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Originally Posted by rroselavy My goal is to get my calcium up, and I am not sure if getting yet another bucket of Reef Crystals is going to do the trick. Perhaps I should go to another salt? |
You could go to another brand of salt but wait, what brand, what price and maybe have nothing better. I have some thoughts and experience on this dilemma.
In the old days, you know I'm from the old days,
IO was one of the first salts available and became the standard, or at least the most popular, salt. It was formulated for
FO tanks because we didn't know how to keep corals, etc, in a "reef" tank. So, the formula's calcium level when mixed properly came out at 350ppm by design. I heard that
IO, formulated to produce 450ppm
Ca, would be cloudy for hours. It had something to do with hobbyists wanting clear water instantly. So they found by mixing their formula to a
Ca level of 350ppm, it would clear in minutes. Since it had no ill effects on the critters we could keep back then, they went with the 350ppm
Ca formula. I don't know if that story is true but, it came from a reliable source in the industry.
Jump years forward when reefing became possible and 350ppm
Ca wasn't acceptable anymore, the manufacturer, with refinements in available chemicals, increased the
CA to mix at the sea water level level of 450ppm and called it "Reef Crystals". It was and still is a marketing ploy
IMO. With the popularity of
IO, they couldn't take a chance of losing market share so, the reformulated
IO, ie, "Reef Crystals" was marketed as new and advanced, especially formulated to keep our more delicate critters alive and thriving. Ah yes and because of this they could charge a premium price, too. That's a marketing ploy, in my humble opinion.
Do you need to spend more money for a premium salt to keep your reefs healthy and balanced?
NOT IN MY OPINION!!! This is my opinion based on 40 years experience exclusively using
IO in marine aquariums. This is what I've learned, believe in and use today.
IO is a fine salt mix. It's been around for ever and has proven itself time and time again. It just needs to be tweaked a bit when mixed. We all know to use
RO/DI water. I add concentrated
Ca to bring the
IO mixed water to 450ppm.
BINGO, I've got one of the best, least expensive, salt mixes, utilized by thousands, probably millions, of hobbyists around the world.
But the problem is a bit more complicated than just tweaking the mixed saltwater.
Magnesium levels play a huge role in the balance of our systems and many hobbyists don't test and in fact don't have a clue about it's importance. Mag,
Ca and
Ph/Alk work together to "balance" the water's ability to hold
Ca at levels our critters need to metabolize
Ca and build bone structure.
NSW has a Mag level of 1250ppm. When I discovered this and tested for the first time for Mag, my level was 850 and I could not keep my
CA level above 350. I'd dose to 450 and with in hours the level was 350 and days later 325. When I slowly dosed the Mag up to 1250/1300, magically my
Ca was easy to maintain at 450/500 for days. Dosing regular amounts of
Ca then became the norm again.
I also have strong beliefs in additive brands. I've been into marine aquariums long enough to know there was a day when there were
NO additives to add. Of course now days there are
TOO MANY additives on the market.
Many are worthless and unnecessary!!!
Over the years, I've tried every brand. Six years ago, the owner of Ocean's Blend gave me a gallon set of his 2 part additive. I have been "hooked" on it ever since. It has made a noticeable difference in the growth and color of my corals. If you are into Calcium reactors or pickling lime juice or any other source of Calcium, and you are satisfied with the results keep using what you got. But, if you have doubts about your system of
Ca replacement I recommend highly you give Ocean's Blend 2 part a try. It is Superior to anything I've used. They also have the Mag you need in it's purest form.
Being a TR sponsor, I'll make TR members an offer. Buy the gallon set of Ocean's Blend 2 part additive and a gallon of Magnesium, bought and shipped together, and use it until it is empty. Dose it according to instructions, test for
Ca, Mag,
Ph and
Alk regularly. If you are not happy with the results ship the empty containers back to me with a note why and I will refund your money. Why the gallon size? Because any thing smaller you may not see a difference. This stuff is great in my opinion. Here's the link...
Ocean's Blend additives
I hope this helped.
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