Red Sea coral pro vs reef crystals

[saltwaterB]

that's funny...cause since we did not get our order of Red Sea salt in. I am forced to use Reef Crystals...and you are more than welcome to come and see for yourself...it is cloudy, smells terrible, and still has not mixed. I have not been able to sell pre mixed saltwater at all today cause I have been waiting all day for the box to mix up....normally the RS is fully mixed within a few hours....this has been mixing since 1pm and is still not ready. So I can say from direct experience all day today, that RC does not mix even as close to as good as the Red Sea...that is just a fact....with a side by side test. Again, no need to believe me, when you can clearly see it for yourself....
and I will mix it side by side in (2) 5 gallon buckets anytime....come stand here with me while I do it...then tell me the same...lol

and I only go\ through about 1200--2000 gallons of mixed saltwater every week...and have for well over 15 years....but hey, I have no idea what I am talking about and no experience to base my comments on....

 

[dz6t]

When did you ordered the RC you are using?
I just got mine from the mail and it definitely looks different.

 

[dz6t]

Is it possible your supplier send you old stocks?

 

[Marshall O]

Is everyone heating their water before adding salt?

 

[this is me]

You should mix your salt with cold water to avoid precipitation. Once the salt is dissolved, you can heat it.

 

[cilyjr]

When I used to do big water changes I round fill a 30 gallon tank then dump in the salt and turn on pump and heater at the same time. It was mixed long before it got to temp. Then I would do the water change a day or 2 later.

Now I never heat as I do many small changes a day I let it sit at room temp

 

[Pat02026]

This is purely out of curiosity, but what temp do you mix your salt at?

For reference sake, my RODI water starts circulating at 65* with the first addition of salt (50%) and as the temp approaches 75* the secnond addition (last 50% about an hour later) with a final temp of 77-78* and I would say the entire process from start to finish is less than 2 hours using a maxi jet 1200 -RS coral pro in a 5 gallon bucket

 

[Marshall O]

You should mix your salt with cold water to avoid precipitation. Once the salt is dissolved, you can heat it.

This is what I have heard, but I have always used heated water (75°) to mix. I have never had any precipitation issues. I add half the salt needed, and then add the other half later (usually at least a day later). And I use Reef Crystals.

 

[dz6t]

I use a 1500 gph prop pump to mix salt in a 5 gallon bucket, cold water and mix it for 2 hr then dump it in.

 

[saltwaterB]

we mix into fresh cold RO/DI always. and let it mix overnight, bring it to 75* then it is good to go


also, lets make this clear...I am in no way saying that Reef Crystals is a bad salt...just not my preference to RSCP. I would chose RC over at least half a dozen other salts on the market any day.


Not everyone has Dong magic in them...and for beginners in the hobby, we have consistently found it easier for them to maintain proper levels for the first few months without having to worry about dosing when using RSCP. But, EVERY tank is different, and husbandry approaches can vary greatly. As will the results with any products from tank to tank. pick what you like better for the reasons you like it better. ie; price, levels, mixing, availability, company philosophy, etc. As you can see the results can be the same, and complete opposite for the same thing....so there is no right o wrong answer...as is the case in MANY situations in this hobby.

 

[saltwaterB]

Is it possible your supplier send you old stocks?

no, I doubt it...as they go through it very quickly, and have run out several times in the last 6 months.

When dumping a bag in to mix tonight I did notice it to be more of a sugar consistency than the powder sugar I used to remember. But when we mixed 150 gallons all at once....it was very cloudy and took a long time to mix completely (especially compared to the same amount I normally dump in of the RSCP) Maybe when mixing smaller amounts it mixes up nicer.
I remember years ago when I used RC, it left an awful carbonate sheeting on the side of my buckets...and the levels were all over the place from batch to batch (and never high enough for my liking..especially Mg)
I will test the 150 gallon tub I have mixing of RC tomorrow morning and see where the levels are. As we test one of our tubs of RSCP every week as we are mixing water for the week (pretty much been the same for the last 3 years straight.

One other nice thing that RS does is list batch number in each bucket...so if there was an issue with a batch it can be traced and caught...none of the other big brand companies do that. (besides H2Ocean, but again that is esentially the same salt)