Do you know what essential elements as well as undersirable ones to look for when choosing a sea salt mix for your saltwater system? Here you can evaluate and compare the elements in natural sea water to those contained in commerical sea salt mixes, and learn about how to properly prepare make-up or top-off water solutions.
Do you know what essential elements as well as undesirable ones to look for when choosing a sea salt mix for your saltwater system? Here you can evaluate and compare the elements in natural sea water to those contained in commercial sea salt mixes, and learn about how to properly prepare make-up or top-off water solutions.
Here are the top sea salt mixes on the market today which are used in saltwater aquariums. Compare prices on sea salt mixes.
FAQ - Can I use ocean water (Natural Sea Water or NSR) in my aquarium? FAQ - Can I use ocean water (Natural Sea Water or NSR) in my aquarium?
When it comes to choosing a sea salt mix to buy for making up synthetic salt aquarium or reef tank system water, you want one that is as close in composition to that of natural sea water (NSW) as possible, as well as has no or little other unwanted impurities contained in it. So what elements, element compounds, and trace elements are you supposed to look for to compare, and how to you do this?
What are the best levels of important elements in your saltwater aquarium water?
When it comes to answering the age old question of which sea salt mix is best to buy for making up saltwater aquarium or reef tank system water, we cannot precisely say that one brand is better than another. Aside from what elements and compounds make up a salt mix, there are other factors to consider as well.
Use this quick reference table compiled by your Guides to see what elements are contained in some top brand name sea salt mixes sold on the market to easily compare the differences between them.
Participate in this quick poll created by your About Guides to tell them and other aquarists which brand name of sea salt mix you use, or just view the polling results to get a consensus on which brands are most popular.
From the March 2003 issue of Reefkeeping, Ronald L. Shimek writes in great detail about the effects of heavy metals in artificial salt mixes on the lifespans of marine organisms, providing the results of tests he conducted on the growth of sea urchin larvae in natural sea water to that made from Instant Ocean, Bio-Sea Marinemix, Crystal Seas Marinemix - Bioassay Formula, and Coralife salts.
From the Aqua Craft Marine Aquarist™ Index, you'll find all kinds of Salt Mix Issues discussed, including "Facts About... (various top brand name Sea Salt Mixes)". Keep in mind that the favorable brands are their own Aqua Craft products, but read their S-15™ Report™ introduction first, then the individual comparison and test result reports after that.
From the WetWebMedia Marine Aquarium Articles, Robert Fenner discusses the economics, suitability, maintenance and other considerations when deciding which way to go; using natural seawater or synthetic salt.
From the WetWebMedia Marine Aquarium Articles/FAQs, here you will find three FAQ sections that cover a wide range of discussions with Robert Fenner about using natural and synthetic sea salt mixes in an email Q & A type format.
From The Krib, here are postings by various aquarists dicussing sea salt mixes on the market, both pro and con about them, and includes a salts summary from Jeff Pfohl.
From the Aquarium Frontiers Biochemistry of Aquaria Archive, Randy Holmes-Farley Ph.D. explains while a wide array of techniques for measuring salinity are all suitable for hobbyists, conductivity is recognized by scientists as being the most precise, and this article provides an understanding of the how’s and why’s of this technique.
In this "Water" profile from the Reef Sources Guide you'll find discussions about choosing a sea salt mix and make-up water source, as well more on aquarium water quality and other basic parameters.
From the FINS Reefkeepers FAQ's Index-Questions & Answers section, the fifth question down on the list addresses this question.
