Crystalized red Sea alk

[Jeeperz]

I know this has been covered somewhere but my searching is coming up empty.

I have a half used bottle of red Sea kh additive that I just realized has a 1"+ thick crystalized block in the bottom. I've been using the liquid still. I've tried soaking the bottle in hot water for 2 days now and it won't dissolve again, I read it should. Do I bring some hot water to simmer on stove and soak in that for a couple hours?

Q1 is the liquid portion still acceptable to use or is it basically water now?
Q2 how do I prevent this, the expiration date is still over a year out
Q3 I have a similar problem with the red Sea calcium, any solutions?
Q4 do I go back to esv 2 part but only use the ALK? I've used esv in the past but dosed equal my cal went up and alk would drop so equal dosing doesn't work in my tanks. At least I never had their ALK solidify.

Or, do I try that all for reef or polyplab one?

Thanks in advance for any insight

 

[blaxsun]

A1: It's probably diluted from full strength.
A2: No idea - I've run into the same problem with calcium. You could always opt for the powder and mix as you need it (this is the route I've gone).
A3: Same here. I had 2 bottles - one was great (no issues), the other crystalized.
A4: Powdered option might be your best bet.

 

[Jeeperz]

Ok. Guess I'll go with powdered for the future and mix up a couple weeks worth at a time. I don't use much each day.