If you are a novice marine fish hobbyist, you (like so many others before you) may be making that fatal error that you can re-create favorable sea water living conditions by simply filling an aquarium or tank with tap water and mixing in several tablespoons of iodized salt. It would not surprise you then that most of the living creatures you install within such a set up end up in fish heaven sooner than you can say filet me a fish. Here at www.Godscreationsunderthesea.com, we know that tap water and iodized salt just do not hack it. If you are planning on establishing a successful marine habitat (which we hope you do) and you have these precious and fragile sea dwellers in mind, you need to get back to the basics – back to the essential properties of sea water and why, despite its rather inhospitable environment, life thrives abundantly within it. Sea Water 101 Often, when people try to recreate sea water in enclosed spaces, they think of promoting clean sea water – there really is no such thing, you know. Sea water is filled with impurities, filled microscopic life forms, of harsh trace elements, and of course, volumes upon volumes of dissolved salts. It is a veritable soup of life forms: from bacteria, to fungi, to planktons, to plankton feeders, to the top predators of the food chain. Naturally, waste products are also abundant in sea water. But the one thing that promotes oxygen in this otherwise unhealthy set up is the dynamism of the sea itself. Sea water is never stagnant, it moves continuously, stirring up oxygen and promoting a more balanced pH level in the environment. Trace elements in the water also provide supplementary benefits to its inhabitants. Sea water also relies on the power of direct sunlight and moonlight as a source of life support. Sea Salt Mix There is no way of accurately recreating sea water in a sustainable environment – unless of course you live near the sea and you can gather up as much sea water whenever the need arises. If you are this passionate about salt water fish keeping, then we applaud you. However, for the rest of us who do not have that great access to sea water supply, we need to rely on Sea Salt Mix that are available in the market. We have already established the fact that tap water and iodized salt do not equate to sea water, because these lack two important components, namely: the trace minerals and nutrients that are usually found in the sea water; and the right amount of sea water composition (salinity, pH level, water density level, etc.) Buying sea salt mix helps you, at the very least, solve one part of the dilemma. Sea salt mix are scientifically prepared to contain major, minor and trace elements to help sustain marine life forms. These elements are actually the same elements that give the water its saline properties in the first place (i.e. calcium.) The wonderful thing about this is that most harmful bacteria and damaging growths of fungi are of course excluded in the sea salt mix. You can also read on the packaging labels just how much sea salt mix you would need for every gallon of water. This means that there is less guess work on your part when it comes to just how much synthetic sea salt the water needs. You should remember though, that sea salt mix is only one component in establishing a successful salt water aquarium and fish tank. There are other components to consider like lighting, heating, feeding Here at , Godscreationsunderthesea.com we know how essential it is to keep the correct salinity level in salt water aquariums, fish tanks, and even marine ponds. We therefore only cater to the best producers of Synthetic Sea Salt Mixes since we know that this is one of the most important life lines for marine life. We have: Coralife Marine Salt, Crystal Sea, Kent Salt, Instant Ocean, Nutri-Sea Water, Oceanic Natural Sea Salt Mix, Red Sea Salt, Seachem Marine Salt, Tropic Marine Sea Salts, etc.