Anyone checked out the new salt prices @ GetTanked? Wow … that changed. verdict_in
Hence my recent change to Tropic Marin Pro Reef… 200 gallons for $79.99
Shawn convinced me to try it… we will see. I loved Get Tanked aside from being limited to certain batch sizes but I dealt with that.
Price before was competitive… not any more.
Where you two getting the TMPR?
Man…Crystal reef = $28 for 150 gallon? I think its worth to me to test and add in the needed supplements to equal my target chem. than buying $$$ salt.
Man...Crystal reef = $28 for 150 gallon
do you mean crystal seas?
if so, do a google search, you might change your mind!
Maybe…I have no idea! It’s the cheap ‘reef grade’ stuff from DPA. Unless it add’s phosphates I don’t care, cause I test for it! And no, it doesn’t seem to add phosphates over that what is from my source water.
Looks like most of the people that have problems ‘switched’ to the salt. I would never switch to a salt and would slowly move to a different salt (even it was tauted as being ‘better’) and check my chem before adding it to the tank, unless an emergency deems otherwise.
Sounds like you have all the answers. Good luck >LOL<
Seems like I’ve posted what I’ve researched and googled as you suggested. If that qualifies as ‘all the answers’ great! Sounds nice and easy, just research and your answer will be found.
Sounds like you’ve ‘already got all the answers’ since I’m supposedly so wrong for using crystal seas. Have you used or it just regurgitating what you’ve read on forums?
Didnt say you were wrong, i was simply offering my experience. Afterall, kaptken swears by the stuff.
Nope. I used it. Used a whole case with no noticeble effects(good or bad). Thought the same thing as you. I could simply use additives to bring the parameters in range. Bought a second case, crashed my tank with my first waterchange. Didnt want to belive it was the salt. Assumed it was something else. Stopped everything but the salt. My corals continued to degrade. Things started to turn around with my first waterchange using a different salt. I did a little homework on the salt after the fact. It would seem that my experience wasnt unique. You will find differing opinions on all saltmixes. Heck, Ron Shimek slammed the TMPR. However, the opinions are a little more lopsided with crystal seas than other saltmixes. I really wasnt attempting to be inflammatory, i guess ive had a long day. It just seems to me that no matter the advice your given, you simply do your own thing. Not that there isnt anything wrong with that, ill just save my breath for now on(or rather my keystrokes >LOL<)
Talk with ken, without a doubt he has had the most experience with crystal seas. I can only relate my own experiences. The regurgitation comment is ironic. Ask around, or read some of my previous posts, it happens to be one of my biggest pet peeves.
HE swears by it. He says they also have a reef salt that he does not have to doctor
Ted to answer you earlier question, I am getting the salt from DPA.
TY Andy. Not sure I’m switching. Had a long chat with Garry this afternoon. Still like the salt … a lot.
I use whatever Andy (4n4sd4) gets
Hey crazycracker when are we going to see a new thread from you in the “Members Tanks” forum. I’d love to see some pictures of what Andy… I mean you have done with your tank. lol
I am in the process of switching a couple of my tanks over to Tropic Marin Pro as well, little by little. I also get them from DPA. I think it is a little more then TPP, but I never go up that way and never don’t have that kind of time to get up there anyways. Considering my time and the unreliability of hobby test kits, it is worth it to use Tropic Marin Pro IMHO.
Ted, I am curious what Garry told you about the salt that made you stick?
Jon
Yes, many of the better rated salts are good. But for competitive reasons conflicting with my food bill, I have been using the MEI CRYSTAL SEA base salt for about 8 or 9 years. true, it seems a bit weak in Ca and Alk and Mg, but it was cheap at 20 bucks a box(150g) mix. for 5 years i used Sea Chem additives, Advantage Builder(alk) and Advantage Calcium, and some of there Mg crystals too. it worked fantastic and kept things growing real well. then i switched to the Randy DIY 3 part 3 years ago, and that works well with it too to keep the numbers up. so i opt for saving money by the DIY suppliments. recently i have been using the MEI Bio Assay Crystal Sea mix at DPA. its an upgrade, but not a stand alone. a little more testing and adjusting, but still seems fine. Im the low cost reefer. even though ive spent a fortune over time. My current reef problems are not slat related. more invasive species. but I’m working on them.
Ken the thing that bothers me even more about the salt mix being off in the Ca, Alk, and Mg departments… what else is off? You say those three are off, but those are also the only three you test for. What about Strontium which is also required for your corals to build there skeletons’ or iodine which other corals require to live and grow. As far as the pricing wit the cost of every additive on the shelf it costs more then starting off with a decent salt to begin with. Even if it seems cost effective, add in the costs of test kits(which don’t last forever) and the time it takes to run the tests(and do you ever trust the hobby grade test kits?)
I suppose you can go by the rule “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”, but I try to provide the best for my animals and even if they aren’t dyeing I always wonder if there is something I can do to get them to color up more, grow faster, and just be healthier.
One last “what if” I’ll throw at you and then I’ll leave it be as I know you love your MEI salt. Last year at the NJRC frag swap you mentioned that you had never seen sexual reproduction in some of your corals which Eric Bornenmen mentioned should spawn in captivity. Now perhaps it may be because of your fragging, but what if there was a certain element which was not in a high enough concentration in your water for them to be able to produce. They save up energy for a long time to release there gametes and exhaust most of there resources in doing so. It wouldn’t surprise me if one element being lacking in your salt would cause the halt in any attempt as sexual reproduction in your stony corals.
Jon, you can test for strontium and iodine and there are supplements for each. Not sure of the cost of those so I can’t comment. Ca, alk, and mag supplements are dirt cheap. I’ve invested in the test kits already and would use them regardless of the ‘best’ salt or the ‘worst’. Provided your salt is adequately mixed (dry) then your supplements shouldn’t vary much and you aren’t testing anymore then with the ‘best’ salt.
If there is something other than ca, alk, mag, strontium, iodine in these salts that make them so much better, what is it?
I do think that it would be MUCH easier and more precise using a perfectly mixed salt every time and doing frequent water changes, but I won’t due that many water changes and even less so with an expensive salt. I would rather extend time between water changes by replenishing the lost elements.
Again after more research I’ve found that almost all the people with the issues with the Crystal seas have had their problem arise from suddenly shifting to the new salt. I would imagine if a particular salt was a problem it would take at least several water changes into the new batch for it’s problems to show. I say it should take several water changes because you should be weening off of the old salt and onto the new one slowly. Everyone always tauts that everything in this hobby should be done slowly, how is using a different salt any different (batch to batch, product to product).
I would like to try some of the Tropic Marin and test it out and I haven’t ever so maybe all my comments are mute, but a very significant difference would have to be shown.
So my question to all. What is in a marine salt?
[quote=“IanH, post:19, topic:593”]
Jon, you can test for strontium and iodine and there are supplements for each. Not sure of the cost of those so I can’t comment. Ca, alk, and mag supplements are dirt cheap. I’ve invested in the test kits already and would use them regardless of the ‘best’ salt or the ‘worst’. Provided your salt is adequately mixed (dry) then your supplements shouldn’t vary much and you aren’t testing anymore then with the ‘best’ salt.
If there is something other than ca, alk, mag, strontium, iodine in these salts that make them so much better, what is it?
I do think that it would be MUCH easier and more precise using a perfectly mixed salt every time and doing frequent water changes, but I won’t due that many water changes and even less so with an expensive salt. I would rather extend time between water changes by replenishing the lost elements.
Again after more research I’ve found that almost all the people with the issues with the Crystal seas have had their problem arise from suddenly shifting to the new salt. I would imagine if a particular salt was a problem it would take at least several water changes into the new batch for it’s problems to show. I say it should take several water changes because you should be weening off of the old salt and onto the new one slowly. Everyone always tauts that everything in this hobby should be done slowly, how is using a different salt any different (batch to batch, product to product).
I would like to try some of the Tropic Marin and test it out and I haven’t ever so maybe all my comments are mute, but a very significant difference would have to be shown.
So my question to all. What is in a marine salt?[/quote]
Is there a reason why you try to extend the time between water changes? Maybe I misunderstood what you wrote. My systems have always responded well with 15-20% water changes twice a month. I Like TMP because I don’t have to supplement anything. It mixes up well and my corals look great. I don’t think simply changing salt is going to be a problem unless of course the new salt is lacking in something or has something that is irritating to the corals. For example I was given a free 160g bucket of IO. I have been using this for the past 3 water changes because , hey it was free. I have added calcium and mag to bring the levels up and my corals and fish look just fine. IO has a great reputation and not many complaints out there. I did not acclimate my corals to the new salt and they were fine.