Mixing time, Red Sea Coral Pro, and Precipitation Plausable? Mythbuster style

jason2459

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According to many, including Red Sea, you do NOT want to mix your Red Sea Coral Pro for more then a couple hours.

In fact in this video by Red Sea the person mentions no need to mix for more then a couple minutes once the water clears up. Then the video goes on to what I want to test now, over a 12 hour mixing period the salt mix became very cloudy just like after adding the salt in initially due to precipitation because the pump remained mixing.


The bucket I have here also says under it's mixing instructions

"3. Mix vigorously (without aeration) for 0.5-2 hours, until all of the salt is dissolved and pH has stabilized to 8.2-8.4. DO NOT mix for more than 4 hours."

It also suggests on the bucket to have temp at 77F for achieving the desired salinity levels.

I do not see how this precipitation event can happen at 77F with out elevating the temperature well beyond that. I do believe some precipitation can happen initially as salt is added especially if dumped in quickly like in the video. But after 12 hours of mixing and the temp is not elevated to a much higher degree then 77F I don't see how a precipitation event like shown in the video will happen. I do believe if you have a hot pump or a heater left on precipitation will happen and will start occurring at the heat source first.

What is that Precipitate in My Reef Aquarium?
By Randy Holmes-Farley

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/rhf/


So, here I am to test this out. I've got a 5 gallon bucket with a lid to reduce evaporation, RODI water, and a 180gph pump. I will dump in salt just like in the video bringing salinity up to 35ppt at 77F. (I normally do not dump salt in so fast in a localized area like that. I also normally do not use a heater at all.)

Let it mix, wait, and watch.

FWIW, this started at 7pm Central tonight. By 7am tomorrow morning I do not expect to see a snow storm of precipitation happening like in the video.

Will this end up being confirmed or busted?

Then I'll up the heater and see if I can get a precipitation event like shown in the video.
 
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jason2459

jason2459

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Here's the bucket
7dcc1fbf39f1e0b79cfb55ab35a4b16b.jpg


Mixing Instructions
1df6f4bbc8f44af0ec19ec85d57f65cb.jpg


Ambient temp is perfectly keeping bucket of water at just a hair over 77F in my basement.
42c66d726f470bd2f1a1775dd82985f4.jpg


Salt poured in
40a3ffda7cb8297843c230f0ab8bcd7f.jpg



20 minutes later
3e007303e253491957ebb833d3b25e23.jpg



40 minutes later
a33df9bfd83fdc1528f3f9f1f8124e59.jpg


Salinity set at 35ppt
656df308894f72032edee3040bf2c24f.jpg



2 hour mark 9pm
e547a8e27c0fac297531662969102705.jpg
 

joeyhatch11

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I use regular Red Sea salt. I mix it in a 5g bucket as well with a heater and 250gph powerhead. Sometimes the bucket will sit and mix for a few days before I use it and I've never seen it go cloudy again. Makes you wonder what it is that they do to get that affect.
 
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jason2459

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Maybe the Red Sea video is in a room with abnormally low CO2, raising pH. :D
Ha! And the ambient temp is over 90F.

There's a few issues with that video. He doesn't test at least on video or explain what the salinity level is or where the temp is at near the beginning and at that 12 hour mark with the pump generating heat.

It's a very small volume of water and that pump wouldn't have to run very hot to increase the temp.
 
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jason2459

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Mixing time of 12 hours alone causing precipitation is BUSTED!


I'll leave that running through today and check back in later tonight after I get off work. Then I'll start increasing the heat first bringing the temp to 80F.

This will be plausable I believe once I get that temp closer to 85F or above.
 

USMC4Life

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I have done the same thing but for 24h and no problem. If you think about it when you add the water to your DT or any other system it's constantly circulated. Now maybe if you ad too much salt to a small amount of water I can see it coming out of suspension.
 

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Glad I saw this last night. You had me interested last night as you know I'm looking for "a salt that is better for me ". I only mix till the water clears. And when it came up that the Red Sea could become cloudy I was thinking maybe I'll just stick with IO. But I'm gonna keep looking I think. Thanks this was helpful
 
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jason2459

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Bring on the heat!

Still at 77F and no precipitation snow storm at 23 hours into it. I added a 500watt titanium heater (yes OVERKILL, Mythbusters style right?!) and my ranco to control it and set it to 80F to start with.

1dd0a28627689c4b5ffcbaa99cc7222b.jpg


a7286186c151bd512ab9e0a406fd9c24.jpg


6bcb09933427093302e69b1eb897a527.jpg
 

oldcrusty

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I use regular Red Sea salt. I mix it in a 5g bucket as well with a heater and 250gph powerhead. Sometimes the bucket will sit and mix for a few days before I use it and I've never seen it go cloudy again. Makes you wonder what it is that they do to get that affect.
Same here I mix mine in 5 gal buckets using aqueon 500gph power heads been under the carport in an average of 90-100 degree temperatures outside. Been running for 4-5 days water is clear never cloudy when I remove pumps and bring the buckets inside where temperature is 75 degrees. Usually let sit until the water is room temperature as I run chillers on my tanks. Water is never cloudy except when first adding salt to buckets remains clear after salt is dissolved.
 
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jason2459

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Thats great. Sounds like I'll have a task ahead of me to get this to precipitate out.

:D
 
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jason2459

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10pm 4 hours @ 80F

All clear, no change. I'll leave it at 80F and check back on it at 6am 12 hours at 80F. Then if still clear bump it up to 85F and let run for 12 hours.
 
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jason2459

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I checked at 10pm and here close to midnight (4 hours and 6 hours running at 90F.)

Still clear
d00b93daafb199ee6d98843211597f75.jpg


At 6am I'll check again and bump to 95F.
 

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