Salt Brands

From what most say they really don't have more or less then the pther brands so it must be a marketing thing.

[da colts]

tropic marin is the salt we use at the lfs i work for, it is more of a powder than a crystal so it dissolves really quickly.

[wds21921]

I've used IO, Tropic Marin, Coralife, and Kent Marine for over 20 years and always had good results from all of them. For consistency though I've stuck with IO and Coralife.
Many of them advertise having special this or that but the bottom line is what works.
The only bad experience I had has been recently with Oceanic. After it almost completely wiped out my reef system I went back and tested my tnak, my filtered water and an Oceanic mix by itself.

The results were less than satisfying to put it mildly.
The Oceanic had a pH of 6.8 - 7.0. In a freshwater system thats great but in saltwater it means acid and disaster as I experienced. It cost me over $300 in corals, fish, crabs and snails.
While I'm far from being an expert I've raised saltwater fish and inverts for over 20 years. Because of something I took for granted (consistency) I learned a very expensive lesson. I've changed thousands of gallons of water and never had anything even close to this happen with any other brand.
I'm not here to knock them, I'm just letting you know of my experience with Oceanic Salt. If you'd like I am more than happy to provide anyone with the test results. I still have samples too if anyone has any doubts?

[Birdlady]

Man! I never would have thought to double check the PH!!!

I have always assumed if the hydrometer reading was correct...all was well! After reading on this forum, I now know to check PH, Calcium, salinity, and Copper!!!!

Would you recommend a sample test on each new package or would you check each and every mix from the same package??

[JohnO]

How much water did you change ( with Oceanic)?

John

[wds21921]

It was 10% of the tank i.e. 5 gallons for a 55 gallon tank with LR.
I know people will be skeptical of the results and I completely understand that, it's a good thing. But the truth is my whole tank is about empty now at this point from JUST the water change.
A friend of mine who is in the local reef club I'll be joining soon warned me to stay away from Oceanic but I figured 20+ years of experience and no catastrophic results to this date from any salt "how bad could it be if I only use a 10% change?" Well I found out and in the worst way. I took for granted that the batchs (while not perfect) are within reasonable levels by all mfg's. WRONG!
It's taken a really thriving 55 gallon set up and turned it into a liquid desert, for lack of a better term. The only survivor is my Saddleback Clown, my pink damsel I thought had died actually managed to survive and was swimming this morning when I woke up.
Xenias are definitely dead, no doubts there, and all the polyps and mushrooms have shrunk down to 1/4 there original size.
I don't believe Oceanic Systems makes a bad product or it wouldn't be bought and people wouldn't be having success with it. My findings however lead me to believe that they either do, or used to, not QA there product before it leaves the plant. SInce most mfg's don't date or mark there lots on the containers so we as consumers have no way of finding out what the test results from the batch were before they left the facility.

I for one, took for granted after 22 years that salt is relatively the same, which it is in fact. The difference here though is that a very 'bad' batch got out from a new mfg and I as well as others are on the recieving end of the mistake in production.
From now on all my mix water will be thoroughly tested having gone through this and lost nearly everything.
There's no way to determine where the batch went for that particular run as there's no markings again, no tracibility. I would recommend testing only your mix water which will save you time as well as loss. To check every bag is going to be inconsistent since we aren't even sure how well it was originally mixed. They bag or container itself if not mixed well could produce differing results.
The bag I used was a 7.5 lb Oceanic Natural Sea Salt Mix and was tested in 3 areas producing the same results within 3-5% range of the original findings.
All I'm saying is here are my results, you draw your own conclusions. I like many of you, am simply a hobbyist, I have no ties to the industry otherwise my hobby would be a lot cheaper than it is.