synthetic sea salt question

ghostrida3 · 05/14/2007, 05:21 PM

ive hard that the synthetic sea salts such as reefcrystals, etc... can declhlorinate water so buying prime is not necessary during a water change. is this true?

Tennsquire · 05/14/2007, 05:31 PM

I think most folks use RO water, which makes dechlorinators unnecessary. I don't know if the salt mixture itself does that, but most local water supplies contain things detrimental to reef tanks.

MrZ · 05/14/2007, 05:32 PM

Right on the container of instant ocean (same manufacturer) it says that you must dechlorinate the water prior to mixing up saltwater. You could do this by using something like prime that has sodium thoisulfate in it to remove the chlorine and chloramine. Or you could aerate the water for a full 24 hours prior to mixing to gas off the chlorine.

But by far your best option is to invest in an inexpensive RO/DI unit to produce very pure water for both mixing synthetic salt and for doing top-offs for evaporation. This way you can remove the chlorine and all the other junk that will come along with municipal water like phosphates, copper, flourides, etc.

Using good quality water and doing periodic water changes with fresh saltwater can very well be the difference between a sweet looking reeftank and a glass box filled with rock and algae.

ghostrida3 · 05/14/2007, 05:37 PM

yeah i agree, ime using it for a fish only quarintine tank and wasnt concerned about the phosphate level. i read an article in marine reef last year that stated that all salt mixes decloranate water just the manufacters dont admit it b/c the majority of them make dechlorinators.

MrZ · 05/14/2007, 05:48 PM

Interesting - you should see if you can find the article and post it over in the reef chemistry forum and see if someone wants to take a crack at it.
-Z

05/14/2007, 05:21 PM	#1
ghostrida3 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: marietta, ga Posts: 477	synthetic sea salt question ive hard that the synthetic sea salts such as reefcrystals, etc... can declhlorinate water so buying prime is not necessary during a water change. is this true?

05/14/2007, 05:31 PM	#2
Tennsquire Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 1,399	I think most folks use RO water, which makes dechlorinators unnecessary. I don't know if the salt mixture itself does that, but most local water supplies contain things detrimental to reef tanks. __________________ Nothin' left to do but smile, smile, smile.... Current Tank Info: 75 reef (2x 250 ReefOptix IIIs, AB 10k bulbs w/ 330 watt VHO, EuroReef RC135 skimmer, multicontrolled Tunze 6095's X2); 40 sps prop tank (Outer Orbit Pro 150, Euroreef CS6-1+ skimmer); 20 softie prop tank

05/14/2007, 05:32 PM	#3
MrZ Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Menasha WI Posts: 618	Right on the container of instant ocean (same manufacturer) it says that you must dechlorinate the water prior to mixing up saltwater. You could do this by using something like prime that has sodium thoisulfate in it to remove the chlorine and chloramine. Or you could aerate the water for a full 24 hours prior to mixing to gas off the chlorine. But by far your best option is to invest in an inexpensive RO/DI unit to produce very pure water for both mixing synthetic salt and for doing top-offs for evaporation. This way you can remove the chlorine and all the other junk that will come along with municipal water like phosphates, copper, flourides, etc. Using good quality water and doing periodic water changes with fresh saltwater can very well be the difference between a sweet looking reeftank and a glass box filled with rock and algae. __________________ -Rob Current Tank Info: 54g Mixed Reef, 20g Softy Tank, 15g QT

05/14/2007, 05:48 PM	#5
MrZ Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Menasha WI Posts: 618	Interesting - you should see if you can find the article and post it over in the reef chemistry forum and see if someone wants to take a crack at it. -Z __________________ -Rob Current Tank Info: 54g Mixed Reef, 20g Softy Tank, 15g QT

05/14/2007, 05:37 PM	#4
ghostrida3 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: marietta, ga Posts: 477	yeah i agree, ime using it for a fish only quarintine tank and wasnt concerned about the phosphate level. i read an article in marine reef last year that stated that all salt mixes decloranate water just the manufacters dont admit it b/c the majority of them make dechlorinators.