SPS Tanks/Salt mix

[fatman]

Originally Posted by Rcpilot

Interesting article:
http://www.northcoastmarines.com/salt_comparison.htm

I guess it's all junk except for Marine Environment.

I think I'm gonna just buy 2 or 3 buckets of different salts and mix them all together.

Funny how almost anybody can find one report that supports their desire to make money with a specific product. Ask a statistician how to get the reportable results you want and they will tell you get more data or opinions. Science is when different persons perform the same tests and get repeatable results, and when the methodology of those tests stands up to peer scrutiny as being the best methodology to use. One test is opinion and little more. Get enough opinions and someone will always eventually give the answer you always wanted. Besides trace elements are cheaply added and best supplied by dissolving aragonite in a deep sand bed.

[chaosfinity]

On the topic of salts having low hardness is there a cheaper way than buying aquarium dosing supplies to raise that to make the balance before dripping kalk? I ask this because i use Oceanic Natural Sea Salt and my dKH comes out at 6 with calcium at 420ppm i am content with the calcium but I use alot of reef builder bringing alk up to acceptable levels.

[fatman]

I would really question the accuracy of a dKH reading of only 6. You have almost no buffering capacity at all with a dKH of 6. Your Ph would drop at the toss of the hat. Check your pH at night a few hours after your lights go out. If your dKH was really that low your pH would drop severely at night as it would have to little buffer to cancel out the carbonic acid formed by the carbon dioxide that builds after the lights go out. Also you would have difficulty or maybe even find it impossible to maintain a high pH at any time with a low buffering capacity. A dKH of 8 is the bottom end of acceptable. I have heard of manufacturers sacrificing to much alkalinity to provide a high calcium level, but if your readings are accurate Oceanic is getting ridiculous. If that is a true reading I would change salt mixes, not try to balance out a mix that is that far out of proper proportions. You really do not need calcium levels above 350 if your not trying to make money growing corals. Growth of stoney corals and coraline will be slower, but your tank will be more stable with a high dKH and a moderate calcium level.