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. In the list Im going to provide you will see that I label each marine salt for you as synthetic or mined. It will build up in your containers over time and those containers can be expensive to replace. The advantages of this packing are many: You can mix up a batch without ever having to check the salinity. Chain stores do not carry it and you will mostly see higher end local fish stores that specialize in marine livestock carry them. You could purchase a 50-gallon bag of Instant Ocean sea salt for around $25. Discussing the best reef salt mixes is always a passionate discussion among reefers and saltwater aquarists. If you follow reef YouTubers around, you likely have heard of Fritz Reef Pro Mix. 2. (And Should You Use Them), What Are Blood Worms? If your aquarium has been up and running for at least 6 months, we recommend Instant Ocean Sea Salt . But here is a direct quote from Instant Ocean themselves. 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. All rights reserved. Coral Pros Alkalinity of 12 dKH makes it ideal for mixed reefs and SPS frag tanks. Below is a list of common questions I get asked. JavaScript is disabled. Rated 4.5439 out of 5 stars . Fortunately I have been taking things nice and slow and enjoying the establishing process of building a nice tank and listening to other reefers and learning in the process instead of jumping all in. Brightwell is the best value for mixed and SPS reefs. If you've ever been to an aquarium, you might have experienced stingrays firsthand at a touch tank. I have a 40 gallon tank with a few fish, a growing clam (3 inches currently), and lps corals. Keep reading. The stability and quality control of this mix makes this pretty much a must for those with the most demanding corals like Acroporas. This high alkalinity mixture tests between 9.5-13 DKh depending on the water temperature. The main difference between Instant Ocean Sea Salt and Reef Crystals is that Reef Crystals contain higher levels of magnesium and calcium. Each year, he continues to help his readers and clients with knowledge, professional builds, and troubleshooting. They make Instant Ocean sea salt and Instant Ocean Reef Crystals. 5. 1.2 Instant Ocean Salt Review; 1.3 Bright Well Salt Review; 1.4 Aquaforest Reef Salt Review; 2 Marine Salt Buying guide. Reef Crystals Salt Mix - Bulk Reef Supply You can learn more about their process in the video below: Red seacoral pro salt is one of the more trusted mixes used by frag sellers and SPS stick heads. We're sorry, oversized items on this page cannot be shipped by air. Two of the most popular options are Instant Oceans Reef Crystals and Sea Salt. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. ssmallville June 19, 2012. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Reef Crystals is underweight to produce 50 US gallons at aquarium needs. Saltwater aquarium hobbyists who plan on keeping corals, especially stony corals, will benefit from the added Magnesium and Calcium seen in Reef Crystals . We use affiliate links and may receive a small commission on purchases. Read more on How to mix salt properly here. Best Aquarium Reef Sea Salt | Instant Ocean This relates most to reef tank owners. The #1 choice of hobbyists, public aquariums, and scientific research facilities, Instant Our Reef Cleaner Packages are Wild Collected they let you naturally control algae, maintain crystal clear water, and keep your sand bed sifted. SW is the seawater concentration of Nozaki, 1994. Fritz Reef Pro Mix (RPM) High Alkalinity Formula is manufactured using only the highest quality raw materials. There are a few differences between the Instant Ocean sea salt and Reef crystals. Copyright 2023 Salt Tank Report. However, the main benefit of Reef Crystals over Instant Ocean are elevated calcium and magnesium concentrations. 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. 134 g per 1 US-gallon (3.785 L) of purified water yields a specific gravity of ~1.025 g/cm3, with a pH of ~8.30 and alkalinity of ~7.5 dKH. Just take the price of the salt and divide it by the amount of salt that it makes in gallons. Continue with Recommended Cookies. There are even tanks where people do not dose, so a mix with evaluated parameters will make the most sense for those people. If you keep clams or SPS, you're going to need to dose regardless. 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. So I feel like Im back to square one. I recommend using this refractometer. While both products are renowned as being the best on the market, they are notably different, and its very important to know these differences before deciding which one you want to fill your tank with.The first thing you need to think about when deciding between the two is exactly what kind of aquarium you have or hope to have. Nano reef tanks are good candidates for a salt mix with higher parameters since they sometimes are not dosed as they rely on water changes to get parameters back up. Nicole has a Bachelors degree in Coastal Geography from the University of Victoria, and is originally from Vancouver Canada. There is very little difference between Reef Crystals and it's sister product Instant Ocean. Salinity: 35 ppt (1.0264 sg)| Ca: 400-450 ppm| Mg: 1300-1400 pp|Alkalinity: 8.0-9.0 dKH. Recommended Specific Gravity Range: 1.020-1.026 at 77F. Thanks everyone. Reef Crystals scored 26 out of 100 in the S-15 Report. Instant Ocean Sea Salt vs. Instant Ocean Reef Crystals The Facts About Reef Crystals - Aqua Craft We have been using reef crystals, but have noticed lots of hair algae recently. If you have any thoughts or opinions about these products, feel free to share them in the comments section, and don't forget to check out our marketplace and community forum. With brand names like Instant Ocean and Red Sea dominating online and Fritzs presence at local fish stores, AquaForest is unknown to most hobbyist. These are controlled systems where visitors can extend their hands into the water with the hopes that a stingray will swim by to be touched. Instant Ocean is a legacy aquarium product found at most local fish stores. FREE 1-3 day shipping on this item. Instant Ocean Reef Crystals can be as high as 13, which can be disastrous to an SPS tank after a water change. Excludes Frozen Foods. One extra caveat is to test every single batch of salt you buy. You can be confident that whichever option you choose, you're getting a product that has been a favorite among hobbyists for many years. 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. Those 2 salts are the only one that Triton is recommending. Because water conditions at different locations vary tremendously, a commercial dechlorinator is recommended to completely neutralize any concentrations of chlorine and/or chloramines. Instant Ocean is engineered to closely match natural seawater, and Reef Crystals are enriched to facilitate the. It has now been 2 years and thinks seem to be going well. When used correctly, Instant Ocean Sea Salt and Reef Crystals will set the pH of a tank between 8.0 to 8.3, and kH levels between 7-10 dKH. Instant Ocean Crystals Budget Friendly, 4. In general, salt comes in two formulas standards alkalinity (7-8dkh) and high alkalinity (10-12dkh) with different manufacturers offering variations in the trace elements. Although the Reef Crystals solution may be used immediately, we suggest aerating the water until it achieves oxygen/carbon dioxide equilibrium. Instant Ocean Reef Crystals Reef Salt Review - Petsnetic I dont have a hardcore acro tank, but if I did I would be running Tropic Marin or AquaForest. This saves some time on your end and reduces any chance of irritating the water during the mixing process. Instant Ocean Sea Salt is the most used sea salt in the world. With over a decade of aquarium experience, Miles can be found writing about saltwater and freshwater aquariums. The parameters out of the boxes are perfect and makes it very safe to make water changes so you dont have to worry about swings when you make a water change. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Tropic Marin 375 10 1230. They started in Europe in the late 1990s and recently entered into the US Market. Salinity: 35 ppt (1.0264 sg)| Ca: 430 ppm| Mg: 1290 ppm|Alkalinity: 8.0 dKH. AccuraSea1 is formulated to simulate natural seawater, and its packaged as a plurality of precisely weighed packs. 10 Best Reef Salts For Fish Tanks [Buyers Guide] - Your Aquarium Guide This is the main reason I stopped selling salt mixes online. Then there is fish only and fish only with live rock (FOWLR) setups. Both salts contain these elements but the reef crystals contain more essential ocean reef elements at greater concentrations than natural seawater. Its actually easier than you think. 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. Reef Crystals 490 13 1440. Instant Ocean - Ever wonder what the difference is between - Facebook Professional Sea Salt contains all of the important macro and tra. It is the thing that makes the water in your aquarium salty and helps you replicate natural reef waters. There are actually two mixes Red Sea sells. USAGE NOTE: NEVER mix salt in an aquarium containing animals. Best Reef Salt - Top 5 Tank Salt Ranked And Reviewed 2023 Adjust salt level accordingly. Coral FREE WITH ANY ORDER.  JUST ADD TO YOUR CART WITH MERCHANDISE AND IT WILL BE FREE. Aquarium Salt Mix Guide - That Pet Place . Aquarium Store Depotis a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Brightwell Aquatics Neomarine The Choice For Worldwide Corals, 3. Yes, fortunately many LFS around us supply Fritz because they have built a massive marketing machine promoting their products. 2.2 Pros & Cons. Create listings for FREE and gain access to tools and services that can help your online aquarium business flourish. Manufacturer's Mixing Instructions: Remember: I recommend that you do not use a calculator for this. By the way any links on this page that lead to products on Amazon and other stores/partners are affiliate links. 1 Overview. Thank you for visiting! Social Share:- You must log in or register to reply here. There is a price difference between the two salts. If you like levels that are higher, Reef Crystals is probably an easier option for you. Although the Reef crystals can be used right away, we suggest aerating the water until it achieves oxygen/carbon equilibrium. Every 4 months you would have enough salt leftover for an extra month. Enriched formulation. His place is a coral farm and theres no doubting his success with corals. At this point, you may need to humanely euthanize your fish. AquariaCentral.com, a division of Monster Aquaria Network, LLC. In a hurry? Measure specific gravity with an Instant Ocean hydrometer. If you have a fish-only saltwater tank and want to save some money, go with the sea salt mix. Used by public aquariums and research facilities. It really depends on what corals you are planning to keep. Copyright 2023, LiveAquaria. 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. Red Sea Salt contains moderately elevated and balanced levels of thefoundation elements(Calcium, Magnesium, Bicarbonates) necessary for sustainable coral growth.