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What salt, again?


TNoel

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Hi All,

I've been hanging around here for awhile, and I thought I would get some opinions on an old subject. I've had my tank for about a year now. For the first six months everything was great. Then things began to change. String alea appeared, Coralline growth slowed, and my softies don't open up like they used to. I have been using Crystal Seas bioassay formula exclusivley.

I have read here where a couple of people change with good results. I am just wondering what the current trends are for salt brands . Liquid sunshine says they are using Seachem. Has anybody tried Seachem? What brands do you guys think have the best chemistry/consistency, and least problems?

 

Thanks, Tom

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You will get many different answers to this question.

 

For cheapest and the 'longevitiy' you will probably hear Instant Ocean.

Some will say Oceanic. And so on and so forth. So I think if you do some looking around to what you can get easily and often...... do some research and use one you think is the best.

 

That said I'm using Kent right now.

 

I know that is not the answer you are looking for but, I'm sure you will hear alot of answers.

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Yup, I've got a different answer -- unless you're using a problem salt (for example, some people are finding batches of Reef Crystals with deficient Ca or Alk), I doubt your problems are salt related. At six months, your tank is still maturing so phases of cyano, GHA, diatoms, etc shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.

 

Have you checked your levels lately? Also, GHA is a sign of excessive phosphate; are you feeding flake food?

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Have you checked your levels lately? Also, GHA is a sign of excessive phosphate; are you feeding flake food?

 

I feed once per day with ON formula one pellets. and usually twice a week I feed frozen mysis. My tank is a 55 gal with about 15 gal worth of sump/refug capacity. I do weekly 15 gal H20 changes.

the tank readings I get are

Amm = 0

Nitrites = 0

Nitrates = 0

pH = 8.2-8.4

Phos = 0

Cal = 280 (same as freshly made Crystal Seas)

carb = 8

 

I've been trying to raise the calcium and carb numbers with kalk and liquid calcium, but I am going slow trying not to over do it.

 

I have read here on other posts that some poeple have changed thier salt brands and cured similar problems.

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Kalk and liquid calcium products are fine for maintaining calcium levels, but won't help you raise your levels -- for that you need a product like Kent's Turbo Calcium (along with an alkalinity source like Reef Builder, or baking soda). You might also check your magnesium level along the way, if it is low you can have trouble raising your Ca/alk; not saying it is, just something to keep in mind.

 

It sounds like your system is similar in size to mine. I feed two cubes of frozen mysis or gut-packed brine shrimp each day, along with nori -- this to feed a yellow tang, a flame angel, 2 ocellaris clowns and a Banggai cardinal. What's your bio-load like?

 

At the core, problems with GHA, cyano, etc are symptoms of too many nutrients in the water column. I'd look towards that pellet food...

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I usually use Oceanic, but recently picked up some Red Sea to use. I've only done 2 WCs with the Red Sea, and it mixes up low in alk(luckily the cheapest thing to buffer), but so far so good. I have nothing but positive things to say about Oceanic, even though i had a batch with low alk once.

 

I wouldn't even use Instant Ocean to salt down my frozen driveway for fear of algae issues springing up.

 

I feed similar to andy - 2 cubes of either mysis, enriched brine, emerald entree, plankton, and some cyclopeeze each day. I melt the frozen cubes under tap water in a small strainer, then run RO over the thawed food, and finally into the tank. I've got 2 clowns, 1 desjardini tang, 1 sunburst anthia, 1 mandarin dragonette in my 75 gal tank.

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Thanks, i'm pretty proud of myself so far. I didn't use to do that, but with the cyano problem i wanted to eliminate anything and everything that might add to excess nutrients. To be honest, i don't think it really helps. On a mature and healthy tank like yours i wouldn't do it.

 

I need to get me some Selcon. Its like 17 bucks a bottle down here.

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It sounds like your system is similar in size to mine. I feed two cubes of frozen mysis or gut-packed brine shrimp each day, along with nori -- this to feed a yellow tang, a flame angel, 2 ocellaris clowns and a Banggai cardinal. What's your bio-load like?

 

At the core, problems with GHA, cyano, etc are symptoms of too many nutrients in the water column. I'd look towards that pellet food...

 

For fish I have 2 ocellaris, small sailfin tang, Coral Beauty, 6 line wrasse, and a tangaroa goby.

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On Mondays' date=' Wednesdays and Fridays I add 3 or 4 drops of Selcon before feeding.[/quote']

Typical guy like myself, don't read the instructions :) You're supposed to remember to let it soak into the food. If you haven't tried it overnight, do, it turns the food pink and figure most goes into the fish rather than leaching into the water.

 

 

I need to get me some Selcon. Its like 17 bucks a bottle down here.

 

It was $18 here too :(. Smells like fish eggs to me (scratch)

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Impur, has the change to Red Sea Coral Pro seemed to help with the Zoa problem you talked about a while back? Did you find some other problem, or are you still working on it. I am having a similar problem and I'm hoping a salt change will help. Any other suggestions.

Tom

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Impur, has the change to Red Sea Coral Pro seemed to help with the Zoa problem you talked about a while back? Did you find some other problem, or are you still working on it. I am having a similar problem and I'm hoping a salt change will help. Any other suggestions.

Tom

 

I have only done 2 WCs with the Red Sea salt, one this last Monday and the other last Tuesday. I have noticed recently, and as recent as last night, that a few of my zoas that have been closed for several months are starting to open again. I can't say that the salt led to this, as i've been very diligent in my husbandry, moreso than at any other time in keeping a reef tank. Perhaps it was this coupled with a change to this salt that spurred the positive changes? I can't really say for sure.

 

As Nyles stated, if you ever need any help feel free to shoot me a pm. I'd love to come by and check out your tank, talk reefkeeping with ya for a bit, help out wherever you need it if I can.

 

 

Miles

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