Salty emergencies and mixing stations

[asome_one]

Well tonight has been an adventure to say the least. Get off a 16 hour shift to come to alarms going off. Salty sump empty and my carpeted floor soaked. Luckily its a small system so only about 4 gallons poured out. I have cameras and caught my dog screwing around with the plumbing of my sump. Shoved my overflow piping (flexible tubing secured to eggcrate) right off the sump and allowed it to just spray water onto the floor. Thankfully he managed to angle to tubing for the ato to make it pour back into the reservoir so it didnt make the salinity go absolutely wonkey. Corals are all closed up and angry but the fish are still kicking and behaving normally. Lucky break. I have 2 cans for mixing and after i got as much water as i could sucked up with a carpet vac I went to check my mixing station for water. Come to find my premixed water which has been sitting (with a pump+heater) for a week was yellow and cloudy. Lovely. Emergency mixing time in 5 gallon buckets with pumps. Instant ocean states that you can use the water right after mixing but eh....i find that the salinity likes to creep after mixing for a little while. My thing is why is this water yellow...I definitely have a calcium buildup in the mixing trash can but I highly doubt that caused it to turn yellow, have ammonia at 2.0, and have visible nitrates. Something is screwed up here. I figure okay I need to clean the mixing container more frequently but what about people that have giant containers (100gal + ) that cant be easy to clean. Why is my salt causing this buildup and now yellow water over time? I assume its a bacterial bloom. Before ya ask RODI water testing at 0ppm with 3 different tds meters. Oh yea and guess who works at 7am...Sleep is overrated anyway. I'm just thankful more damage wasn't done. I can replace a carpet for a couple hundred, my tanks? that's thousands.

 

[725196]

Oh man. That sucks. I am sorry that has happened. I hope you can get some rest.

what salt brand are you using?

 

[Ron Reefman]

I just have one reaction... YIKES!!!

 

[asome_one]

Oh man. That sucks. I am sorry that has happened. I hope you can get some rest.

what salt brand are you using?

Instant ocean. The granules not the crystals

 

[725196]

Instant ocean. The granules not the crystals

I am assuming you are referring to the residue in your mixing container. If that is the case Bulk Reef Supply has a great video on salt mixes and that particular issue. Also they have a video (Maybe the same one) that salt needs to dissolve for longer than just until it is visually gone. Some salts up to 24 hrs. While you can mix and do a water change it is not recommended as a regular practice.

Here is just one video, they will link some of the other important ones towards the end.

 

[asome_one]

I am assuming you are referring to the residue in your mixing container. If that is the case Bulk Reef Supply has a great video on salt mixes and that particular issue. Also they have a video (Maybe the same one) that salt needs to dissolve for longer than just until it is visually gone. Some salts up to 24 hrs. While you can mix and do a water change it is not recommended as a regular practice.

Here is just one video, they will link some of the other important ones towards the end.

Thanks! I know it's supposed to mix longer but an emergency is an emergency ya know. And on the bucket for the salt it states it can be used safely right after being mixed

 

[725196]

Thanks! I know it's supposed to mix longer but an emergency is an emergency ya know. And on the bucket for the salt it states it can be used safely right after being mixed

I agree. In an emergency you need to do what you need to do.

 

[dragon99]

Does your city use chloramine in the water? If you have ammonia in your mixing barrel that's what I would check first.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Salt water sitting has been known to leave a brown residue from the elements in the salt, so yellow does not surprise me as there is zink, magnesium, boron, molybdenum, stronium, potassium and many more when diluted produce a certain coloration. If you ever dosed liquids such as stronium, Mag or potassium, in the bottle you will notice it looks yellow already.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

Did it smell bad by any chance? I had a Brute can of saltwater with a gallon or so left over in the bottom and a few days later it smelled bad! My searches turned up a few similar cases at the time but no real explanation. Never had it happen in my 5 gallon buckets, just the Brute can.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/brute-mixing-can-smells-like-cat-urine-—-why.584120/

 

[asome_one]

Does your city use chloramine in the water? If you have ammonia in your mixing barrel that's what I would check first.

They do but I use an rodi that tests at 0ppm. I replace the rodi media and filters as recommended.

Salt water sitting has been known to leave a brown residue from the elements in the salt, so yellow does not surprise me as there is zink, magnesium, boron, molybdenum, stronium, potassium and many more when diluted produce a certain coloration. If you ever dosed liquids such as stronium, Mag or potassium, in the bottle you will notice it looks yellow already.

I guess I just have to clean it more. After watching that BRS video I'll probably switch salt brands after I finish my next bucket of salt.

Did it smell bad by any chance? I had a Brute can of saltwater with a gallon or so left over in the bottom and a few days later it smelled bad! My searches turned up a few similar cases at the time but no real explanation. Never had it happen in my 5 gallon buckets, just the Brute can.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/brute-mixing-can-smells-like-cat-urine-—-why.584120/

Yea it did have an odor. Not super powerful but not the best smelling. I just cleaned out the mixing container with vinegar. Filled up with tap and let the pump run for a while. Some of the buildup is still stuck at the bottom but for the most part the vinegar ate through the rest. What I'll do is continue mixing smaller batches in buckets. Fill up the mixing container with RODI water. Let it run with the pump for a couple days and see if the TDS changes. If it does maybe I need a new mixing bin. The other container I use for RODI water storage still tests 0ppm after sitting in the same type of container but maybe the salt is eating away at some weird coating...no clue...worth a try.