Salt not fully mixing

[Jedi1199]

So I’ve been using instant ocean sea salt for a little bit and it seems like it’s not really mixing. It mixes in to it being sort of clear but when you look closer you can see salt crystals still floating in the water. I’ve got it mixing in a small bucket (for Pico tank) with a power head that’s 500gph so it should be mixing. Can someone help please?!!!

Are you aerating your mix as instructed? I found that 675g of salt to 5 gallons of RODI water mixes to a SG of 1.025@ 67*F. Mine mixes crystal clear after about 2 hours with AquaClear 50 powerhead.

Edit: If you don't have one, get a digital kitchen scale. Cups are relative and can be inaccurate. I do a lot of baking (My other hobby is cooking) and have found that recipes work almost infallibly when ingredients are measured by weight and not volume.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

It will be different depending on the device your using. That's why it is important to use the right device at the right temperature.

Well, many devices auto correct for temperature. If yours does not, then you either need to use it at the right temp, or manually correct the reading. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Some salts tell you not to over-mix. Pretty sure Red Sea actually states to not mix more than 4 hours.

I think people tend to over-mix and over-heat their salt water leading to precipitation.

To perhaps be clearer than Red Sea, that effect on precipitation is only from heating, not from actual mixing.

Red Sea is rather confused on this issue and gives directions that are technically impossible to follow. When I questioned a Red Sea tech rep about their strange recommendation to mix without aeration until pH stabilizes (a nonsensical directive), I got a nonsense answer. Hopefully it is just a translation issue and not actual chemical misunderstanding on their part.

 

[old salt reefer]

BRS did a video on this--seen most salt mixes can take up to 24 or more hours to completely dissolve.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

BRS did a video on this--seen most salt mixes can take up to 24 or more hours to completely dissolve.

The rate of dissolution of a salt depends entirely on the degree of motion. 5 minutes can do it if you mix vigorously enough:

Aquarium Frontiers On-Line: September 1997: Biochemistry In The Aquarium

 

[I’m Batman]

Here’s where you get your aeration, I mix 5g at a time.
Has a tube and that pulls air into the water.

Maybe this could provide help at what levels you can expect to see when mixing over time..

 

[jr60]

Some salts tell you not to over-mix. Pretty sure Red Sea actually states to not mix more than 4 hours.

I think people tend to over-mix and over-heat their salt water leading to precipitation.

I rarely use heat. I had some old bags of instant ocean and that seemed to help but this Reef evolution is something else. It's something else I'd like to never see again.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

20 min? Your salt needs to mix for a few hours.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

20 min? Your salt needs to mix for a few hours.

What do you believe it does over those hours?

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

What do you believe it does over those hours?

mix? I always mix mine for at least 2 hours. Do you think that's unnecessary?

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

mix? I always mix mine for at least 2 hours. Do you think that's unnecessary?

Mix until dissolved... heat if needed... use.

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

If dissolved = clear then those times may vary by brand. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

mix? I always mix mine for at least 2 hours. Do you think that's unnecessary?

If your stirring is efficient enough, it can be mixed very fast:

Aquarium Frontiers On-Line: September 1997: Biochemistry In The Aquarium

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

I put a big old powerhead in my mixing bucket and noticed that sometimes even after 45 min, there is some sediment at the bottom. So, I just leave for 2 hours or longer and come back.