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- NeoMarine Salt Mix 150 Gallon - Brightwell Aquatics
NeoMarine Salt Features:
- Extensively-researched and tested over a multi-year period, with a formulation based on current understanding of Marine Chemistry and Marine Biology as they pertain to the husbandry of all marine aquaria (e.g. reef, mixed reef, FOWLR, fish-only, mangrove, sea grass, lagoonal, brackish, etc.).
- Precision-formulated to replicate the natural seawater ratios of every major element, as well as all non-conservative minor and trace elements.
- Creates a marine environment so chemically-similar to natural seawater in all important respects that aquarium inhabitants are not likely to discern any difference between water prepared with NēoMarine and filtered natural seawater from tropical reef waters.
- Contains USP- and ACS Reagent-grade ingredients.
- 134 g per 1 US-gallon (3.785 L) of purified water yields a specific gravity of ~1.025 g/cm3, with a pH of ~8.30 and alkalinity of ~7.5 dKH.
- Manufactured by Brightwell Aquatics in their own production facility (not outsourced) under the strictest standards of quality. Every batch is lot numbered and sampled for quality control.
- Utilizes a production process that promotes particle size uniformity and a dry, homogenous salt blend.
- Formulated by a marine scientist; not composed of seawater evaporite.
What’s in NēoMarine:
- Anhydrous-only forms of major elements
- Average Mg, Ca, K, and Sr concentrations of 1,290-, 413-, 399-, and 8 ppm, respectively
- All non-conservative minor and trace elements found in seawater
- Sufficient salt to reconstitute purified water of the stated package volume to 1.025 g/cm3
- Our commitment that this salt blend is the best you have ever used
What’s not in NēoMarine:
- Anti-caking agents
- Vitamins, amino acids, and other unnecessary organic substances
- Hydrated forms of major elements such as magnesium and calcium
- Saltwater evaporite (e.g. dehydrated saltwater)
- Ammonia*
- Phosphate*
Mixing Instructions
Do not mix in an aquarium containing live organisms. NēoMarine creates slight heat when mixed into water; therefore, do not handle dry NēoMarine with wet hands. NēoMarine may have a slight sulfurous odor when the container is first opened; this is a result of the use of anhydrous magnesium chloride and will dissipate.
It is strongly recommended to use Reverse Osmosis Deionized water when mixing NeoMarine Salt. To mix saltwater with a specific gravity of 1.025 g/cm3 add approximately 1/2 cup (134.5g or 4oz) of NeoMarine Salt per gallon of RODI water and adjust as necessary by adding more salt or water to reach desired specific gravity.
Allow the freshly made seawater to mix for 24 hours with a submersible powerhead or pump. Ensure that the water temperature matches that of the established aquarium (use a submersible heater if necessary). Allow water to mix, preferably while being aerated, until pH becomes completely stable, indicating that gas equilibrium has been achieved. It is strongly recommended that at least 24-hours of mixing be allowed to pass before adding the water to an established aquarium; this extra time enables gas formed during the salt dissolution to escape, further stabilizing alkalinity and pH. Note that water temperature and mixing rate will influence the speed with which the salt goes into solution. It is recommended that 10 - 20% of the total water volume in an aquarium system be replaced every 7 - 10 days; this helps maintain proper water chemistry and consequently benefits aquarium inhabitants.
How was NeoMarine formulated?
Basically, we reverse-engineered saltwater by creating an extremely-precise calculation method that takes into account all necessary chemical characteristics of the salts that provide desirable elements. Natural seawater concentrations of all major elements, as well as the minor and trace elements that are considered to be non-conservative (e.g. they are utilized in biological and chemical processes that occur in marine environments), were used as the design template. We then tested several combinations of ingredients that ultimately provided identical concentrations of each important element (except chloride, which was the only ion that varied in concentration); we were specifically interested in assessing the dryness and homogeneity of the blend, as well as the solubility and speed with which the blend completely dissolved into solution. For what it’s worth, the final formulation provides all major, minor, and trace elements at concentrations within 0.000001% (with the exception of chloride) of their respective average natural seawater concentrations. We strive to reproduce this formulation with our production process.
How was NeoMarine tested?
Once we had arrived at a final formulation, we tested it in multiple research systems for a period of three years. Our research systems house all conceivable types of marine fishes, cnidarians, bivalves, gastropods, echinoderms, crustaceans, coelenterates, and poriferans, as well as ancillary organisms such as suspension-feeding worms, macroalgae, sea grasses, and mangroves. We have exclusively been using our salt formulation on every system during the three-year testing process, with remarkable success: several coral spawning events have taken place, fishes have reproduced, and the coloration and apparent health of all residents in the systems is very good. Additionally, NeoMarine has been successfully used in a large reef aquarium on display at a prominent national museum in the Nation’s Capitol.
How is NeoMarine manufactured?
We’ll give you a hint: no cement mixers are used! The exact process is deemed proprietary, but what we can divulge is that the process is such that a homogenous particle size and blend are created in a clean, climate-controlled atmosphere within our own production facility. Rather than producing several tons of NēoMarine in each batch, we create batches of modest-size that enable us to maintain maximum quality control and ensure the most homogenous blend; the more ingredients that are used, the more difficult it is to create homogeneity throughout the finished product (our formulation makes use of nearly 40 ingredients, for reference), so producing gigantic batches of salt is not an option for us. If we were just blending table salt with “ice-melt” and Dow flake and calling that a finished product, we could make multi-ton batches and not lose any sleep doing so.
How long does it take for NeoMarine to dissolve?
On average, 75°F water that has the proper amount of NēoMarine added to increase the specific gravity to 1.025 g/cm3 will clear in less than 15-minutes with vigorous mixing, however when mixing a large batch (e.g. ≥50-gallons) all at once it may take longer for the mix to completely clear. Two things factor into the speed that a salt mix will clear in water of a standardized temperature: the degree of mixing taking place within the mixing vessel, and the solubility of the various salts that are present in a mix. Regarding the former, it can be said that the speed of dissolution is directly related to the amount of water movement in the vessel; that is, faster water movement decreases the time required for the mix to completely dissolve and clarify, assuming that samples are prepared using the same salt blend. Companies selling sea salt blends have been hyping the speed with which their salt dissolves completely for so long that aquarists now use this as a bench-mark to judge the quality of a salt mix; ironically, salts that mix immediately into water are typified by low concentrations of magnesium, calcium, and/or the use of a large percentage of highly-soluble hydrated ingredients that drag unwanted substances into their final product (see the following section). Honestly, salt water should mix overnight in order to allow all intermediate gasses formed during the dissolution process to escape and pH and alkalinity to become stable. If the newly-mixed saltwater doesn’t become crystal-clear within 30-seconds, who cares?
*Ammonia and phosphate are undetectable in water prepared to 1.025 g/cm3 using Hach standard test kits with reagents within the usable dates. Every batch is tested and results are logged.
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Brown residue is not good By Ken on 7/21/2019
Ken wouldn't recommend this product to a friendI chose to change from the Marine pro to this due to the evaluation, not happy with the residue it leaves in my bucket. I will use the rest of what I have but I may either move back to pro or move to two little fishies for its ease of using pre measured bags.
Too bad I was hoping Brightwell was as good as the pro. I use bright-well for a lot of things but they are so wordy and measurement never have a calculator on site. I love bulk-reef you guys are top notch but brown should have come out in your testing.
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Low alk consistently By joshua on 6/5/2019
joshua wouldn't recommend this product to a friendMixed this at 1.026 sg (35 ppt) using digital refractometer . Salt was mixed with pumps on and water pre heated to 68 degrees . After 48 hours the water was clear with no residue however , all was low , really low ! 6.0 ( tested 3 times with Hannah checker) I give it 3 stars for quality but would recommend to buffer this salt before using for tanks with corals in them. Luckily I caught this quickly and was able to adjust. -
Quality has changed recently By Charles on 3/12/2019
Charles wouldn't recommend this product to a friendThis is an update to an earlier review. My last few buckets of salt have not mixed to the clarity I have come accustomed to. I'm not sure what the problem is, perhaps there has been a change in the recipe or just poor quality control. I am consistently left with extremely cloudy water that last for days after mixing. Additionally , There has been quite a lot of undissolved particles left in my mixing tank. I have used Brightwell Neo marine since 2017 and it has always been my go to choice until now. I hope the factory can get back to making the same mix I came to love. -
Best on the market By Alisha on 10/10/2018
Alisha would recommend this product to a friendI switched from reef crystals after their product disappointed me. My tank has done a complete 180. I no longer dose anything and no longer worry about my calcium levels. With my sps dominated tank i was dosing daily. I now do monthly water changes and everything is happy. This mixs with nothing left in the bucket. I only use brightwell aquatics in my tank because its so consistent. This is the salt to get. -
Let down By Josh on 9/3/2018
Josh wouldn't recommend this product to a friendSwitched to neo marine from instant ocean and so far am disappointed in it, it always leaves residue all over my mixing barrel and pump ( i mix 15 gallons at a time for 24hrs) i also had a chalice immediately starting to recede and show skeleton after doing only a 15 gallon water change with this new salt on a 80 gallon system. I had to dose alk because it had dropped it too low luckily i caught it and was able to save my coral.....never had this issue using instant ocean doing water changes every 2-3 weeks depending on parameters -
Great salt By Cody on 8/1/2018
Cody would recommend this product to a friendIve been using this salt for my softy coral tank, the water is clear and the coral are doing well. -
BUCKY & KEO05 reivews By FLSharkvictim on 5/20/2018
FLSharkvictim would recommend this product to a friendlol, there is no suck thing is a bad bucket..FAKE NEWS!! First of all the smell has nothing to do with the HIGH QUALITY REEF SALT.. 2nd. Bucky, your saying you had an algae bloom BUT It could have been that you over feed? FYI - when you test with a Hannah Checker, you will never get the same reading b/c if there is a tiny scratch on the bottle you will get a false reading every-time. If you don't calibrate your checkers and keep the Vials clean as a whistle the Hann Checkers can be pretty accurate. Also, I find it very hard to believe that this Neo Reef salt from Brightwell caused any-type of algae bloom. Per KE05 if there WAS SOME ODD way of you getting a bad bucket. Are you the kind of person that gets a bad burger at McDonnell's and because that you will never go back, thats silly... I will guarantee that the salt has absolutely had nothing to do with your Algae bloom. How stack is your tank, do you have a skimmer, a rectors, etc etc? How many times do you do water changed in a month? -
Superb Reef Salt By FLSharkvoctim on 10/29/2017
FLSharkvoctim would recommend this product to a friendI have used many different brands on the market, Instant Ocean, Fritz Reef Pro, RedSea Reef Pro etc, etc Started using this salt and all of my SP's corals and my LPs corals are doi g great with this salt! PH, salinity is always spot on! U own a mixed reef tank I would highly recommended reef salt -
Mixes well , Close to crystal clear By Charles on 6/26/2017
Charles would recommend this product to a friendI bought my first bucket of this a couple weeks ago and I can assure you it will not be my last. The mix dissolves completely and dissolves quickly. I have used a couple other brands that took what seemed like forever to dissolve. After doing my water change the cloudiness was not their as it is when I used my old brand.I have crystal clear water in a matter of minutes , which is something I really like about the Brightwell salt. Shortly after the water change I checked the ph and it was right back to my normal 8.1 . All in all I can confidently recommend this salt to everyone I know.anyone -
best store best product By h on 3/29/2017
h would recommend this product to a friendBeen in the reef hobby since 1990. I've used most all mixes. Neo marine has Beebe the best at keeping parameters. Very consistent between each bucket. Would highly recommend for all mixes to stir/mix as content settle due to different molecular weights. *** bulk reef is the best! Customer service and prices are the best! -
Thumbs Up By Nick on 3/21/2017
Nick would recommend this product to a friendMixed reef responding well to the new salt. Smells funky and takes a few minutes longer than others to dissolve. Nice and clear in less than an hour, with no undissolved solids in the bottom. I mix 50 gallons at a time and wait a day or so before I use any prepared water. Alk measured at 7.8. Everything responded well to 40% change -I consider a good water change when nothing in the tank notices... All the corals stayed open and a week later nothing to report but a happy reef. For reference... I got my first acropora in 1993, and have had pretty much acro dominated tanks since then. -
The Only Salt I'll Use By Jeffrey on 1/16/2017
Jeffrey would recommend this product to a friendI was using HW-Marinemix Reefer salt for a little over a year. Two issues I was having was the slimy brown film left behind after mixing. All salts leave some kind of residue but I never had a slimy residue. It's fair to assume this slimy stuff was going into my tank. The second issue that I noticed was my ORP would immediately drop on my Apex controller on average by 70 and would gradually climb back up to the low 320's by the next weekly water change. The last time I used it, the newly mixed water had a slight brown color. (mix in white bucket) and 1/3 of my corals started to have STN. within days. They are now dead. Sense switching my corals seem to be much happier. Corals love stability. My ORP now drops by 23 to 30 and rebounds within 2 hours max. After the first few water changes my ORP now stays around 425 on average with the highest reading of 455. By the way I do not use ozone. Everything is happy in the tank and I can't say enough about this salt.