General Shelf Life Guidelines to Go By

Drewbacca · May 8, 2022

What are the general Shelf Lives of all the solutions we create/mix & use for our reef tanks? (safe & still effective)
So... Starting with 2 gallons of Mixed Topic Marin Part C. Room temp in large clear sealed container for 10 months.
I've started dosing 2 part again.. and I'm not sure whether to still use this mixed TM part C or dump it & mix new batch.
We've all mixed things in advance or when we think we are ready or even had already been using... and Then ... things were delayed, not needed yet, or tanks were shutdown and restarted much later due to moving or all the reasons I will not speak.
(Look into the reflection of your tank and say Briopsis 3 times. ... I DARE YOU.)
My question is specific but I thought a general working list would be more helpful to everyone longterm. (Esp for those who always help us with answers to these things.. many times over.. lookin at you Randy..lol )
Maybe I'm stupid or overthinking this. But..
In Jerry Mcguire fashion..
"Who's Coming with Me?!"

vetteguy53081 · May 8, 2022

Drewbacca said:
What are the general Shelf Lives of all the solutions we create/mix & use for our reef tanks? (safe & still effective)
So... Starting with 2 gallons of Mixed Topic Marin Part C. Room temp in large clear sealed container for 10 months.
I've started dosing 2 part again.. and I'm not sure whether to still use this mixed TM part C or dump it & mix new batch.
We've all mixed things in advance or when we think we are ready or even had already been using... and Then ... things were delayed, not needed yet, or tanks were shutdown and restarted much later due to moving or all the reasons I will not speak.
(Look into the reflection of your tank and say Briopsis 3 times. ... I DARE YOU.)
My question is specific but I thought a general working list would be more helpful to everyone longterm. (Esp for those who always help us with answers to these things.. many times over.. lookin at you Randy..lol )
Maybe I'm stupid or overthinking this. But..
In Jerry Mcguire fashion..
"Who's Coming with Me?!"

I try to use in 45 m-60 days
Most prepared have expiration dates on them

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 9, 2022

Inorganic additives are almost always of unlimited shelf life if closed from air, and something like Balling Part C has no air exposure concern.

Organic materials (such as vitamins) may have a shelf life, but no one can say in advance what it will be without measurement of the aging effects on the exact formulation.

Drewbacca · May 10, 2022

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Inorganic additives are almost always of unlimited shelf life if closed from air, and something like Balling Part C has no air exposure concern.

Organic materials (such as vitamins) may have a shelf life, but no one can say in advance what it will be without measurement of the aging effects on the exact formulation.

Thanks!
Just to avoid knowledge bias, (esp for begginers ) i will start a best guess list of inorganic solutions we mix for people to reference for very long (year plus) and possibly indefinate shelf lives. then maybe even a list for averages / safe Estimates of common prebought solutions both organic and inorganic and leave them blank for the more educated to fill in or even edit with the different common formulations that someone could use to find on the bottle to know what they have. I'm honesly not sure where minerals such as potassium or even aminos would fall as they seem organic to me but i dont know. I am surprised how many things i buy that dont even have general sealed expirations or "once opened use within.." guidelines / expirations.
This all probably seems obvious or silly to many.. but the more we can slowly collect, organize and catalog any info/data like this that exsists ..but ..just not all in one known place.. the more people can find answers instantly and move forward immediatly armed with the best info we can collectively provide. Its all mundane until the moment you need it.

Please help if you can edit or add anything..
including any specific brand/type that has different storage times or requirements from the norm.
SO...
(from dry granules/powder)
Mixed
Liquid solutions: Safe/Stable Shelf Life:
v v v v v v v v v v v v v v
CARBONATE ( i ) - - - 1 Yr+ / Indefinite
BICARBONATE ( i ) "
CALCIUM ( i ) "
Magnesium ( i ) "
Kalkwasser ( i ) "
Balling method Part C ( i ) "
Salt mixes (w heat & flow) - - Avg: 1-3 mnth?

... ALL marked "i" Are inorganic and should Store:
- Well over a year / indefinitely .. if not exposed to air longterm. (Aka.. has had cap or lid)

SOLUTIONS with Trace elements THAT were part of the ORIGINAL dry mix or added to the mixed solution after... has _ _ _ _ _ _ effect on
The shelf life of the solution.

Premixed. Unopened / opened
Liquid additives: Avg. Shelf Life:
(* = Fridge Required)

Amino Acids - - - - - -
Trace Elements - - - - -
Potassium - - - - - - - -
Iron - - - - - - - - - -
ChaetoGro - - - - - - -
NoPox - - - - - - - - -
Nitrate (neonitro) - - - - -
Phosphate (neophos) - - - -
Nitrifying Bacteria - - - - -
Other Bacteria ?
Liquid test reagents:
Hanna calcium - - - - - -
Hanna Alkalinity - - - - -

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 10, 2022

Drewbacca said:
Thanks!
Just to avoid knowledge bias, (esp for begginers ) i will start a best guess list of inorganic solutions we mix for people to reference for very long (year plus) and possibly indefinate shelf lives. then maybe even a list for averages / safe Estimates of common prebought solutions both organic and inorganic and leave them blank for the more educated to fill in or even edit with the different common formulations that someone could use to find on the bottle to know what they have. I'm honesly not sure where minerals such as potassium or even aminos would fall as they seem organic to me but i dont know. I am surprised how many things i buy that dont even have general sealed expirations or "once opened use within.." guidelines / expirations.
This all probably seems obvious or silly to many.. but the more we can slowly collect, organize and catalog any info/data like this that exsists ..but ..just not all in one known place.. the more people can find answers instantly and move forward immediatly armed with the best info we can collectively provide. Its all mundane until the moment you need it.

Please help if you can edit or add anything..
including any specific brand/type that has different storage times or requirements from the norm.
SO...
(from dry granules/powder)
Mixed
Liquid solutions: Safe/Stable Shelf Life:
v v v v v v v v v v v v v v
CARBONATE ( i ) - - - 1 Yr+ / Indefinite
BICARBONATE ( i ) "
CALCIUM ( i ) "
Magnesium ( i ) "
Kalkwasser ( i ) "
Balling method Part C ( i ) "
Salt mixes (w heat & flow) - - Avg: 1-3 mnth?

... ALL marked "i" Are inorganic and should Store:
- Well over a year / indefinitely .. if not exposed to air longterm. (Aka.. has had cap or lid)

SOLUTIONS with Trace elements THAT were part of the ORIGINAL dry mix or added to the mixed solution after... has _ _ _ _ _ _ effect on
The shelf life of the solution.

Premixed. Unopened / opened
Liquid additives: Avg. Shelf Life:
(* = Fridge Required)

Amino Acids - - - - - -
Trace Elements - - - - -
Potassium - - - - - - - -
Iron - - - - - - - - - -
ChaetoGro - - - - - - -
NoPox - - - - - - - - -
Nitrate (neonitro) - - - - -
Phosphate (neophos) - - - -
Nitrifying Bacteria - - - - -
Other Bacteria ?
Liquid test reagents:
Hanna calcium - - - - - -
Hanna Alkalinity - - - - -

I'm not a fan of this this thread concept.

Anything more than what I have stated above, that inorganics have virtually unlimited shelf life and organics will go bad at some time, is just guessing. I can certainly tell you what is organic and what is inorganic for any materials of interest.

I am familiar with how a shelf life is determined and it is quite a sophisticated and complicated process, involving either placing the products in accelerated stability testing chambers at specific temperatures and humidities, followed by testing of contents for changes, or actual real time aging followed by testing of contents.

I personally doubt most reef hobby companies have done either for their products (it's time consuming and expensive), but even if they have and shelf lives on their bottles are accurate, we as users will not be able to determine specific shelf lives except what is written on the bottle.

Drewbacca · May 10, 2022

Yeah.. if its too difficult & varied by process & manufacturer.. and even a guess to trust info right from the source...
..perhaps what you suggested is best then.
Just a list of what is considered organic & inorganic & use the basis youve already outlined to have a general idea.
I was just trying To be helpful and start a list of common solutions used in the hobby that people could referece when they say 'crap!.. can i still use this? Its all i have!"..Or .. "Sob! Is this still good to use? or should i play it safe, throw it out, possibly waste it & make a new batch? ..Guess ill ask on the forum.. and get opposing answers until I eventually get a consensus or hear from someone i Trust."

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 10, 2022

Here's a partial summary:

Anything that has one of these contains an organic

1. A color change to it (test kits). The dye is almost certainly organic and will eventually go bad.
2. Vitamins (NOT minerals)
3. Amino acids
4. Anything containing bacteria and almost anything claimed to promote bacteria
5. Any organic carbon dosing fluid (NOPOX, etc.)
6. Chelated metals (iron EDTA, etc).
7. Lipid supplements such as selcon
8. Almost anything called a food
9. Most likely anything claimed to require refrigeration
10. Carbocalcium, calcium acetate, Salifert All In One, and Tropic Marin All For Reef

Any individual element you see on a periodic table is not organic. Potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, bromide etc.

Oddly, bicarbonate fits the technical definition for an organic material, but it is one of very few exceptions to that definition and it is considered inorganic. It is stable in a closed container.

How long will organics last? Days to years. Depends on the organic and the formualtion and the packaging and how often it is open and closed, and in what environment.

The only inorganic materials I'm concerned about stability are materials that may air oxidize, such as iodide (to iodate) or ferrous iron (to ferric iron). How fast that happens depends greatly on whether it is solid or dissolved, and how concentrated it is.

Drewbacca · May 11, 2022

Perfect! Thank You!
I'm not well versed on this platform to know what all is possible but it I would be nice to for the sake of simplicity & better for information access going forward, to Rename the Thread "General Shelf Life Guidelines to Goby" and then delete all posts except your previous one... and let it go from there. Esp. My first! Lol.. it only confuses things, when yours alone is the practically packaged helpful info.
But either way thanks again Randy! Cheers.