instant ocean sea salt vs reef crystals

Red Sea Coral Pro 490 7 1300. Reef salt is made up of all the salts and trace elements that you find in seawater such as chloride, sodium, magnesium, and calcium. Instant Ocean recommends 1.020-1.026 at 77 degrees F. I mix my saltwater to achieve 1.025 SG at a temp of 79F. However, if you are hoping to establish a more complex reef based ecosystem with live rock and corals, they recommend using the Reef Crystals.The main reason for this is that the additional living organisms that come with a full on reef based ecosystem require more nutrients from their salt to grow than fish do. Eheim 2215 vs 2217: Which Canister Filter Is Better for You? Water Changes: Can You Have Too Much Flow In A Reef Tank. . The Brightwell NeoMarine Salt is so well regarded, that it is the reef salt of choice for World Wide Corals, one of the major coral sellers in the United States. JavaScript is disabled. Austin, Texas 78750. The cons on caking, which Fritz doesnt and it sounds as if its for beginners. If you have a bucket, mix it thoroughly prior to use, mix, then test. Enriched formulation. So its Brightwell for me. What is the difference between Instant Ocean sea salt and Reef Crystals? Lets talk about the main parameters that make up a reef salt mix. *This post contains affiliate links. Manage Settings However, the main benefit of Reef Crystals over Instant Ocean are elevated calcium and magnesium concentrations. Two Little Fishies AcroPower Amino Acids Review, ReefWave 45 Review: Red Seas Gyre Powerhead. 2389 Air Park Road, Rhinelander, Wisconsin 54501. Buy and sell with other aquarium hobbyists. Its a known fact in our hobby that most retailers lose money selling salt, especially online retailers as the shipping cost is very high in comparison to other dry goods. Fortunately I have been taking things nice and slow and enjoying the establishing process of building a nice tank and listening to other reefers . 1.2 Instant Ocean Salt Review; 1.3 Bright Well Salt Review; 1.4 Aquaforest Reef Salt Review; 2 Marine Salt Buying guide. But lets go further into the question. This salt will work great for softy and LPS tanks that can take the swings better, but you run the risk of problems after water changes with this mix with sensitive SPS corals like Acros. Thanks for your kind words. 2.6 Pros & Cons. This includes the amount or quantity of elements in the salt. Below is a list of the best reef salt mixes available today. Stir vigorously to mix salt and water. Want to grow your business and reach a wider audience? Ive used many brands over my 30 years in the hobby. 11. Reef Crystals is intended for use in a reef environment. AquariaCentral.com, a division of Monster Aquaria Network, LLC. His place is a coral farm and theres no doubting his success with corals. We seek to promote and sell equipment that works and understand that sometimes these will be products we do not carry so we are happy to part folks in the right direction :). We dont spam. If your aquarium has been up and running for at least 6 months, we recommend Instant Ocean Sea Salt . Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more, The Best Salt Mix Is The One Closest To Your Ideal Parameters, Aquarium Mix Parameters And Major Elements, 2. The logic for RC always seemed like 'if one pill works, two must be better'. Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the. It really depends on what corals you are planning to keep. Then put in your salt according to the manufacturers instructions until you get to 35 PPM (or 1.026). Tropic Marin 375 10 1230. Optimum effectiveness. 2.1 1) Instant Ocean Reef Crystals Reef Salt. Should I change from my current Instant Ocean Reef Crystals to a better salt mix for my nano reef tank? All Rights Reserved. Anti-caking agents tend to turn your saltwater holding buckets and vats brown over time. This relates most to reef tank owners. Our site uses cookies. Brightwell Aquatics NeoMarine Salt not only has all the essential elements of a salt mix, but also does not have anti-caking agents. Andrew. Instant Ocean Reef Crystals Reef Salt is a great way to start your marine aquarium. Two of the most popular options are Instant Oceans Reef Crystals and Sea Salt. Are you guilty of just using whatever salt you can find, or have you ever really given much thought to the salt you are using and why? The Reef Central Forums are now located at https://forums.reefcentral.comThe old forum is closed to new activity. 99. Salinity: 35 ppt (1.025 sg)| Ca: 413 mg/l| Mg: 1290 mg/l|Alkalinity 7.5 dKH. Manufacturer's Mixing Instructions: Remember: Its important to use a dedicated mixing vat for saltwater, and a calibrated refractometer to ensure you are getting the most accurate specific gravity measurements. It is a trusted brand and thousands of hobbyists use their salt in saltwater tanks. Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt is the best salt mix you can purchase for your reef tank available on the market today period. The stability and quality control of this mix makes this pretty much a must for those with the most demanding corals like Acroporas. Raising the salinity to 35 ppt (sg = 1.0264) will help solve both. Some people swear by one brand of salt mix while others will go out of their way to talk about why this salt mix brand is way better than others. Every tank has different needs depending on the type of corals you have. I recommend that you do not use a calculator for this. 1 Overview. Excludes Frozen Foods. If you like levels that are higher, Reef Crystals is probably an easier option for you. I currently have a 375 gallon aquarium, mostly soft corals to this point but Im trying to keep more sps and corals. Reef salt is the magic ingredient for your saltwater aquarium. So follow the parameters listed on the mixes and dose to those levels. 2. If you are just getting started out, you cannot go wrong with the Instant Ocean Reef Crystals salt as this will work for most reef tanks including mixed reefs. Instant Ocean Sea Salt is the most used sea salt in the world. Use cup of salt for each U.S gallon of water. Every batch is ICP tested. Salt Mix Box (55 lbs - Makes 200 Gallons) - Fritz Aquatics, MarcoRocks Shelf Premium Dry Rock (by the lb) - Marco Rock, 1/4" Mur-lok Polyethylene ORANGE RO Tubing (by the Foot), HI782-25 Nitrate High Range Reagents (25 tests) - Hanna Instruments, SaltwaterAquarium.com Tank Parameter Reference Card, HI713-25 Phosphate Low Range Checker Reagent (25 Tests) - Hanna Instruments, Sea Salt Mix Box (Makes 200 Gallons) - Instant Ocean, (Germany) Pro Reef Salt Bucket (200 Gallon) - Tropic Marin, Reef Crystals Salt Mix Bucket (Makes 160 Gallons) - Instant Ocean, Large Bucket Coral Pro Sea Salt Mix (Makes 175 Gallons) - Red Sea, Small Bucket Coral Pro Sea Salt Mix (Makes 55 Gallons) - Red Sea, Fritz PRO RPM Salt Mix Bucket (48 lbs - Makes 180 Gallons) - Fritz Aquatics, Extra Calcium to help ensure the growth of large and small polyp stony corals as well as coralline algae, Extra Trace Elements to provide an additional measure of vital nutrients, Extra Vitamins to ensure vigorous growth and survival of corals, anemones and other invertebrates in a captive environment. Top 5 Refugium Lights for Growing Chaetomorpha. The of the most available and affordable salt mix. Thanks for your help. Below is a list of common questions I get asked. He has kept freshwater tanks, ponds, and reef tanks for over 25 years. In the list Im going to provide you will see that I label each marine salt for you as synthetic or mined. Should I use Fritz, Reef Crystals or do I try to find Tropic Marin which nobody around me sells. Well, despite all thats been mentioned, there are still a few good reasons to choose the Sea Salt if you have a fish only aquarium. Wow, I learned so much about salt from reading your article. Have you tested your water parameters or your water after its been mixed to see if you are getting high phosphates or nitrates? Use an accurate hydrometer, such as the SeaTest Hydrometer full range specific gravity meter, to adjust salinity. We earn from qualifying purchases.*. Although the solution of Reef Crystals premium sea salt can be used immediately, it is suggested that you aerate the water until it reaches oxygen/carbon dioxide equilibrium before use. Its possible you are introducing some nutrients from your water changes as RO water will still have TDS in the water. The Europeans do it again with a revolutionary probiotic salt mix. Calculating the cost of these salts can be done easily. You can also use it for reef tanks provided you add the additional amount of elements needed to meet a reef tank's requirements. Change 20% of aquarium water every two weeks to maintain optimum water quality. Reef Crystals Reef Salt Box (Makes 200 Gallons) - Instant Ocean. I have also seen a few mixes that have failed ICP tests with several parameters being too low. Just curious as I take the next step towards adding some LPS. While they are everywhere, this is not the best reef salt mix on the list. I won't comment about the trace element part, short of there are usually more than enough in all salt mixes. Those can easily be compensated for with very, very cheap chemical additions or you can spend a bit extra and get a salt that already has those levels elevated. Red Sea Coral Pro Made From the Actual Red Sea, 6. We do frequent water changes and have a RO system. The main thing since Im going to assume that you are planning to do a reef tank or fish only with live rock setup is that you use RODI water made from an RODI System. This is the main reason I stopped selling salt mixes online. Unfortunately, fish die. and I have yet to have anything negative to say about reef crystals. Knowing which salt is right for you comes down to the needs of your tanks livestock, your maintenance schedule, and most importantly alkalinity. Nicole has a Bachelors degree in Coastal Geography from the University of Victoria, and is originally from Vancouver Canada. My tank does better with it. The main advantage with Fritz Reef Pro Mix is that it mixes very fast. It is important to always mix your salt as per the manufacturers instructions. Its the same quality and field tested Instant Ocean salt we are familiar with the industry, but with a better formula designed for mixed reef tanks. Tightly reseal bag to keep out moisture. The Reef Crystals contain additional vitamins and calcium that are crucial for the life within these complex environments to grow.While the additional calcium and vitamins included in the Reef Crystals are in no way beneficial to the growth and development of your fish, they are also by no means harmful in any sense. Some fish store recommended me to get a dosing which is pretty expensive. I always recommend to my clients that they need to dose their tank to their salt mix. No matter what size your aquarium, science-based Instant Ocean products offer the . I recommend using this refractometer. Recommended Specific Gravity Range: 1.020-1.026 at 77F. Not sure if that is a plausible assumption but would make since seeing as I feed lightly, skim heavily and WC 20% a week with a dual reactor running. NeoMarine has a lower Alkalinity, which is great for SPS tanks. Im not familiar with Kents salt, but I do know the former founder created Brightwell Aquatics. Coral FREE WITH ANY ORDER.  JUST ADD TO YOUR CART WITH MERCHANDISE AND IT WILL BE FREE. There are many things in the saltwater aquarium hobby that are considered to be a staple item and have been around for quite a long time. SPS tanks need to have extremely stable levels in the aquarium and having a mix with evaluated ALK can be catastrophic as the Alkalinity levels can spike after a water change. We have been using reef crystals, but have noticed lots of hair algae recently. He swears by and only uses Reef Crystals. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Ive added another phosphate reducer pad to the filter. I like oceanic it dissolves so far and its a great salt, i was using instant ocean and kept getting ph swings.. 75 . The Reef Crystals would be a better choice, it has higher levels of magnesium, calcium, strontium, etc. Spectrum Brands, a Wisconsin-based company with over 5 billion in revenue, owns the subsidiary Instant Ocean, a Blacksburg, VA-based business that specializes in sea salt, protein skimmers, and other aquarium-related accessories. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Red Sea Coral Pro mix contains elevated and balanced levels of thefoundation elements(Calcium, Magnesium, Bicarbonates) necessary for sustainable, accelerated coral growth. In this post, well compare the similarities and differences between these two products and provide guidance on which option is best for reef tanks, newly established aquariums, and more. Features Extra Calcium to help ensure the growth of large and small polyp stony corals as well as coralline algae Extra Trace Elements to provide an additional measure of vital . Instant Ocean: 400: 11: 1350: Reef Crystals . Instant Ocean Sea Salt is the most used sea salt in the world. With brand names like Instant Ocean and Red Sea dominating online and Fritzs presence at local fish stores, AquaForest is unknown to most hobbyist. All rights reserved. Customer Favorites, Marine Invertebrates - Save 25%, Popular Value Packs, Marine Invertebrates, LiveAquaria Certified Captive Grown Corals, Captive-Bred Freshwater Fish and Invertebrates. Check The Facts About Instant Ocean. AccuraSea1 is formulated to simulate natural seawater, and its packaged as a plurality of precisely weighed packs. This produces an all natural eco-friendly mix that is one of the best mixes in the industry. It's why our Sea Salt is used exclusively by many of the leading large-scale aquariums and research facilities across the country. Given those reasons, I would not recommend this mix for Acroporas. This means there are two ideal places to purchase your salt mix. ssmallville June 19, 2012. 3. I've used plain old instant ocean for reef tanks and it worked fine. The N?oMarine Salt creates a marine environment so chemically-similar to natural seawater it would be hard to tell any difference between water prepared with N?oMarine and filtered natural seawater from tropical reef waters. built-in metal detoxifier goes a step farther to neutralize traces of heavy metals often . It is also available in different quantities from 10 gallons to 200 gallons which is great for all sizes of tanks. Another reason to choose the Sea Salt in your fish only tank is that it dissolves much quicker and easier than the Reef Crystals do. One of the fastest dissolving and readily available salt mixes at local fish stores. Instant Ocean is a legacy aquarium product found at most local fish stores. *FREE SHIPPING on qualifying aquatic life orders $229 and up. Amazon.com: Reef Crystals 17 results for "reef crystals" Results Aquarium Pumps & Filters Instant Ocean Reef Crystal Sea Salt Marine Mix, 50-Gallon, New, 3.1 (2) $4299 FREE delivery Wed, Apr 12 Only 3 left in stock - order soon. Instant Ocean has been around since the 1960s, when William Kelley, the former director of the Cleveland aquarium founded the business. Below is a video from Raising Reef with better visual introductions and with directions for those of you who like to use water changing stations or store water. There's something about watching koi swimming slowly in a pond that just relaxes us and drowns out all the unnecessary noise in our lives. The owner of AquaForest uses all his products on his tanks. I would say the mix time is around that of Brightwells product. Table 3 presents the results of the analysis of fifteen trace elements for eight brands of synthetic sea salts (SSS): Instant Ocean (IO), BioSea Marine Mix (BSMM), Crystal Seas Marine Mix Bioassay (CSMMB), Coralife (CL), Tropic Marin (TM), Reef Crystals (RC), Red Sea (RS) and Oceanic Sea Salt (OSS). You can then use these numbers to figure out how much its going to cost you each month to purchase salt for your tank. Many reef salt mixes you will see on this list will have evaluated Alkalinity. I don't think there is a good reason to run levels outside of that range but we all have our preferences. It does not have the evaluatedlevels and trace elements that Reef Crystals have. Thanks for reading. Others will be pulled from the ocean like Red Sea Salt. It is also the most readily available reef salt on the market so if you are in a rush or bind its very easy to get locally even from a chain pet store. Correct pH and buffering capacity, essential minerals and trace elements have been added in precise ratios to ensure a correctly blended mix for the health and longevity of your livestock. There are many other trace elements I can discuss, but for most aquarists, these are the big 3 we concern ourselves with and test for in our reef tanks. In new aquariums, transfer animals to the aquarium after salt is completely mixed and aerated and specific gravity is adjusted correctly. You may or may not be surprised by how different they actually are. instant ocean @ 1018 for 40 years aquadrome erie pa. Been using IO for longer than I'd care to admit - never had a reason to use anything else. Red Sea Blue Bucket and TMPR are the best salts. A Business Card sized reference card for the most common aquarium parameters.  Reef Crystals Reef Salt Box (Makes 200 Gallons) - Instant Ocean, $$$ Money Saver Aquarium Dry Live Rock (by the lb), HI755-26 HI772-26 Alkalinity Checker Reagent (25 Tests) - Hanna Instruments, Marco Rocks Reef Saver Premium Rock (by the lb) - Marco Rock, 1/4" Mur-lok Polyethylene BLUE RO Tubing (by the Foot), FritzPRO R.P.M. There are a few main differences between the two. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Instant Ocean Reef Crystals Reef Salt is the budget friendly reef salt for many of us with reef tanks. Formulated by researchers and marine scientists, RPM contains all of the necessary major and minor elements of natural sea water that are utilized by living marine and reef animals. Just take the price of the salt and divide it by the amount of salt that it makes in gallons. Thank you for visiting! Store remaining Reef Crystals salt in a cool, dry place. It will build up in your containers over time and those containers can be expensive to replace. CAUTION: REEF CRYSTALS IS NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. If you you use Reef Crystal Salt how much Coral Life is required to consume the excess nutrients that comes in that type of salt? I hardly ever buy salt locally because all the LFSs sell Fritz or Reef Crystals. Im thinking of changing salt types. He has worked on making aquarium and pond keeping approachable. By the way any links on this page that lead to products on Amazon and other stores/partners are affiliate links. Measure specific gravity with an Instant Ocean hydrometer. Gyre vs Powerhead: Which Should You Put in Your Reef Tank? The specific gravity of 1.025 is a good target for reef tanks, while fish-only systems can be maintained at a slightly lower specific gravity as low as 1.020. There is a price difference between the two salts. This may not seem like much of a difference, but given that the added benefits of Reef Crystals make practically no difference in a fish only tank, why not save a few bucks? It is formulated with pharmaceutical level ingredients and one of the fully synthetic salt mixes on this list (Brightwell being the other). Used by hobbyists, public aquariums, and research facilities. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Adjust salt level accordingly. They offer a basic sea salt variety and reef crystal variety formulated for reef aquariums. Salinity: 35 ppt (1.0264 sg)| Ca: 465 ppm| Mg: 1390 ppm|Alkalinity: 12.0 dKH. You do not have to follow that guideline if you purchase a mix with an evaluated level of Alkalinity, but you will likely want to still regularly check your levels and make sure you do not drop below 8 DKH.

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