i use brightwell, i used reef crystals and tropic marin for some time with bad results and fluctuations and now that i have switched to using brightwell all of the problems i was having were fixed. it is a little bit more expensive anywhere from $20-$35 per bag (50g mix) depending on where you buy it or $50-$65 per bucket (150g mix) depending on where you buy it. pet connection in livonia has the cheapest price for brightwell, $20 per bag or $50 per bucket.