Convert IO to reef salt

[CoolWaters]

heard that IO isnt good for a reef tank since there arent any minerals that a reef tank needs in it. can u add thos in yourself wat a product?

iv been searching around but havent found a liable saltmix for a reef. (dont want to pay like $80 for a reef ver. of IO at petco...)
i might to go to my LFS and get a bag to start with tho.

 

[Joe Fish]

IO is excellent salt in my opinion. You can always supplement the elements your corals need. Reef crystals does have some, but it can be used up quickly. Like right now I use reef crystals and I have a few corals so the salt is perfect for me.

 

[S.Reef]

Unless you have a lot of corals and inverts that are consuming a large amount of minerals and trace elements IO is fine...and even if you do have a lot of corals as long as you do regular water changes you should be fine...of course there are additives if something is being depleted faster then normal.

 

[Joe Fish]

That sums it up quite nicely, S.Reef!

 

[CoolWaters]

would u mind sharing the kinds of additives? and how do u know if some elements r depleted?

sorry this part is completely new to me.

are the additives thos bottles i c at petsmart? like kent?

trying to get the master test kit later so i'll drop by.

 

[Joe Fish]

For my coral load my alkalinity needs regular 'boosting'. Some people need to add calcium, magnesium, or other trace elements. You never want to add anything like this without testing first. I use Kent dKH superbuffer to raise my alk. I just switched to reef builder which doesn't have an short term effect on PH. My PH is stable now so I don't need something buffering it. Water changes normally replenish all this stuff, but it would all depend on how large of a water change you do and how often. Some people that do add stuff to their tanks may only do a water change once a month, but these reefers have excellent water quality.

Try this, after a water change test for lets say alk. Record the reading and in about 4 days test again. This will give you an idea of how much alk your tank would use in 4 days. Divide that by 4 and you have your daily usage. You can then buffer as needed.

 

[S.Reef]

From your signature of what you have in your tank I wouldnt worry about anything really being depleted...just do frequent water changes. Things to check are ph, alkalinity, calcium-when you have corals...phoshate and silicate, strontium, magnesium are all things that you may want to test if you have a lot of corals

 

[Lorna]

I agree with all said. IO is good salt and not too expensive and easy to find. As a beginner the best method of maintaining levels in your tank IS by doing frequent water changes to keep levels stable. You probably don't have a lot of depletion so supplementing is not something to worry about. Though it wouldn't hurt to get test kits for alk, ca to make sure these levels and your ph are stable.

 

[KahluaZzZ]

got 2 bad batch of IO, well not bad but with hairs and some dust in it...but still for the price, if i don't see any standard brand in a store, i would take it.
The only diff i noticed between salt is the grain size, or extra calcium added in more expensive brands.