# Other Aquarium Forums > Marine Tanks >  Type of salt

## Cylence87

Hey all, I'm new with marine stuff and would like to ask this question as I can't seem to find any answers. Can those normal salt for freshwater aquariums be used in marine aquariums? As I bought a packet of salt from a LFS and the uncle told me it is meant for freshwater, not marine.  :Opps: 

If possible, able to recommend me the type of salt i should buy and where to buy? Thanks!

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## Zee

No bro, freshwater salt is for freshwater. Marine salt is for marine. Salt density and salinity for marine salt is much higher. There's lotsa brand around, ranging from cheap to the higher end ones. You will commonly come across Red Sea salt brand in most LFS, though price will range according to shops. I started off with that brand and am still using it. Price wise is not so cheap nor expensive either. Good luck!

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## Cylence87

Thanks for highlighting bro. I have seen Red Sea salt in LFS but seems expensive to me. Im looking to try out smaller packets and other cheaper brands first.

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## Zee

Ahh I see. The small packet would usually cost less than 10bucks, and I think it should be enough for a nano tank. What tank size are you going to set up?

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## Cylence87

Oh I haven't seen small packets! Perhaps I should check out some marine LFS for smaller packets. I'm setting up a 28L tank. 
Bought NSW and liverocks last week. Due to temptations, I also added 2 false percula clownfishes (I think) without cycling and they died a day later. The water parameters must be no good yet. Thus, now the tank is only with liverocks. Any advise to whether I need to add live sand as well? I have hesitated adding sand because I thought it might be troublesome clearing the fish wastes..

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## Zee

I usually get my salt from polyart, but I suppose if you are staying in the east, the farms at Pasir Ris may sell them cheaper. About the livesand, it depends on the individual. Some prefer their liverocks to assist in the filteration process, some prefer DSB. For me the sand serves as decorative purpose only, makes it look more natural and pleasing  :Grin: . What kind of filteration system are you using? Sump, canister? any skimmer?

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## daybreaks

> Oh I haven't seen small packets! Perhaps I should check out some marine LFS for smaller packets. I'm setting up a 28L tank. 
> Bought NSW and liverocks last week. Due to temptations, I also added 2 false percula clownfishes (I think) without cycling and they died a day later. The water parameters must be no good yet. Thus, now the tank is only with liverocks. Any advise to whether I need to add live sand as well? I have hesitated adding sand because I thought it might be troublesome clearing the fish wastes..


There's different school of thoughts on the sand part.For me,a marine tank with sand looks more aesthetically appealing and it also doubles as a habitat for the numerous microbes and worms and creatures which calls the liverock home.
Furthermore, fish waste stuck in the sand isn't really that much of an issue as you can always get the help of sand-stirrers(aka sea cucumbers/sandstars and snails) to help stir the sand and aerate it.
Going BB(barebottom) would make your cycling process longer but it does help in larger aquariums due to the larger volume of water therefore added stability.

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## Cylence87

> I usually get my salt from polyart, but I suppose if you are staying in the east, the farms at Pasir Ris may sell them cheaper. About the livesand, it depends on the individual. Some prefer their liverocks to assist in the filteration process, some prefer DSB. For me the sand serves as decorative purpose only, makes it look more natural and pleasing . What kind of filteration system are you using? Sump, canister? any skimmer?





> There's different school of thoughts on the sand part.For me,a marine tank with sand looks more aesthetically appealing and it also doubles as a habitat for the numerous microbes and worms and creatures which calls the liverock home.
> Furthermore, fish waste stuck in the sand isn't really that much of an issue as you can always get the help of sand-stirrers(aka sea cucumbers/sandstars and snails) to help stir the sand and aerate it.
> Going BB(barebottom) would make your cycling process longer but it does help in larger aquariums due to the larger volume of water therefore added stability.


Thanks for the advise guys. I'm only using a simple HOF as filtration, includes ceramic rings and sponge. No skimmer. Bro Zee, what does DSB refer to? Thanks also, bro Daybreaks, I now plan to get salt and sand and see how it goes.

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## Zee

I think it's fine using a HOF, but I do recommend getting a small skimmer though, else you must be hardworking enough to do water changes each week. DSB refers to deep sand bed, google it up and there's lots of information about it; i.e. how many inches your sand bed needs to be for the bacteria to colonise and so forth. Plus I think there's other things you need to consider such as the temperature of your tank as well. Try to keep temperature to 28deg as some livestocks are sensitive to higher temperatures.

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## Cylence87

Ok, so with a protein skimmer I will not need to do water changes that often? After reading up on setting up a marine tank, I realised it is not as easy as FW tank haha. Yeah thanks for the reminder, I am using a gex thermometer and a dymax floating hydrometer to take note of the temperature and salinity. Temperature so far maintaining at 28-29..

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## daybreaks

A skimmer essentially strips the organic proteins off from the water,eg. Nitrates. These compounds when in excess due to fish waste and leftover food can lead to unwanted algae bloom and numerous what nots. Which is why protein skimmer is quite essential in marine aquariums. I have seen small setups without skimmers, but just be prepared to change water every week or fortnight depending on your bioload and maturity of tank.
The floating hydrometer is not really advisable cause its prone to breakage and I had one before which had its bulb broken but luckily it was out of the tank. But the current equipments should be sufficient,then along the way you can upgrade slowly.
Now just add in sand and let the tank cycle. Longer cycle=better colonisation of bacteria=better breaking down of waste afterwards.

Cheers and have fun!

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## Zee

Yeap all the best! once your tank is up, do take some pictures for us to see!  :Well done:

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## Cylence87

I tested my pH and it was on the low side, only 7.5  :Shocked:  Going to try out Aquapharm Pro Series Buffer 8.3 which I saw at a lfs. And when I was about to add sand, i saw some very very tiny moving creatures on the wall of the tank! They are basically translucent and some are partly white, can't figure out what they are nor able to take a picture. Anyone can advice?  :Knockout:

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## Zee

Those should be copepods bro...it's beneficial to your tank. Google it up. It's good to have a copepod population boom in your tank. But as fast as they multiply, their numbers will also decrease fast if you introduce mandarins and the likes in your tank.

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## Jalal

I use seachem salinity, its good quality salt for reefs though. If you're looking to setup a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) most cheap marine salts will do the job to keep the salinity up and give you some nutrients.

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## Cylence87

Thanks guys, I guess my tank is pretty much ok. I added 2 clownfishes and this is their 5th day, alive and eating pellets. I haven't add the sand yet..because it looks like those sand that we can find at the beach. It is beach colour and not the whitish type that I normally see what people have in their marine tanks. Do you guys think that this kind of sand is ok to use? And may I know if it is ok to add sand into my tank while it contains livestock and water?

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## Zee

That's good to hear bro. Its up to you which sand that you prefer to use. If you are taking it from the beach, make sure you wash it thoroughly. Also note the size of the sand particles, whether it is super fine or the normal grainy kind. If your water flow in your tank is strong, then it might stir a storm for your fine sand, else it will be fine. I would suggest you take out your livestocks / liverocks when you add the sand though. Good luck!

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## cdckjn

Dear Cylence87, it is ok for a small tank (2ft) and have a HOF (hang-on filter) but in the long run (after 4 weeks) you will need to change the water every 2 weeks (to save money).
If you want to lengthen the duration, you will need a bigger tank and a sump with skimmer as the skimmer will remove the waste from your water. But you still need regular water topup (distilled water) as when saltwater evaoporates, the salt stays behind in the tank.
Occassionally check the s.g. (specific gravity) of the water as you top up.
Sand and Live rock is good as they stabilise the water and provide growth of the necessary bacteria to balance your nitrate cycle.

Good luck!

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## Cylence87

> That's good to hear bro. Its up to you which sand that you prefer to use. If you are taking it from the beach, make sure you wash it thoroughly. Also note the size of the sand particles, whether it is super fine or the normal grainy kind. If your water flow in your tank is strong, then it might stir a storm for your fine sand, else it will be fine. I would suggest you take out your livestocks / liverocks when you add the sand though. Good luck!


 I took out the livestock and rocks before pouring in the sand. Removed the floating dirt and there we go, no sandstorm luckily haha. I did not take sand from the beach for fear of unwanted chemicals though.

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## Cylence87

> Dear Cylence87, it is ok for a small tank (2ft) and have a HOF (hang-on filter) but in the long run (after 4 weeks) you will need to change the water every 2 weeks (to save money).
> If you want to lengthen the duration, you will need a bigger tank and a sump with skimmer as the skimmer will remove the waste from your water. But you still need regular water topup (distilled water) as when saltwater evaoporates, the salt stays behind in the tank.
> Occassionally check the s.g. (specific gravity) of the water as you top up.
> Sand and Live rock is good as they stabilise the water and provide growth of the necessary bacteria to balance your nitrate cycle.
> 
> Good luck!


Thanks moderator, i do top up water with "Life" brand distilled water. But as i top up water, the pH level with drop too right? So do i need to add pH buffer everytime i top up? Im using dymax floating hydrometer to test salinity but the salinity doesn't seem to increase even though i added some amount of salt gradually. I will be adding more liverocks and upload pictures soon  :Smile:

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## drato11

Usually in a stable tank, the pH level will not drop that fast. For measuring of salinity, do invest in a refractometer which gives accurate reading of salinity. Those floating hydrometer are not accurate most of the time from my experience. Remember to let your tank cycle properly after the addition of liverocks before adding fishes. Cheers.

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## cdckjn

If you want, you need to get the pH test kit to verify your water. same for the sg which is about 1.21-1.23 - you can get a digital sg meter to verify this.
If you are into corals, then these parameter together with others will be critical to you. If you are just dong FOWLR, (Fish-Only-With-Live-Rock) then just sg is important. Other issue like temperature is important to FOWLR as this depends on the type of fishes kept. so topping up with distilled water is important to you.




> Thanks moderator, i do top up water with "Life" brand distilled water. But as i top up water, the pH level with drop too right? So do i need to add pH buffer everytime i top up? Im using dymax floating hydrometer to test salinity but the salinity doesn't seem to increase even though i added some amount of salt gradually. I will be adding more liverocks and upload pictures soon

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## Cylence87

Thanks guys..sharing a picture of my tank  :Smile:

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## sheristopher

Go get a Refractrometer. More accurate.

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## sheristopher

Are this green stuff in rock algae?

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## spkentchai

I use tropic marine salt

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## Cylence87

> Go get a Refractrometer. More accurate.


On a budget constraint  :Sad: 



> Are this green stuff in rock algae?


 I'm not too sure..



> I use tropic marine salt


 I am using that too..

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