Thanks for the review. Interested in what dKH you track. I use AF reef salt and have been targeting 8.5 but wondering if it’s too high given the mix is generally lower. I have salinity 34
I keep my Alkalinity dKH between 7.5 and 8 with a target of 7.8. Given I do auto water changes (about 3% a day at the moment) the dKH of my salt is less important to me. My dosing is pretty constant and handled automatically by my Kore7th and KHLab. However if I was doing large waterchanges less frequently, say 30% or more of tank volume... it is far more important to choose a salt that matches your target Alkalinity closely to prevent large swings.
How do those numbers compare to instant ocean reef crystals ? And other salts? How do they compare in price, with your assessment, not vendors. Price per gallon? Consistency? Parameter comparison? Is there a way to safely transition from one salt to another?
I don't really like doing flat out price comparisons to be honest... it rarely tells the whole story and it depends on your local pricing of the salt as well... i.e. do you buy online or from a local fish shop, whats the cost of shipping, what size container do you buy, do you only buy when its on sale etc. etc. so many factors... If you want a full breakdown and analysis of various salts on the market via price, I would suggest looking at the BRS TV Investigates salt comparison videos, they have done a few. As I said in the video, in general AF salt is usually middle of the pack in regard to price, there are cheaper options and there are more expensive options. That said, unless comparing salts at the extreme end of the price scale, when purchasing in similar sized containers, the difference in price over the course of a year for most common tank sizes and water change frequency is not going to be significant for most people; so unless your budget is extremely important to you, I would never recommend choosing salt purely on price. The parameter makeup is a good factor of comparison between salts, AF tends to have middle of the road parameters, i.e. 8dkh alk, 450ppm calcium. I cant compare with Instant Ocean Reef Crystals, as far as i know that is an American salt, here in Australia I have access to Aquarium Systems Reef Crystals (I review that in another video) which is a french produced salt that shares a similar name but not the same company. In terms of consistency, Aqua Forest salt is pretty fine, which is normal for synthetic salts, aids in speed of disolving. Little to no residue is left behind after mixing. The best way in my opinion of switching from one salt to another is to do it via your water changes, smaller waterchanges more frequently is better if there is a difference in the parameters. I use an auto water change system doing 3% a day.
Thank you for your response. I also just found if I purchase a bucket of IORC that for 160 gallons I can get it (shipping free) for $0.22/gal. Buying the larger 200 gallon box the best price is $0.30/gal. Essentially I can buy two buckets (320 gallons worth) for just a little more than a single box. AF here in US is 30-40% more than IORC. Which if you have a large tank or multiple tanks it can cost you a significant amount more over the costs of maintenance for a year. Thanks again. With 6 tanks running it is tough to set up an auto water change system.
@@atfinthehouse8631 Yea with 6 tanks you would definitely fall into the category where comparing the price of salt is important as that volume will definitely add up to a lot more than a few cups of coffee between brands. I would suggest talking to your LFS about getting a volume discount if you were to buy like 5-10 buckets in one go or something like that. That may end up being cheaper than the online options if that suits you. Also bare in mind, AF salt is European, so it will likely be more expensive for you in the USA than salts that are made in the USA. For us here in Australia, its all imported from overseas so when I compare the prices its likely different than when you do.
Yup... spends 99% of his time there, I call him the bridge troll... sometimes he will flair his arms out a bit and posture at the fish as they swim under the bridge!
Thanks for the review. Interested in what dKH you track. I use AF reef salt and have been targeting 8.5 but wondering if it’s too high given the mix is generally lower. I have salinity 34
I keep my Alkalinity dKH between 7.5 and 8 with a target of 7.8. Given I do auto water changes (about 3% a day at the moment) the dKH of my salt is less important to me. My dosing is pretty constant and handled automatically by my Kore7th and KHLab. However if I was doing large waterchanges less frequently, say 30% or more of tank volume... it is far more important to choose a salt that matches your target Alkalinity closely to prevent large swings.
How do those numbers compare to instant ocean reef crystals ? And other salts? How do they compare in price, with your assessment, not vendors. Price per gallon? Consistency? Parameter comparison? Is there a way to safely transition from one salt to another?
I don't really like doing flat out price comparisons to be honest... it rarely tells the whole story and it depends on your local pricing of the salt as well... i.e. do you buy online or from a local fish shop, whats the cost of shipping, what size container do you buy, do you only buy when its on sale etc. etc. so many factors...
If you want a full breakdown and analysis of various salts on the market via price, I would suggest looking at the BRS TV Investigates salt comparison videos, they have done a few.
As I said in the video, in general AF salt is usually middle of the pack in regard to price, there are cheaper options and there are more expensive options. That said, unless comparing salts at the extreme end of the price scale, when purchasing in similar sized containers, the difference in price over the course of a year for most common tank sizes and water change frequency is not going to be significant for most people; so unless your budget is extremely important to you, I would never recommend choosing salt purely on price.
The parameter makeup is a good factor of comparison between salts, AF tends to have middle of the road parameters, i.e. 8dkh alk, 450ppm calcium. I cant compare with Instant Ocean Reef Crystals, as far as i know that is an American salt, here in Australia I have access to Aquarium Systems Reef Crystals (I review that in another video) which is a french produced salt that shares a similar name but not the same company.
In terms of consistency, Aqua Forest salt is pretty fine, which is normal for synthetic salts, aids in speed of disolving. Little to no residue is left behind after mixing.
The best way in my opinion of switching from one salt to another is to do it via your water changes, smaller waterchanges more frequently is better if there is a difference in the parameters. I use an auto water change system doing 3% a day.
Thank you for your response. I also just found if I purchase a bucket of IORC that for 160 gallons I can get it (shipping free) for $0.22/gal. Buying the larger 200 gallon box the best price is $0.30/gal. Essentially I can buy two buckets (320 gallons worth) for just a little more than a single box. AF here in US is 30-40% more than IORC. Which if you have a large tank or multiple tanks it can cost you a significant amount more over the costs of maintenance for a year.
Thanks again. With 6 tanks running it is tough to set up an auto water change system.
@@atfinthehouse8631 Yea with 6 tanks you would definitely fall into the category where comparing the price of salt is important as that volume will definitely add up to a lot more than a few cups of coffee between brands. I would suggest talking to your LFS about getting a volume discount if you were to buy like 5-10 buckets in one go or something like that. That may end up being cheaper than the online options if that suits you.
Also bare in mind, AF salt is European, so it will likely be more expensive for you in the USA than salts that are made in the USA. For us here in Australia, its all imported from overseas so when I compare the prices its likely different than when you do.
Nice review.
Nice tank, man!
Mate ive got to ask.
What the hell is going on with the shrimp in your vids????
I love the fact he is upside down in the arch in every vid....
Yup... spends 99% of his time there, I call him the bridge troll... sometimes he will flair his arms out a bit and posture at the fish as they swim under the bridge!
Do you using this salt for your aquarium?