changing salt brands

ducati1212 · 01/14/2007, 09:40 AM

I have been using coralife scientific salt but because I have been having algae problems I want to try something else in the off chance that its the salt brand. I dont hear much good ro bad about coralife but what other brands are good.?

Marine depot (I usually order from them) carry
Kent marine
Seachem
Tropic Marine
Coralife

Thanks

salty3 · 01/14/2007, 09:45 AM

You dont have IO on there. Dont like it? Thats what I use, but I'm having bad algae too. It's not from the salt though its from bad ro water, so far I've went to 6 places and all of it has 1 ppm phos in it. If you want IO cheap go to petsmarts web site and print there price off, take in to them and they will match the price. For a 160 gal bucket I paid 33.00.

sophia101 · 01/14/2007, 09:46 AM

There are some good brands out there...Instant Ocean (IO) is a great brand. I currently use IO Reef Crystals for my corals etc but the normal is fine to and a little cheaper. Another great brand which is more expensive but has great reviews is Tropic Marine. That is a very pin point, ideal salt for any reef system. I haven't heard much about other brand of salt but those 3 brands are great. Good Luck! By the way www.drsfostersmith.com is prob. the best place to buy salt and other dry goods..very cheap and they charge normal prices for overweight items like salt.

ducati1212 · 01/14/2007, 10:07 AM

How is SeaChem Reef salt.???? I am thinking of using that

old salty · 01/14/2007, 10:38 AM

I've tried several salt brands. Though some seem to produce better results than others, I don't recall any specific brand causing algae problems. I only recently corrected a long term algae issue in my FW planted tank and that doesn't use any salt; it was a nitrate/phosphate issue.

ducati1212 · 01/14/2007, 10:42 AM

Well I have two issues probably causing my algea that have nothing to do with salt but I am trying to improve all areas of my tank because 1 issue I have to live with.

I tend to over feed. I have tried to stop, its a bad habit but I do.

I used the wrong substrate. Its agrogate but its larger grain size so it tends to hold just in it and have to be vacumed at water change.

I have the algae issue actually under control now but its far from gone. I thought if I could get a better salt it couldn't hurt

old salty · 01/14/2007, 01:25 PM

Overfeeding can be an issue, but there are remedies for this as well. I feed about 5-6 times a day, and have noticed that this is definitely a possible cause. I rinse all frozen foods in a brine shrimp net and then use RO water to suspend it in. I also use Rowaphos as an aid to keep phosphates in check. For nitrates, I do 10% water changes weekly and have slowly removed the sand from my tank. Not saying that you have to remove sand; my shallow SB seemed to collect detritus and became a nutrient sink. I also increased the flow in my tank and move the powerheads to different locations every other day or so. This helps re-stir the low flow areas and puts a lot of junk back into the water column where it is then removed with filter socks, skimmer, and fuge.

Old lights tend to grow algae on my FW tank; I have become much more aware of this and change the bulbs a bit more regularly.

ERICinFL · 01/14/2007, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ducati1212
How is SeaChem Reef salt.???? I am thinking of using that

I just tried this salt and the Mag was very low (900s). I'm sending off a sample from my bucket to Seachem. When I emailed them, they were surprised at how low it was. I've used Reef Crystals and I used Red Sea, before I started into SPS. I think I'm going to try the Red Sea Coral Pro next. I was very happy with the Red Sea when I just had softies and a couple of LPS.

01/14/2007, 09:40 AM	#1
ducati1212 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Mass Posts: 604	changing salt brands I have been using coralife scientific salt but because I have been having algae problems I want to try something else in the off chance that its the salt brand. I dont hear much good ro bad about coralife but what other brands are good.? Marine depot (I usually order from them) carry Kent marine Seachem Tropic Marine Coralife Thanks

01/14/2007, 10:38 AM	#5
old salty Genius Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: The Island of Misfit Toys Posts: 3,131	I've tried several salt brands. Though some seem to produce better results than others, I don't recall any specific brand causing algae problems. I only recently corrected a long term algae issue in my FW planted tank and that doesn't use any salt; it was a nitrate/phosphate issue. __________________ "The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers." Thomas Jefferson Current Tank Info: Out of the marine aquarium hobby

01/14/2007, 01:25 PM	#7
old salty Genius Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: The Island of Misfit Toys Posts: 3,131	Overfeeding can be an issue, but there are remedies for this as well. I feed about 5-6 times a day, and have noticed that this is definitely a possible cause. I rinse all frozen foods in a brine shrimp net and then use RO water to suspend it in. I also use Rowaphos as an aid to keep phosphates in check. For nitrates, I do 10% water changes weekly and have slowly removed the sand from my tank. Not saying that you have to remove sand; my shallow SB seemed to collect detritus and became a nutrient sink. I also increased the flow in my tank and move the powerheads to different locations every other day or so. This helps re-stir the low flow areas and puts a lot of junk back into the water column where it is then removed with filter socks, skimmer, and fuge. Old lights tend to grow algae on my FW tank; I have become much more aware of this and change the bulbs a bit more regularly. __________________ "The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers." Thomas Jefferson Current Tank Info: Out of the marine aquarium hobby

01/14/2007, 09:45 AM	#2
salty3 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Right here Posts: 894	You dont have IO on there. Dont like it? Thats what I use, but I'm having bad algae too. It's not from the salt though its from bad ro water, so far I've went to 6 places and all of it has 1 ppm phos in it. If you want IO cheap go to petsmarts web site and print there price off, take in to them and they will match the price. For a 160 gal bucket I paid 33.00.

01/14/2007, 09:46 AM	#3
sophia101 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 318	There are some good brands out there...Instant Ocean (IO) is a great brand. I currently use IO Reef Crystals for my corals etc but the normal is fine to and a little cheaper. Another great brand which is more expensive but has great reviews is Tropic Marine. That is a very pin point, ideal salt for any reef system. I haven't heard much about other brand of salt but those 3 brands are great. Good Luck! By the way www.drsfostersmith.com is prob. the best place to buy salt and other dry goods..very cheap and they charge normal prices for overweight items like salt.

01/14/2007, 10:07 AM	#4
ducati1212 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Mass Posts: 604	How is SeaChem Reef salt.???? I am thinking of using that

01/14/2007, 10:42 AM	#6
ducati1212 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Mass Posts: 604	Well I have two issues probably causing my algea that have nothing to do with salt but I am trying to improve all areas of my tank because 1 issue I have to live with. I tend to over feed. I have tried to stop, its a bad habit but I do. I used the wrong substrate. Its agrogate but its larger grain size so it tends to hold just in it and have to be vacumed at water change. I have the algae issue actually under control now but its far from gone. I thought if I could get a better salt it couldn't hurt