- I'm Thomas,
and I'm about to answer the top five
most frequently asked questions
about Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt,
starting with how much salt is in Tropic Marin Pro Reef
while it's basically composed completely
of salts of various forms.
So what I think you're actually trying to ask
is how much saltwater worth of salt is in a container.
And I'm gonna use this five gallon pail
that I've got here as example,
and Tropic Marin states right on the bucket
that it can mix up between 165 to 200 gallons of salt water.
And according to our testing,
when mixed 235 PPT or parts per thousand,
where most reefers prefer to keep their salinity,
this bucket of Tropic Marin Pro Reef
will mix up right around 174 gallons of saltwater,
which is right on the money.
So yeah,
you can trust what is printed on the outside
of a Tropic Marin pail of salt.
You think you're gonna be able to hit
your 35 parts per thousand,
that reefers are aiming for.
And you'll be right in that bracket
that they provide for you.
How much salt should you use per gallon?
According to Tropic Marin's mixing instructions.
You'll want to use approximately
one half cup of salt per one US gallon of RODI water
to achieve a salinity between 1.025
and 1.027 specific gravity,
which should land right around 35 parts per thousand,
which is right where we want it for our reef tanks.
How do you mix Tropic Marin Pro salt?
Well, it's definitely possible
to mix up just about any salt mixed by hand,
the best way to mix up Tropic Marin Pro Reef
and many other salt mixes
is by using a bucket or bin of RODI water
with a pump and a heater.
You can roughly calculate how much salt you'll need.
According to the mixing instructions
on the container of salt.
In this case,
one half cup of Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt
per one gallon of RODI water.
Once all of the salt is dissolved,
use a refractometer or glass hydrometer
to measure the level of salt in the water.
And if you've reached your goal of 35 parts per thousand,
then you're good to go.
If not, you can then add more salt
if the salinity is too low
or add more RODI water if it's too high to adjust it
and then double check you've got the correct salinity,
and then it's ready to use for a water change
or store for later on If you wanna do that.
How long can you store Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt?
Well, if you're talking about the actual salt in the bucket,
you can basically store it indefinitely,
salt doesn't go bad.
It's just going to stay there
as long as you haven't opened it
and you keep it in a cool dry place
and it's not getting exposed to air
that would otherwise turn it into a giant brick.
It's gonna be usable today,
a year from now,
two years from now.
It's good to go.
Now, if you mean how long
can you store the mixed salt water,
that's a different story.
Some salt mixes just really don't store very well,
but that isn't the case with Tropic Marin salt mixes.
In our testing Tropic Marin Pro Reef
had practically zero change
from the very first day it was mixed up
and after being stored for three weeks,
making it a very easy salt mix for longer storage.
So if you prefer to mix up a ton of saltwater at once
and use it up gradually,
or need to mix up large batches
for daily automatic water changes,
Tropic Marin Pro Reef is a fantastic option.
What are the differences between Tropic Marin's classic salt
and the Pro Reef salt?
The biggest difference between Tropic Marin's classic
and the Pro Reef salt is the levels of alkalinity,
calcium and magnesium that you're going to achieve
for those who want to run their levels
as close to natural seawater as possible
Pro Reef will provide roughly a 70 dKH alkalinity,
440 ppm of calcium and 1,350 ppm of magnesium.
And for those who prefer
slightly elevated alkalinity levels,
which can help stabilize pH,
but with less calcium and magnesium
Tropic Marin classic salt
provides roughly nine to 10 dKH of alkalinity,
380 parts per million of calcium
and 1,260 ppm of magnesium.
For most reefers,
Pro Reef is usually the go-to choice
because of its higher calcium and magnesium levels,
and is a great salt option for SPS dominated Reefs
as well as mixed and LPS Reefs.
If that sounds like it matches your reefing mantra,
you can pick up a bucket for yourself
by clicking right here.
(cool music)