Preferred Salt Mix

[Tom@HaslettMI]

I use Tropic Marin and like it a lot. I used IO in the past with no issues but Preuss uses and sells TM by the bucket.

As for the no need to dose advise... +1 to what Poseidon said.

[ReeferRob]

Well Im using the ESV 4 part mix these days. For the last 7 weeks to be exact. I'm dosing half as much alk and calc as I was with RC. I've been told by Bella that he can see a difference in the coral colors.
Very happy and don't plan on switching anytime soon!

[Tom@HaslettMI]

Well Im using the ESV 4 part mix these days.

Educate me Rob... when you say 4 part does that really mean you have to mix 4 different components? If so, what are the ingredients of each and why separate them?

Thanks,
Tom

[ReeferRob]

Educate me Rob... when you say 4 part does that really mean you have to mix 4 different components? If so, what are the ingredients of each and why separate them?

Thanks,
Tom

Yes, I actually mix 4 separate parts into the water.

For a 50 gallon/417 lbs of water mix I add, 15 cups or 10 lbs. of Sodium Chloride, 5 cups or 2.75 lbs. of Magnesium Sulfate Heltahydrate, 64 fl. oz of Component A and 32 fl. oz. of Component B.

The advantages are that it does not contain any of the artificial binding agents and preservatives that typically go into a bucket of salt mix.

It mixes clean and clear in seconds, and can be used in minutes. Where as salt like RC requires hours to properly mix, balance, clear, and stabilize before use.

Corals and fish have zero reaction or acclimation period after a water changes.

Zero residue build up in mixing vat, and the smell is much more pleasant.

[AZDesertRat]

I started with IO 25+ years ago as it was about all I could get and it worked well. I later switched to Red Sea and actually had better results. I have been using Oceanic for the last 7 years and am very happy with the calcium levels but have to buffer the alkalinity or mix it with IO so it balances out.
I tried Ocean Pure for awhile and found it to be very consistent and well balanced but do not find it anywhere around here now.

[igot2gats]

If you ask me, I say that there's no need to change if you're not having any problems.

Consistency is a key factor for success in this hobby. If it's not broke, don't fix it.

[cherrycorals]

ESV!, ESV!, ESV!

Its the best salt we at Cherry Corals have ever used and since none of the brick and mortar stores have decided to carry it we have decided to stock it.

This salt combined with the Fauna Marin products have been soooo good to us!

[CalmSeasQuest]

I've always used Reef Crystals - It's worked well and seems very consistent allowing me to fine tune using 2-part and kalk/ATO

[nate_newton]

Is the ESV easy to mix in smaller amounts like 5 gallons?

[Paul_PSU]

I started with IO 25+ years ago as it was about all I could get and it worked well. I later switched to Red Sea and actually had better results. I have been using Oceanic for the last 7 years and am very happy with the calcium levels but have to buffer the alkalinity or mix it with IO so it balances out.
I tried Ocean Pure for awhile and found it to be very consistent and well balanced but do not find it anywhere around here now.

I have been using Oceanic for the past 2 years. I like to run my Ca/Mag/Alk high.