Reef Evolution Salt is a third-generation sea salt, born out of the experience of ASF Aquarium System. It has everything it needs to be considered perfect.

Whenever I talk about sea salt, like to start with the basics because, in my humble opinion, not enough importance is given to the salt that is used to create the sea water used in our aquariums. It should be obvious to think that since water is the liquid in which everything is immersed, if there are issues with our water, then our whole system will have problems and carry them for a very long time. Assuming we can solve them.

That is why I consider salt to be one of the key components for our aquariums. So I think the choice of a good salt is a key factor in the splendor of an aquarium. It is crucial in preparing the water for starting our aquarium so that it has perfect water, but it is also crucial in preparing the water for changes. In this regard, we repost a few articles that are among the most widely read and appreciated:

• Salinity in a marine reef aquarium;
• Water change: the views of 10 international experts;
• Water change according to Julian Sprung;
• Calculate automatically the salt to be added in the aquarium for proper salinity;
• How to lower poisons in aquarium with water change: Part 1.

This dutiful promise is important because we finally have a salt that has been much talked about lately, both in Italy and in the United States, as we got to see during ReefApalooza in New York (click for more information). We are talking about Reef Evolution Salt from Aquarium Systems.

Reef Evolution Salt in detail

Reef Evolution Salt has been formulated to best meet the needs of reef aquariums by providing a regular supply of oligoelements, calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity. Earlier I called it third-generation salt because in addition to trace elements, it also contains food for beneficial bacteria, amino acids and vitamins that support biological processes in the aquarium for optimal coral growth and coloration, as well as fish health.

Essential vitamins and 10 different amino acids are contained in the salt, and the salt is certified to be phosphate-free, nitrate-free, nitrite-free, and ammonium-free.

Mind you, this is not a probiotic salt; if anything it is a prebiotic salt! And that is also why we call it a third generation salt. Reef Evolution Salt is the third salt developed and formulated by Aquarium Systems. The first was Instant Ocean and then Reef Crystal. But that is not the only reason for calling it that name. First came sea salts, let’s call them traditional, then came probiotic sea salts, i.e., those enriched with bacteria, and finally Aquarium Systems has developed this prebiotic salt. That is, without bacteria, but with food for the bacteria themselves thanks to carbon sources. And I must say that I really like this very much.

Also because the bacteria is already in the aquarium, or we can use bacteria that are more specific to what we and our aquarium need. Using perhaps the brands we prefer. In any case I consider it much more useful to have the bacteria food than the bacteria themselves. The food in fact stimulates bacterial production, without the bacteria themselves having to die from lack of food.

Chemical composition

The Reef Evolution Salt is a charged, but extremely balanced, salt. The magnesium value is exactly three times that of calcium. And a carbonate value, or KH, that is absolutely perfect for not being too aggressive to corals.

With a density of 1024 we have the following values, as stated and tested by Aquarium Systems:

In this case, unlike the Reef Crystal salt, Aquarium Systems has not provided values inferred from an ICP analysis, and we honestly believe that for one of the companies that has made the history of aquarium salt this is not a big problem. Given the excellent reputation of its salt over the years, we believe that the stated values are more than enough to reassure us aquarists.

How to prepare water

We prepare water, at least the first time, using 39/40 grams of salt per liter of water. Using a smaller amount of salt, as indicated in the table on the back of the package, results in a lower salinity suitable for the various types of animals kept. I am on team 35 per thousand, meaning that for me the right salinity is always 35 per thousand, and therefore 39-40 grams per liter.

The exact amount stoichiometrically would be 36.27 grams. But if you want to go more in depth, we refer you to the article linked above. Once the salt is dissolved we check the amount and then adjust if necessary by adding a little water. It is of course critical that the amount of salt is less than what is needed.

With the 39 grams per liter we should get a concentration of around 36 per thousand.

1.024 specific gravity or 35 per thousand per 606 liters?

We discovered a curious thing. Aquarium Systems indicates that at 1.024 specific gravity, that is, with a density of 1.021 and a ratio of 32 per thousand, one can produce 606 liters.

However, if the salt were completely anhydrous (i.e., without any trace of moisture), dividing the 22 kilograms of content by the amount of 36.27 grams we would get precisely 606 liters… but at a rate of 35 per thousand! Of course using 39-40 grams we would get 565 liters. In the end these are small details, but I still wanted to mention them.

One detail that personally drives me crazy is the shape of the bin. A crescent moon that has now become iconic with the gold color that predominates on the packaging.

How do you open the bin?

This sounds like a stupid question, but I often have to figure out how to open a bin. In this case it’s very simple because you just press open where you see the little window.

The salt is contained inside the 22 kg bin in a plastic bag. The pressure lid and the bag completely eliminate the possibility of moisture getting to the salt itself.

We are testing it in our nanoreef, have you guys tried it? What do you think of it? Write to us in the comments.

[Translated by Aisja Baglioni]