, etc... As others have said, if you are dosing Alk/Ca/Mg then that's how you are maintaining your water chemistry, the salt mix is having minimal effects with 10% water changes.

That said I seem to run a pretty ghetto system by local standards using arm & hammer baking soda to make Randy's Recipe two part and Epsom salts to maintain magnesium, but happy with the results.

 

[dz6t]

Redsea Pro after overnight mixing (12 hours) without a heater.

View attachment 144973

It has so much more calcium and carbonate than sea water can hold. That is why they said no more than 4 hr of mixing. It basically forms a super saturated solution then slowly crash out.