Seawater Silt: Have you struggled with precipitate?

[Peace River]

Seawater Silt: Have you struggled with precipitate?

Whether it is calcium carbonate build-up on a pump or heater, residue build-up on the bottom of your salt mixing tank, or cloudiness in the water after carbonate solutions are added, precipitate can range from a minor annoyance to a significant issue. There are multiple potential causes from overdosing of Kalkwasser (sometimes referred to as lime water), low elevated temperature, low magnesium, and more. Please let us know if you have ever experienced precipitate in or around your tanks and share any tips or techniques that you may have to limit or manage precipitate.

Photo by @Randy Holmes-Farley; Calcium carbonate build-up. For additional info check out Randy’s article on precipitate.


This QOTD is sponsored by Nutramar: https://www.qualitymarine.com/nutramar/

“Nutramar’s 100% natural food products are used by public aquaria and breeders around the world. They offer superior nutrition to your most finicky and delicate fish and invertebrates.

 

[Dburr1014]

In my mixing bin.
I think it's just me dumping in salt to quickly.

 

[soreefed]

Using Fritz rpm blue in a 5 gallon jug. The jug needs to be cleaned with vinegar about every month to get the layer of beige build up off the bottom of the jug. Otherwise I end up with flaky bits of precipitate in the water.

 

[Quietman]

Have used HW Marine Reefer salt mix from day one as well as dosing with All For Reef. Over the 4 years now, very little build up in my mixing station. Never cleaned the mixing tank and there's a very slight discoloration - but no noticeable buildup. I also have it filled almost all the time and only change out water to replace testing now. I haven't noticed any precipitation on the heaters or pump. Salt creep of course in splash zones but that's really it.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I think some of the brown precipitate seen may be iron that is a contaminant from the magnesium chloride. The white calcium plating may be from adding the salt too fast, or adding too much salt to too small of a volume of water.

There is certainly differences between brands!

Jay

 

[Dburr1014]

I think some of the brown precipitate seen may be iron that is a contaminant from the magnesium chloride. The white calcium plating may be from adding the salt too fast, or adding too much salt to too small of a volume of water.

There is certainly differences between brands!

Jay

Makes sense, I get the brown stuff from rpm salt. I'm going back to IO soon.

 

[ThaBeast]

I run an AWC via a tank in the garage. Last one was 300 gallon, this build is a 160 gallon mix tank. I was a long time user of IO but crawling 50 ft through the crawlspace to change AWC lines and dragging a big storage tank out of the corner of the garage to clean gets old quick! I switched to ESV salt and haven't had issues since the switch

 

[tomtheturkey]

I run IO Reef crystals and I do a wipe out of my brute once a month and paper towels are brown but nothing super crusty I mix for 24 hours with two powerheads they got covered some after 4 months but it wasnt stopping them from working just ugly. I dont think im struggling but it will defiantly build up if unchecked IMO if you let it

 

[Tangs-A-Lot]

I invite Hunter Biden over, apparently he likes it just as much as Parmesan cheese.

Ok, ok. My tank is fairly new (5 months), so I haven’t really experienced this yet. I’m sure I will though, since I am always putting my hands in the tank.

 

[mattdg]

I'll get a buildup in my 65 gallon mixing bin after a year or so. Using IO. No biggie. I just pull it out of the mixing station and power wash it once a year.

 

[Greybeard]

Problems? Not really. It's just regular maintenance. Part of my yearly cleaning day.

The mixing vessel, a 60g plastic drum, is just one of the things that gets cleaned. I empty my sump and wash it, inspect all of the plumbing connections, check condition of pumps, heaters, cords, etc. Clean the algae light, wipe down everything in the sump closet, replace the batteries in my water alarm... just regular maintenance. Usually takes me a half a day or so.

Twice a year, I service my kalk reactor, empty the sludge and wash the vessel, inspect my dosing pumps, clean the fans and cooling fins on my lights, wash my acrylic/screen top, test the high level water sensors, auto shut off and alarm systems. Maybe a couple of hours.

Monthly, vaccum the sand bed, inspect silicon seams, clean the overflow screens. Perhaps an hour.

Weekly, refill the auto feeder, clean the glass, 20 minutes.

Daily, hand feed, observe critters for unusual appearance or behavior. 5 minutes.

Doesn't everyone have scheduled maintenance to stay ahead of things like this?

 

[TWYOUNG]

Here's a pic of the inside of my mixing station bin along with the response I received from TM USA when I emailed them with my concern.

 

[Daniel]

I've experienced it when I let mixed SW sit in the tank for more than a few days... the sedimentation once layers form is a pain to clean! Never saw it with Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt... only started happening once I switched to Red Sea Blue and Black buckets.

 

[Woodmanreef]

My saltwater mixing tank stays spotless due to I have a 7"×36" filter sock inside the 300 gallon container that the water runs through. In my sump I get some perception from alk onto one of the return pipes that are right next to were it doses. Haven't come up with a solution to that annoyance yet

 

[Daniel]

This is after some manual scrubbing on my main mixing reservoir. I’m now doing a vinegar bath to get rid of the stuff that’s really caked on. Approx 1 year from switching to Red Sea Blue bucket. Really tough to clean out!