How To Choose Marine Aquarium Salts.
The Tropical Marine Aquarium seeks to replicate the Reef environment, home to a great diversity of fish and invertebrate life and part of the great Oceans that make up almost 70% of the Earths surface. In order to successfully keep Marine life in a captive environment it is essential to provide correct water quality parameters and accurately reproducing the composition of the water, in this case salt water, is paramount.

What Is Salt Water?
Atoms are charged either positively or negatively. Those Atoms that are charged electrically are called Ions and Ions can combine to form the molecules of compounds called salts. The water of Seas and Oceans is made up mainly of salts and other materials found in small quantities called Trace Elements.

Natural Seawater.
Some people who are lucky enough to live beside the sea collect natural seawater to use in their aquariums. On the face of it this may seem an ideal situation but in reality utilizing this apparently perfect and abundant natural supply is fraught with danger for the occupants of the captive Marine Aquarium. This is because the natural water supply may well contain Pathogens that, in the confines of the aquarium rapidly multiply to cause disease and death. This water also contains millions of other microscopic organisms that will soon die causing changes in the waters Oxygen and Carbon dioxide balance and a build up of Ammonia. In many coastal areas high levels of pollutive contaminants are also present. If natural seawater is used then it is recommended that it is passed through a high output Ultraviolet Steriliser whilst being vigorously aerated and filtered through a high grade Activated Carbon and Polyfilter.

Synthetic Seawater.
As the name suggests, synthetic seawater is an artificially produced material manufactured to be as near as possible to the real thing. Modern synthetic sea salts are very accurate reproductions of the real thing but exclude some of the trace elements deemed to be un-necessary to support aquatic marine life. Some salts are actually saltpan-dried seawater, collected and then adjusted with additives to ensure quality and uniformity of composition.

Mixing Synthetic Seawater.
It is essential that synthetic seawater is mixed in a container and not in an aquarium containing livestock. An ideal container for this process is a Brewing bucket as they are made from food grade, non-toxic plastic and additionally have marked graduations for Litres or Gallons. These graduations make it easy to calculate how much salt to add to a given volume of water. Salinity can be approximated by adding a weight of salt to a volume of water and then fine-tuned by measuring the specific gravity with a hydrometer. Use a hydrometer manufactured specifically for aquarium use (Kent Deep Six and Aquarium Systems Instant Ocean Seatest), as these are more accurate and easy to read than those used in home brewing. The specific gravity of natural seawater does vary from location to location but the global average is thought to be 1.025. In the home Marine system specific gravity is usually maintained at 1.019 to 1.023 for fish only systems and 1.023 to 1.025 for mixed fish and invertebrate and Reef systems. Always use water from the cold tap for the mix, add a good quality water conditioner and aerate for one hour. Use a wooden air diffuser rather than ceramic. In some areas, particularly those of a high density population, it is advisable to test the new mix for the presence of nitrate and check Ph levels, adjusting as necessary.

Makes Of Marine Salt.
Most modern Marine salts are of a very high quality and each and every manufacturer will claim that theirs is the best. There is great competition amongst manufacturers to supply large public aquaria for the exposure and resultant associated prestige. The truth is that, as long as you choose a brand with a good pedigree and not from some obscure source, then you will achieve the desired results. The Leading brands of salts available (UK) are Kent Marine, Instant Ocean, Tropic Marin and Red Sea.