Has anyone got a lake Malawi reef lake salt mix recipe?

I would like to make or mix up my own reef lake salt mix, I have a couple of large tanks and a few 2 and 3ft quarantine and breeding tanks. I have heard of others making there own mix with Epsom salts and Bi carb soda, I live in Melbourne and would like any suggestions of recipe's you use.Has anyone got a lake Malawi reef lake salt mix recipe?
Hi Old fishy!

I have been using a mix of the recipe (below) for many years. If you live in Melbourne Australia then the following ingredients and measurements should be close for you to use. You will however need to monitor your PH, GH, KH etc for the following months and adjust accordingly.

OR, to test and adjust the measurements without using your tank you could fill a 20 litre bucket with water and add your chlorine and chloramine removers, pre test the water before you add anything and keep a record of the results, then slowly start adding quantities of each ingredient until you reach the desired level you want to keep your fish in.

****This is an approximation for Melbourne water, you may need slight adjustments to suit your preferred water preferences you keep your fish in.****

For every 19 litres (5 US gallons) of water, add the following;
1-TABLEspoon Epsom salt
1-TEAspoon Bicarbonate of soda
1-TEAspoon Marine salt

Some people in the hobby don't add the Marine salt, when I first started mixing my own salts I never added it and never had any problems, my fish were always healthy and colourful but for the last 10 years or so I have been adding it. Personal preference thats all.
Basically marine salt adds the minerals and trace elements that are found in the African lakes that our tap water doesn't contain. There is argument for and against the need to add the Marine salts because most fish we buy have been kept and bread in waters not containing these minerals and trace elements for decades.

Give this ago, it will give you a great starting point. Best of all it is way cheaper than buying it from the shops and it has been a proven mix for many decades.

Good luck.Has anyone got a lake Malawi reef lake salt mix recipe?
Aqua Girls recipe is about right, but the only thing to watch is what your tap water is like.



If your water is already hard and has a high pH then you will want to reduce the amounts to compensate. The full mix would be for very soft tap water. Some peoples water may be 1/2 way to Lake Malawi water already.



Ian