Does every salt mix precipitate during storage? | BRStv Investigates

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Do you get precipitation in your storage/mixing bins?

  • Yes (Have pics? Share below!)

    Votes: 81 48.2%
  • No

    Votes: 87 51.8%

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randyBRS

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What's happening Reef2Reefers?!

It's the fourth installment in our BRStv Investigates testing of our eight most popular salt mixes and in this one, we set out to observe what was left over in each saltwater tank after 3+ weeks of storage.

Most likely at some point in our lives of mixing saltwater, some of us have ran across thick/thin crust or precipitate in the bottom of our mixing bins and we ended up observing the same during our storage testing. Today, we show you just what each one looks like in three stages!

 

vetteguy53081

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if these are pure and undissolved sea mixes and are then mixed well, cant understand why the film and residue left over ?
Guess i'd rather it be in the mixing barrel than the aquarium though.
 

Jstn

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Thanks for doing this, I currently run REdsea pro and get a ton of precipitation, I was thinking of switching to either brightwell or tropic marine pro, I know both mixed up clear and nearly equals
but in your opinion being the one who made the observations which one would be the cleanest of those two?
 

Sidius

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We're in the middle of testing this as we speak! ;)
Nice!! I'm looking forward to the results.

I use Red Sea Coral pro and mix up 10 gallons at a time for daily 1 gallon water changes on my 33g nano. I don't notice much precipitation aside from some on my powerhead. I don't use a heater but I leave a powerhead running 24/7. When I saw the results of Red Sea mixes from your last test I was quite surprised.

Thank you Randy (and all the folks at BRS) for all that you do for this hobby. It constantly challenges everyone to take it to the next level and teaches guys like me, so it's not so intimidating.
 

Sleepydoc

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So how many people clean out their mixing reservoirs on a regular basis? Many use setups that can't effectively be cleaned, and IME, cleaning the crust out is danged near impossible. I just cleaned out mine a few days ago and the majority is still there. I'm thinking of getting some muriatic acid (HCl) to clean it out better when the weather warms up a bit, but that's not the nicest stuff to work with...

Also, I'd still like an answer as to why the precipitate is so brown (at least with instant ocean)
 

Jstn

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So how many people clean out their mixing reservoirs on a regular basis? Many use setups that can't effectively be cleaned, and IME, cleaning the crust out is danged near impossible. I just cleaned out mine a few days ago and the majority is still there. I'm thinking of getting some muriatic acid (HCl) to clean it out better when the weather warms up a bit, but that's not the nicest stuff to work with...

Also, I'd still like an answer as to why the precipitate is so brown (at least with instant ocean)

I’ve been using citric acid, granted it’s pka is much higher than a mineral acid, but no fumes and works just as well, maybe an hour or two more of soaking. But not dealing with HCl fumes is worht it to me. The only down side is it can be pricer, I think 2kg of dry powder is ~$25 and 35% (12M) HCl is $10 bucks and last much longer.
 

Adz 82

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I have used tropic marin Pro which I would get brown scum in side barrel and I am now using reef crystals and getting less brown but still some but also white precipitation
 

Sleepydoc

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I have used tropic marin Pro which I would get brown scum in side barrel and I am now using reef crystals and getting less brown but still some but also white precipitation
That’s interesting - I used reef crystals for 3-4 years and had a ton of hard, brown buildup on the inside of my mixing tub. It was to the point that chunks would break off if I hit the outside with a a hammer. I seem to have less with Tropic Marin Pro, but it’s hard to say since the inside was already pretty encrusted. I just got done doing a vinegar soak on my pump, so now that I have it cleaned off I’ll keep an eye and see.
 

scott11106

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I use red sea pro and get a lot of brown it so i just switched to reef crystals (this week) for two reasons, one is due to the amount of precipitation and the second reason is because i use a 55 gal saltwater reservoir and the red sea has too much fluctuation in parameters over a 10 day period so my dosing had to increase as the salt water changed, too much to keep up with.
 

Codym808

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My salt used to precipitate but once I stopped using a heater to heat the water, that all stopped. Not sure what the relationship is but that's what works for me!
 

VTBig053

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Fritz pro rpm user here and I do get lots of brown build up on the sides of the bucket and the powerhead and heater. Easy enough to replace the 5-gallon bucket but getting off the heater and powerhead is a pain.
 

fish farmer

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My old trash can had white/brown flaky stuff on the bottom. I would usually ditch that slurry. It was build up over several years. I was using IO or RC.

Within the last couple of months I set up a new mixing barrel. I usually have at least 3 gallons at most 9 gallons mixed with a power head 24/7 and a heater a day before WC, I do 5 gallon WC twice month. I hadn't noticed any precip until the last WC( recently started using Kent). The heater, power head, and sides of the container were coated with what looked like a powdery rust or brown sediment.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

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  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 13.0%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

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