In a prior article, I discussed my first experience at Global Pet Expo. It was a great experience, and I decided to highlight some observations from the booths I visited. Enjoy!

The Aquarium Systems France booth was shared with Dr. Tim’s Aquatics. It displayed many “new to me” products.  What interested me the most was their premium Reef Evolution Salt. Per the literature, “Reef Evolution is a reef recipe synthetic salt that also contains vitamins, amino acids, and food for beneficial bacteria.”  At some point, if it fits my budget, I would like to try this modern approach. Everything is moving to focus on microbiome and trace element impacts these days at the next frontier in the hobby.

Note, ASF recommends a salinity of 1.024-1.025 S.G. so that’s what the container volume is calculated for.

I have used Instant Ocean and Reef Crystals for over 25 years. It was the backbone of my system before other brands started showing up on the market.  My only concern with Reef Crystals back in the day was the inclusion of a “clay chelator that bound metals” and created a brown film in my containers.  The explanation to me, by the expert at the booth, was that my source water was not filtered correctly.  That may be true, since I did not even have a reverse osmosis filter back then.  I was glad to be able to speak to one of the primary developers in person to answer some of my questions.

ASF displayed a full line of products at their booth. This included water test kits, supplements, and other hardware equipment. These products have existed for some time but I have never seen them available at the retailers I use.  These are commodity items but if they are competitive in cost and quality I would definitely be open to comparing them to the other market brands.