Table Salt

kae · 06/28/2007, 02:23 PM

What ingredients and in what quantity do I have to add to table salt in order to make it useable for macroalgae? I'm planning to set up a macroalgae only tank, no coral, no fish, no invertebrate so I think there is no need to use brand name saltmix. This tank is not set up for beauty purpose but for culture purpose. The only thing I need is the growth of macroalgae. Does anybody has a DIY salt recipe that can serve my purpose?

Thank you.

bertoni · 06/28/2007, 04:40 PM

I'm not sure how a macroalga would respond to a table salt solution, but I'd expect it to die quickly. There are DIY salt mixes around, but they're not very practical unless you have access to low-cost specialty chemicals. I just used water discarded during water changes.

Henry Bowman · 06/28/2007, 05:54 PM

Table salt has iodine in it. It is added to regular salt so that we can get the trace iodine in our system that we need (humans). It is food grade BUT, the FDA allows certain particulate matter in foods (read unknown ingredients and particulate matter). I would definitely NOT use any salt that is produced as food for a saltwater organism, it's not the same stuff.

Nor would I salt my steak with Instant Ocean ;-)

FWIW, I am an ACF Certified Chef and know more about food than I do my saltwater tank.

My .02 cents

old salty · 06/28/2007, 08:35 PM

Whenever I need to give my plants in my FW tank a boost, I add potassium nitrate and potassium phosphate. If you really want to go one step further, CO2 injection would really make algae thrive.

Dell2go · 06/29/2007, 02:08 PM

Great info Henry, thanks.

06/28/2007, 02:23 PM	#1
kae Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bangkok, Thailand Posts: 322	Table Salt What ingredients and in what quantity do I have to add to table salt in order to make it useable for macroalgae? I'm planning to set up a macroalgae only tank, no coral, no fish, no invertebrate so I think there is no need to use brand name saltmix. This tank is not set up for beauty purpose but for culture purpose. The only thing I need is the growth of macroalgae. Does anybody has a DIY salt recipe that can serve my purpose? Thank you.

06/28/2007, 04:40 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I'm not sure how a macroalga would respond to a table salt solution, but I'd expect it to die quickly. There are DIY salt mixes around, but they're not very practical unless you have access to low-cost specialty chemicals. I just used water discarded during water changes. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

06/28/2007, 05:54 PM	#3
Henry Bowman Reefing since '87 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Allegheny Mountains of VA Posts: 2,162	Table salt has iodine in it. It is added to regular salt so that we can get the trace iodine in our system that we need (humans). It is food grade BUT, the FDA allows certain particulate matter in foods (read unknown ingredients and particulate matter). I would definitely NOT use any salt that is produced as food for a saltwater organism, it's not the same stuff. Nor would I salt my steak with Instant Ocean ;-) FWIW, I am an ACF Certified Chef and know more about food than I do my saltwater tank. My .02 cents __________________ Have a good'un Current Tank Info: 90 gl SPS dominant / upgrade in the works

06/28/2007, 08:35 PM	#4
old salty Genius Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: The Island of Misfit Toys Posts: 3,131	Whenever I need to give my plants in my FW tank a boost, I add potassium nitrate and potassium phosphate. If you really want to go one step further, CO2 injection would really make algae thrive. __________________ "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

06/29/2007, 02:08 PM	#5
Dell2go Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Falls Church, VA Posts: 103	Great info Henry, thanks.