Best Salt Mixes of 2019: The Final Four

Tropic Marin Pro

Simply the best

Tropic Marin uses only pharmaceutical grade components in their salt mix which results in a fast mixing salt that mixes clear and does not leave any residue in your mixing containers or worse yet, introduce impurities. During our various salt mix tests on BRStv Investigates, Tropic Marin scored at the top of the list in all of the fields including mix time, impurities, consistency and storage time; often beating the competitors by a majority. Tropic Marin Pro comes in at a close tie with Red Sea Coral Pro for the most popular salt mix sold on our website which only reaffirms the results of our experiments and you can expect a clean and homogeneous salt mix in each and every bucket.

Red Sea Coral Pro

The people's choice

Coral Pro is tied with Tropic Marin Pro for being the best selling salt mix of all time on our website. It is made using natural sodium chloride that is evaporated from the Red Sea and then enriched with a special formulation of major elements to create a high quality salt mix with the ideal ratio of fundamental elements for your corals. This naturally element rich sodium chloride is free of heavy metals and organics which eliminates the need for additional chemical binders found in other salts. By working in small batches Red Sea can maintain strict quality control measures which means you can rely on Red Sea Coral Pro to provide consistent parameters each and every time you mix.

Instant Ocean Standard

The best bang for your buck

Good old Instant Ocean is probably the most iconic of salt mixes because it is one of the first artificial salt mixes created by the scientific community for use in public aquaria. Fast forward 55 years and Instant Ocean is now used by hobbyists across the globe and is the most affordable salt mix you can get that will provide decent results. For many of us, this is the salt mix that started it all. The affordable price point is really what makes Instant Ocean a winner and has given countless hobbyists the ability to mix saltwater at home which is a crucial step in the evolution of a dedicated reef hobbyist.

ESV Seawater System

Clean, consistent and mixes fast

ESV is a very unique salt mix in that it includes four different components that are mixed together in a specific order to create saltwater that is ready for use within just a few hours. The components being separated into four parts eliminates precipitation that inevitably occurs with other dry salt mixes at varying levels of severity. During our BRStv Investigates experiment it was the fastest mixing of all the salts we tested but also the most consistent from top to bottom. Although it does require just a bit more effort to mix, you can be confident the parameters will always be on point, your mixing bins will stay clean and your saltwater will be free of harmful impurities and organics each and every time.