Help with Salt Mix

Rain 625XXL

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Hi guys,

I have just done the first water change on my redsea 625 and had a bit of an issue getting the salt to mix properly.

I have a large 300L drum for water mixing with a small water pump to circulate the water to mix the salt in. Water was nearly full and then I added the salt in(redsea coral pro) Initially it went very cloudy as you'd expect and then after like 15mins everything was clear enough to see the pump at the bottom of the tank. I thought I'd leave it a bit more for some extra mixing as I wasn't sure if it had mixed enough or now.

Then when I came back after another hour or so, the water had turned very milky. Initially I thought it was still mixing and also added another pump to increase the water movement and left it overnight and it made no difference. It was still very milky and there was a lot of white residue on the walls of the tank and the pump,etc.

What is causing this issue and how can I avoid it? I have attached some pics below.

Salinity is currently closer to closer to 34 and fish are doing ok.

20210126_123004.jpg
20210126_091823.jpg
20210126_090921.jpg

How the tank looks now 4hrs after the water change

20210126_130103.jpg


Any help is much appreciated. Cheers
 
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Billdogg

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What you are seeing is precipitate, probably Calcium. Many salts will do this to one extent or another. Do a quick test (Ca and Alk) to see where it's at after you mix it up. Add supplement of needed.

Of great concern to me is the arm on your float. It appears to be brass? That is a HUGE problem in a reef tank because the copper ions in the brass can and will leech out into the water and very probably harm your corals and other inverts. I know that it is above the water line, but it will still get wet and drip down into the water. IMHO, that needs to be taken care of sooner, rather than later.
 

Phil D.

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I use the Red Sea Coral Pro also, I didn't see a heater in your mixing tub. I use one to get the water heated up first the add the salt. This may fix your problem. And +1 on the brass arm on the float! Take it out it will do harm.
 
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Rain 625XXL

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What you are seeing is precipitate, probably Calcium. Many salts will do this to one extent or another. Do a quick test (Ca and Alk) to see where it's at after you mix it up. Add supplement of needed.

Of great concern to me is the arm on your float. It appears to be brass? That is a HUGE problem in a reef tank because the copper ions in the brass can and will leech out into the water and very probably harm your corals and other inverts. I know that it is above the water line, but it will still get wet and drip down into the water. IMHO, that needs to be taken care of sooner, rather than later.
Thanks for the info. I will definitely change the float and get a full plastic float valve tomorrow. Had a funny feeling about using the brass one but then thought it might not be a big issue as it sits above the water. However, as you have said, I have seen water running down the arm and fall into the tank all the. Tank is new and I dont have any corals yet. I will dump the water in the tank and make a new batch for next time. Thanks again.
 
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Rain 625XXL

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I use the Red Sea Coral Pro also, I didn't see a heater in your mixing tub. I use one to get the water heated up first the add the salt. This may fix your problem. And +1 on the brass arm on the float! Take it out it will do harm.
My mixing tub is located outside the house and it is very hot here in Aus at the moment. Temp in the mixing tank was higher than the tank temp so I actually had to add fresh RO water to get the temps back down to tank temp. Cheers
 

LeftyReefer

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You really don't need to mix the saltwater any more than necessary to get the salt dissolved. Once the water goes clear, I stop any further mixing at that point. Over mixing can lead to calcium carbonate precipitating out. It doesn't always happen, but can. I think some salt mixes specifically tell you not to mix for more than 2-4 hours.
 

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