Pre-made Saltmix

[cheykaser]

I generally heat my water mix for about 4-5 hrs and use as soon as possible...last weekend had to make some more to top off waterchange (took out more than I should have ..oops) that mix has been setting still and unheated since Sat. (Using brightwell neomarine) Good thing ? Bad? Should I picth it?
I watched a BRS video on saltmixes...they loose their composition over time....some over 24-48 hrs !

 

[GillMeister]

They lose composition? I hadn't heard that before. I hope they have data to support this. I routinely mix 4-5 days ahead of time with continuous circulation.

If your salt mix 'decomposes' over 24 to 48 hours it would stand to reason the salt in your tank would decompose as quickly. Doesn't it?

 

[redfishbluefish]

It's fine. Use it.

 

[cheykaser]

They lose composition? I hadn't heard that before. I hope they have data to support this. I routinely mix 4-5 days ahead of time with continuous circulation.

If your salt mix 'decomposes' over 24 to 48 hours it would stand to reason the salt in your tank would decompose as quickly. Doesn't it?

I know I was thinking the same thing....here is that link to the video

 

[GillMeister]

OK, LOL, it's Randy and he's very good at the talking part but he lost me when he said he would never use vinegar or BAKING soda because it wasn't food grade enough for him.

Anyway, he started testing at 10 minutes. I wouldn't. That might have skewed results on a couple of the charts but overall I think he did a decent job of demonstrating salt is relatively stable after mixing. He also prefaced by saying there is a margin of error in testing and he reiterated this throughout. Overall I come away reassured that I can store salt for a reasonable amount of time and I think you can too.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

When I watched that BRS video months ago, I wondered... is it breaking down IN TANKS over time?

We do periodically test our tanks' salinity as well as saltwater made for water changes. Timing was when my Hanna salinity checker turned out to be defective so I switched to Milwaukee Refractometer... but maintaining salinity is important to us all...

 

[KStatefan]

OK, LOL, it's Randy and he's very good at the talking part but he lost me when he said he would never use vinegar or BAKING soda because it wasn't food grade enough for him.

If food grade is not good enough them you should probably go for pharmaceutical grade and it just happens the BRS has that.

 

[GillMeister]

If food grade is not good enough them you should probably go for pharmaceutical grade and it just happens the BRS has that.

Agreed, but where do they find pharma grade fish food, coral food, or any of the other organic materials they put in their tanks on a daily basis? I think people can go a little overboard with the whole purity thing. JMO.