Sea Salt

[Groovok]

What's the Best Salt out there when setting up a new Sal****er tank? I've
heard and read so many different things.. my friend swears by Tropic Marin
.... my other friends swear on Kent.. any suggestions... I want to set up a
90 gallon fish only tank over the next like two weeks with a Naso Tang, a
Picasso Trigger and maybe one or two other fish.. I have a excellent wet/dry
filter ready to go...but want to make sure a get a descent salt.. i'm going
to have a very very thin layer of reef sand (less than half inch deep) on
the bottom. I want a couple of Chocolate chip Stars in the tank as well..

[~Roy~]

Take a piece of paper, and write down the names of all the salt you
can think or. Place a number besides the name of the salt
manufacturer, put a number.

Now get a pair of dice and roll em. Whatever number comes up thats the
salt.......Other than that, its really personal preference. What you
may like someone else has issues with...its along the lines of whats
better Ford or Chevy and odds are the salt debate will go on forever.

If I was just starting up a tank, I would pick a salt that is
reasonably priced, readily available and give it try. Down the road,
if yu think it needs help, its not a problem to swap salt brands
during water changes. I liked Tropic MArin myself, but around here
its a lkot more pricey than IO is, and it did not do anything more for
my tanks so I was not willing to spend money for somehting that was
not giving any better results than cheap IO or Oceanic salt mixes....

Regards


On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 16:59:46 GMT, "Groovok" >
wrote:
>><>What's the Best Salt out there when setting up a new Sal****er tank? I've
>><>heard and read so many different things.. my friend swears by Tropic Marin
>><>... my other friends swear on Kent.. any suggestions... I want to set up a
>><>90 gallon fish only tank over the next like two weeks with a Naso Tang, a
>><>Picasso Trigger and maybe one or two other fish.. I have a excellent wet/dry
>><>filter ready to go...but want to make sure a get a descent salt.. i'm going
>><>to have a very very thin layer of reef sand (less than half inch deep) on
>><>the bottom. I want a couple of Chocolate chip Stars in the tank as well..
>><>

--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....

[Pszemol]

"~Roy~" > wrote in message ...
> its along the lines of whats better Ford or Chevy

This is quite simple... Of course: Toyota :-)))))

> If I was just starting up a tank, I would pick a salt that is
> reasonably priced, readily available and give it try.

For fish-only setup I would go with the cheapest salt mix available on the market.
In my area it is Instant Ocean, and this is what I use to breed maroon clownfish.

BTW - anybody from Chicagoland interested in picking
some maroon clownfish youngsters sized about 3.5-4cm from me ?
(4cm is slightly more than 1 1/2")

[Pszemol]

"miskairal" > wrote in message u...
> Why did you throw the rest away?

It did not taste good in his soup ? ;-)
Just kidding... I do not understand why either.

[Wayne Sallee]

There was also a nice long thread about what's the best
salt, just a few weeks ago You can read that thread on google.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Groovok wrote on 2/17/2006 11:59 AM:
> What's the Best Salt out there when setting up a new Sal****er tank? I've
> heard and read so many different things.. my friend swears by Tropic Marin
> .... my other friends swear on Kent.. any suggestions... I want to set up a
> 90 gallon fish only tank over the next like two weeks with a Naso Tang, a
> Picasso Trigger and maybe one or two other fish.. I have a excellent wet/dry
> filter ready to go...but want to make sure a get a descent salt.. i'm going
> to have a very very thin layer of reef sand (less than half inch deep) on
> the bottom. I want a couple of Chocolate chip Stars in the tank as well..
>
>

[George Patterson]

miskairal wrote:
> Why did you throw the rest away?

Well, we guestimated the amount to mix when we set up the tank. Added a bit
later to get the SG correct. That left enough salt in the bucket to make up 50
or 60 gallons of water.

I usually make up about 27 gallons at a time in a big trash can. I usually buy a
box the right size for 25 gallons of water. It all works out ok. I didn't want
to be playing around adding salt a little at a time to get the SG correct for
the next two water changes.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

[Someone Somewhere]

Eric Borneman is conducting a very complete Best Synthetic Sea
salt study at the University of Houston where he teaches. You can
follow the progress at www.marshreef.com . The Marine Aquarium
and Reef Society of Houston. Click on the link to check it out.

http://www.marshreef.com/modules.php?name=Forums

His project is called : Proposed Study of Salts , you can
find a doc file presentation given by Eric at the marshreef site.



"Groovok" > wrote in message
news:6inJf.147$HU.136@trnddc04...
> What's the Best Salt out there when setting up a new Sal****er tank? I've
> heard and read so many different things.. my friend swears by Tropic Marin
> ... my other friends swear on Kent.. any suggestions... I want to set up a
> 90 gallon fish only tank over the next like two weeks with a Naso Tang, a
> Picasso Trigger and maybe one or two other fish.. I have a excellent
> wet/dry filter ready to go...but want to make sure a get a descent salt..
> i'm going to have a very very thin layer of reef sand (less than half inch
> deep) on the bottom. I want a couple of Chocolate chip Stars in the tank
> as well..
>

[adv_aqua]

I use 6-10 cases per week i.e. 10 cases x 4 bags = 200 Gallons x 10 = 2000
GL week of Instant Ocean because it dissolves well on site. As a 20 yr
sal****er vetern I have tried all the mixes - there are subtle differences
between all of them, and quality control and consistency of mix are what you
pay for in more expensive mixes. Also the quantity of trace elements,
strontium for ex is very $ and not necessary for FO systems anyway. You need
to tailor your needs with your mix. Reefkeepers should choose salt very
carefully. Here at www.advancedaquarium.com
we like IO because its extremely consistant with very high quality control
standards they have been making salt at IO longer than anyone except maybe
Forty Fathoms.

Pomacanthus
www.advancedaquarium.com








"Groovok" > wrote in message
news:6inJf.147$HU.136@trnddc04...
> What's the Best Salt out there when setting up a new Sal****er tank? I've
> heard and read so many different things.. my friend swears by Tropic Marin
> ... my other friends swear on Kent.. any suggestions... I want to set up a
> 90 gallon fish only tank over the next like two weeks with a Naso Tang, a
> Picasso Trigger and maybe one or two other fish.. I have a excellent
> wet/dry filter ready to go...but want to make sure a get a descent salt..
> i'm going to have a very very thin layer of reef sand (less than half inch
> deep) on the bottom. I want a couple of Chocolate chip Stars in the tank
> as well..
>

[~Roy~]

Thats great to be able to throw perfectly good salt away due to not
wanting to store or measure it. There has been a few times I sure
wished I had just 1/2 cup more salt..........Its not a big deal to add
a little salt or water to adjust........at least not to me. And a
buck saved is a buck I can spend on other things instea dof buying the
same thing in "exact" quanitity at a later date....Gues I am just a
pack rat and too frugal to trash something that way... To each their
own.




On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 05:11:27 GMT, George Patterson
> wrote:
>><>miskairal wrote:
>><>> Why did you throw the rest away?
>><>
>><>Well, we guestimated the amount to mix when we set up the tank. Added a bit
>><>later to get the SG correct. That left enough salt in the bucket to make up 50
>><>or 60 gallons of water.
>><>
>><>I usually make up about 27 gallons at a time in a big trash can. I usually buy a
>><>box the right size for 25 gallons of water. It all works out ok. I didn't want
>><>to be playing around adding salt a little at a time to get the SG correct for
>><>the next two water changes.
>><>
>><>George Patterson
>><> Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
>><> your slightly older self.

--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....

[~Roy~]

IIRC its something like 30 or 35 years they claim to be making the
salt mix. And the box also claims to be the largest and
oldest.....The only real thing I do not like about Instant Ocean, and
its really a personal thing, is its "Made in France".......at least
thats what the container says that I read last...But the box itself is
made in china, and its pacxkaged and marketed out of Ohio....

On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 09:49:16 -0600, "adv_aqua"
> wrote:
>><>I use 6-10 cases per week i.e. 10 cases x 4 bags = 200 Gallons x 10 = 2000
>><>GL week of Instant Ocean because it dissolves well on site. As a 20 yr
>><>sal****er vetern I have tried all the mixes - there are subtle differences
>><>between all of them, and quality control and consistency of mix are what you
>><>pay for in more expensive mixes. Also the quantity of trace elements,
>><>strontium for ex is very $ and not necessary for FO systems anyway. You need
>><>to tailor your needs with your mix. Reefkeepers should choose salt very
>><>carefully. Here at www.advancedaquarium.com
>><>we like IO because its extremely consistant with very high quality control
>><>standards they have been making salt at IO longer than anyone except maybe
>><>Forty Fathoms.
>><>
>><>Pomacanthus
>><>www.advancedaquarium.com
>><>
>><>
>><>
>><>
>><>
>><>
>><>
>><>
>><>"Groovok" > wrote in message
>><>news:6inJf.147$HU.136@trnddc04...
>><>> What's the Best Salt out there when setting up a new Sal****er tank? I've
>><>> heard and read so many different things.. my friend swears by Tropic Marin
>><>> ... my other friends swear on Kent.. any suggestions... I want to set up a
>><>> 90 gallon fish only tank over the next like two weeks with a Naso Tang, a
>><>> Picasso Trigger and maybe one or two other fish.. I have a excellent
>><>> wet/dry filter ready to go...but want to make sure a get a descent salt..
>><>> i'm going to have a very very thin layer of reef sand (less than half inch
>><>> deep) on the bottom. I want a couple of Chocolate chip Stars in the tank
>><>> as well..
>><>>
>><>

--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....

[George Patterson]

adv_aqua wrote:

> ... they have been making salt at IO longer than anyone except maybe
> Forty Fathoms.

Tropic Marin used to be called Marine Mix. I've been using it since 1976. IO is
a baby compared to that.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

[Wayne Sallee]

http://www.aquariumsystems.com/history.htm gives some
information regarding the time frame.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



George Patterson wrote on 2/18/2006 9:52 PM:
> adv_aqua wrote:
>
>> ... they have been making salt at IO longer than anyone except maybe
>> Forty Fathoms.
>
>
> Tropic Marin used to be called Marine Mix. I've been using it since
> 1976. IO is a baby compared to that.
>
> George Patterson
> Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
> your slightly older self.

[Pszemol]

"~Roy~" > wrote in message ...
> Thats great to be able to throw perfectly good salt away due to not
> wanting to store or measure it. There has been a few times I sure
> wished I had just 1/2 cup more salt..........Its not a big deal to add
> a little salt or water to adjust........at least not to me. And a
> buck saved is a buck I can spend on other things instea dof buying the
> same thing in "exact" quanitity at a later date....Gues I am just a
> pack rat and too frugal to trash something that way... To each their own.

Come on... take it easy. His salt, his money...
It ****es me off too when I see how people can be wastefull,
but it is their own mistake. Nobody is perfect! ;-)

[George Patterson]

~Roy~ wrote:
> Thats great to be able to throw perfectly good salt away due to not
> wanting to store or measure it. There has been a few times I sure
> wished I had just 1/2 cup more salt..........Its not a big deal to add
> a little salt or water to adjust........at least not to me. And a
> buck saved is a buck I can spend on other things instea dof buying the
> same thing in "exact" quanitity at a later date....Gues I am just a
> pack rat and too frugal to trash something that way...

You sound like my father did - time was worth nothing. He was a depression era
kid and would spend hours or days building something to save three or four dollars.

Me, I'll throw away $15 worth of salt if it saves me time and trouble. And I did.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

[Cindy]

~Roy~ typed:
> Thats great to be able to throw perfectly good salt away due to not
> wanting to store or measure it. There has been a few times I sure
> wished I had just 1/2 cup more salt..........Its not a big deal to
> add a little salt or water to adjust........at least not to me.
> And a buck saved is a buck I can spend on other things instea dof
> buying the same thing in "exact" quanitity at a later date....Gues
> I am just a pack rat and too frugal to trash something that way...
> To each their own.

Oh....my God....me too! Good God, I buy a big bag of salt--50-gal.
worth--for my 8-gal. tank. Then I have a good time frittering around
getting it just right. I don't throw ANYthing away if I can help it.

[Pszemol]

"George Patterson" > wrote in message news:GOvKf.833$gh4.785@trnddc06...
> You sound like my father did - time was worth nothing. He was a depression era
> kid and would spend hours or days building something to save three or four dollars.
>
> Me, I'll throw away $15 worth of salt if it saves me time and trouble. And I did.

And what do you do with all this free time on your hands ? ;-)

[~Roy~]

I did not make the reply previous as a slam, so don;t read it that
way, but I just have a hard time throwoing anything away especially if
its not broke or there is nothing wqrong with it and know up front I
am going to need it again later or on a continual basis. After a few
fresh batches of salt is made and if that trashed salt was saved, yu
would be basically getting a free batch every so often..... I am far
from being broke, so I could readily afford to throw left over salt
after changes, but IMHO its wastefull and a buck is a broke. I need to
point out I am fra from being rich either, but I sort of look at my
self as frugal. My barn, out buildings and shop all illustrate that
trai very well as I have heaps of stuff all over the place and
continually add more most every day. More than one time a packed away
bit of "trash" or excess" items / material has saved my butt and its a
pretty sure thing it will continue to save me in the future as
well.....Heck its not hard to make water or add amounts of water or
salt to get specs right, and I can just about do it visually anymore,
so its not like it takes hours on end to bump up or down SG in a
batch.

My grandfather on my mothers side gre up as a depression era
indivudal, and was an imigrant as well. My grandfather on my fathers
side came from a well to do family and most times money was never an
object....My mothers side GF used to scrimp and save and scrounge,
whereas the other GF would just go buy. I liked the scrimp, scrounge
one better as he was able to make something out of nothing or my
grandmother could throw together a meal out of nothing......certainly
not dependant on society or life in general. NOw the other side would
die if they needed something and could not find a store open to buy
it.....I myself am retired, and still do not have enough of time to
accomplish what I set out to do on a daily or weekly or even yearly
basis, but anymore I just do not care how long it takes, as long as I
am alive and kicking I enjoy doing, more than buying.

On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 06:29:10 -0600, "Pszemol" >
wrote:
>><>"George Patterson" > wrote in message news:GOvKf.833$gh4.785@trnddc06...
>><>> You sound like my father did - time was worth nothing. He was a depression era
>><>> kid and would spend hours or days building something to save three or four dollars.
>><>>
>><>> Me, I'll throw away $15 worth of salt if it saves me time and trouble. And I did.
>><>
>><>And what do you do with all this free time on your hands ? ;-)

--
\\\|///
( @ @ )
-----------oOOo(_)oOOo---------------


oooO
---------( )----Oooo----------------
\ ( ( )
\_) ) /
(_/
The original frugal ponder ! Koi-ahoi mates....

[miskairal]

Roy I bet your sheds look like my husband's. Nothing gets thrown away. I
used to laugh at him for it until I discovered all the things he can
fix/replace by scrounging in his shed. Last time I was game enough to
walk in there I found the bases of 2 pedestal fans that died this
summer. The actual fan part was gone from each. Why I asked? Well he
answers, they're adjustable height, I can use them to help prop up the
new ceilings when I am replacing them - we are currently doing up our 98
year old house. I saw him bring some old piece of farm equipment home
yesterday that he must have found down the paddock. It looks like
something that would be pulled by a horse - I wonder what his plans are
for that.

I can't throw out old computers and so far have managed to get other
people's old pc's going with parts from them. Modems in particular come
in handy and even hard drives.

Haha, I just asked hubby and that was a horse drawn plough. He is going
to make it fit the tractor to hill up some beds to grow some small
crops. At the moment we are drought stricken and there is little grass
so he is finding things his parents and grandparents used.

I think that whether or not you become a horder or saver depends a lot
on how much room you have to store it all. Maybe George just doesn't
have the room.

~Roy~ wrote:
> I did not make the reply previous as a slam, so don;t read it that
> way, but I just have a hard time throwoing anything away especially if
> its not broke or there is nothing wqrong with it and know up front I
> am going to need it again later or on a continual basis. After a few
> fresh batches of salt is made and if that trashed salt was saved, yu
> would be basically getting a free batch every so often..... I am far
> from being broke, so I could readily afford to throw left over salt
> after changes, but IMHO its wastefull and a buck is a broke. I need to
> point out I am fra from being rich either, but I sort of look at my
> self as frugal. My barn, out buildings and shop all illustrate that
> trai very well as I have heaps of stuff all over the place and
> continually add more most every day. More than one time a packed away
> bit of "trash" or excess" items / material has saved my butt and its a
> pretty sure thing it will continue to save me in the future as
> well.....Heck its not hard to make water or add amounts of water or
> salt to get specs right, and I can just about do it visually anymore,
> so its not like it takes hours on end to bump up or down SG in a
> batch.
>
> My grandfather on my mothers side gre up as a depression era
> indivudal, and was an imigrant as well. My grandfather on my fathers
> side came from a well to do family and most times money was never an
> object....My mothers side GF used to scrimp and save and scrounge,
> whereas the other GF would just go buy. I liked the scrimp, scrounge
> one better as he was able to make something out of nothing or my
> grandmother could throw together a meal out of nothing......certainly
> not dependant on society or life in general. NOw the other side would
> die if they needed something and could not find a store open to buy
> it.....I myself am retired, and still do not have enough of time to
> accomplish what I set out to do on a daily or weekly or even yearly
> basis, but anymore I just do not care how long it takes, as long as I
> am alive and kicking I enjoy doing, more than buying.
>
> On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 06:29:10 -0600, "Pszemol" >
> wrote:
>
>>><>"George Patterson" > wrote in message news:GOvKf.833$gh4.785@trnddc06...
>>><>> You sound like my father did - time was worth nothing. He was a depression era
>>><>> kid and would spend hours or days building something to save three or four dollars.
>>><>>
>>><>> Me, I'll throw away $15 worth of salt if it saves me time and trouble. And I did.
>>><>
>>><>And what do you do with all this free time on your hands ? ;-)
>
>