Stuff on surface in NSW Bin?

[daikaijureefer]

What could this be on the surface of the water on my saltwater mixing bin? And should I be concerned?

I’m using RODI with 0 TDS mixing with FRITZ Blue bucket salt.

I just recently set up this new mixing bin. I diluted vinegar to clean the bin then rinsed thoroughly with tap water then finally rinsed with about a gallon of RODI water just to remove any possible contamination.

I switched salts from IO recently bc I hated all the brown residue it left behind and when I switched salts I started this new larger bin and cleaned the pumps with diluted vinegar before reintroducing them too.

This wasn’t on the surface last night and the water has been mixed for about 36 hours now with two pumps running. Temp is around 75. The water doesn’t appear otherwise cloudy.






My guess is bacterial bloom. And I’m wondering if there was a tiny amount of vinegar that didn’t get rinsed out of the pores of the plastic and that’s what fueled it. Hoping someone can help me solve this.

My next question would be do you think I should throw this saltwater out and start a new mix?

TIA!

 

[Subsea]

I would use the water. While some bacteria double their population every 20 minutes, unless there was fertilizer in your salt mix, the bacteria would not have continued to multiply. Vinegar is a source of carbon, but you still need the Big 3: N/P/K.

Is bin uncovered, allowing particles in room air to settle on water surface?

 

[Fish Fan]

I would use the water, though I think this is precipitation and not a bacterial bloom. If I remember correctly, Fritz doesn't recommend mixing this salt for longer than 24 hours, and I believe this is why.

 

[daikaijureefer]

I would use the water. While some bacteria double their population every 20 minutes, unless there was fertilizer in your salt mix, the bacteria would not have continued to multiply. Vinegar is a source of carbon, but you still need the Big 3: N/P/K.

Is bin uncovered, allowing particles in room air to settle on water surface?

It’s a 20 Gallon Rubbermaid Brute container with a lid.

 

[Subsea]

It’s a 20 Gallon Rubbermaid Brute container with a lid.

Clean looking system. I think fish fan indicated precipitation from new brand of salt. Happy reefing.

 

[daikaijureefer]

I would use the water, though I think this is precipitation and not a bacterial bloom. If I remember correctly, Fritz doesn't recommend mixing this salt for longer than 24 hours, and I believe this is why.

Can you help me understand why it would precipitate? Why would it precipitate in the mixing bucket but not an aquarium?

I have this set up for auto water changes with an apex DOS. Maybe FRITZ RPM isn’t the right salt for me? Or am I supposed to just turn the mixing pumps off after it’s mixed for a few hours?

Is there a better salt that will mix and store for weeks? My goal is about a half gallon water changer per day while mixing and storing 18 gallons from the start, so 36 days of storage while the DOS completes the changes.

 

[Subsea]

Can you help me understand why it would precipitate? Why would it precipitate in the mixing bucket but not an aquarium?

I have this set up for auto water changes with an apex DOS. Maybe FRITZ RPM isn’t the right salt for me? Or am I supposed to just turn the mixing pumps off after it’s mixed for a few hours?

Is there a better salt that will mix and store for weeks? My goal is about a half gallon water changer per day while mixing and storing 18 gallons from the start, so 36 days of storage while the DOS completes the changes.

“I switched salts from IO recently”. Any recent changes in salt?

“Can you help me understand why it would precipitate? Why would it precipitate in the mixing bucket but not an aquarium“

That question should be answered by Fritz tech support. I know that the biochemistry in reef tank is different than a sterile brute container, why that makes precipitates in the mixed water is above my pay grade as a Marine Engineer.

 

[daikaijureefer]

It’s a 20 Gallon Rubbermaid Brute container with a lid.

Clean looking system. I think fish fan indicated precipitation from new brand of salt. Happy reefing.

Thanks! Here’s the whole set up. I just recently finished it. Put everything in a closet that happens to be on the wall behind my aquarium.

The ATO reservoir is on the far left. I have the RODI plumbed from my laundry room through the attic and the OSW from the DOS goes back through the attic to the drain in the laundry room.

Mixing station:



The washroom:

 

[daikaijureefer]

Can you help me understand why it would precipitate? Why would it precipitate in the mixing bucket but not an aquarium?

I have this set up for auto water changes with an apex DOS. Maybe FRITZ RPM isn’t the right salt for me? Or am I supposed to just turn the mixing pumps off after it’s mixed for a few hours?

Is there a better salt that will mix and store for weeks? My goal is about a half gallon water changer per day while mixing and storing 18 gallons from the start, so 36 days of storage while the DOS completes the changes.

…

 

[rtparty]

Yes, there are better salts than Fritz. I’d use IO before Fritz. Fritz was always a dirty, inconsistent salt when I used it

If you plan to store, I’d look at TM Pro, NYOS or ESV. I really like ESV salt myself and on sale currently it’s $90 for 200 gallons. One of the cheapest on the market per gallon. Remember, the purple bucket of IO only makes roughly 135-140 gallons of 35ppt water

I asked RHF why new water would precipitate but not in the aquarium. In short, it’s likely to do with the bacteria, organics, phosphates and other organisms in our aquariums

 

[daikaijureefer]

Can you help me understand why it would precipitate? Why would it precipitate in the mixing bucket but not an aquarium?

I have this set up for auto water changes with an apex DOS. Maybe FRITZ RPM isn’t the right salt for me? Or am I supposed to just turn the mixing pumps off after it’s mixed for a few hours?

Is there a better salt that will mix and store for weeks? My goal is about a half gallon water changer per day while mixing and storing 18 gallons from the start, so 36 days of storage while the DOS completes the changes.

“I switched salts from IO recently”. Any recent changes in salt?

“Can you help me understand why it would precipitate? Why would it precipitate in the mixing bucket but not an aquarium“

That question should be answered by Fritz tech support. I will guess that the biochemistry in reef tank is different than sterile brute container.

Sorry something happened to the formatting in my last reply and I couldn’t figure out how to fix it. R2R app is weird. Anyway.

@Subsea - I just wanted to say that when I changed salts, I did so when I set up this new bin so the only salt that’s ever been mixed in it is the Fritz blue. This is my first time mixing the Fritz.

 

[Subsea]

Sorry something happened to the formatting in my last reply and I couldn’t figure out how to fix it. R2R app is weird. Anyway.

@Subsea - I just wanted to say that when I changed salts, I did so when I set up this new bin so the only salt that’s ever been mixed in it is the Fritz blue. This is my first time mixing the Fritz.

I understood that initially, when I said “nice setup”.

In my last post, I addressed the reason Fritz didn’t cloud up the display tank.

 

[daikaijureefer]

Yep!

This was 9.0 last night.

So TM pro….? I’m so mad at this blue bucket salt right now.

 

[daikaijureefer]

Yes, there are better salts than Fritz. I’d use IO before Fritz. Fritz was always a dirty, inconsistent salt when I used it

If you plan to store, I’d look at TM Pro, NYOS or ESV. I really like ESV salt myself and on sale currently it’s $90 for 200 gallons. One of the cheapest on the market per gallon. Remember, the purple bucket of IO only makes roughly 135-140 gallons of 35ppt water

I asked RHF why new water would precipitate but not in the aquarium. In short, it’s likely to do with the bacteria, organics, phosphates and other organisms in our aquariums

Highly considering TM pro. I would just want to adjust my alkalinity up. Could adding an alkalinity buffer (I’m currently using BW reef code B) cause TM pro to precipitate out as well?

I’m starting to feel like this thread is going into @Randy Holmes-Farley chemistry territory and I’m regretting not posting there.

I added 8.9 ml of reef code b after mixing the blue bucket salt for two hours to bring the alkalinity up from 7.9 to 9.0 and it stabilized for about 24 hours, as I tested it again last night.

Another 12 hours later the precipitate formed and my dkh is 7.3. Other than salinity I did not test the other elements so I can’t say what else precipitated out.

 

[rtparty]

Highly considering TM pro. I would just want to adjust my alkalinity up. Could adding an alkalinity buffer (I’m currently using BW reef code B) cause TM pro to precipitate out as well?

I’m starting to feel like this thread is going into @Randy Holmes-Farley chemistry territory and I’m regretting not posting there.

I added 8.9 ml of reef code b after mixing the blue bucket salt for two hours to bring the alkalinity up from 7.9 to 9.0 and it stabilized for about 24 hours, as I tested it again last night.

Another 12 hours later the precipitate formed and my dkh is 7.3. Other than salinity I did not test the other elements so I can’t say what else precipitated out.

Are you mixing and heating it? As part of my Ultimate Salt Test I stored each salt for at least one week after making it but it was kept circulated and heated. Any of the high alkalinity salts (usually 11-13dkh) precipitated horribly. I did not store any of them without heating and mixing which I’ve read can help a lot with this situation.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

I make SW in a glass aquarium, using RODI and IO, which gets heated and circulated and held for a day to a week or two before use. I have this sort of flotsam often -- not every batch, maybe, but quite regularly.

I don't worry about it, and I don't tell any of my reef inhabitants about it -- they can't see the SW vat -- so they never know.

 

[daikaijureefer]

Highly considering TM pro. I would just want to adjust my alkalinity up. Could adding an alkalinity buffer (I’m currently using BW reef code B) cause TM pro to precipitate out as well?

I’m starting to feel like this thread is going into @Randy Holmes-Farley chemistry territory and I’m regretting not posting there.

I added 8.9 ml of reef code b after mixing the blue bucket salt for two hours to bring the alkalinity up from 7.9 to 9.0 and it stabilized for about 24 hours, as I tested it again last night.

Another 12 hours later the precipitate formed and my dkh is 7.3. Other than salinity I did not test the other elements so I can’t say what else precipitated out.

Are you mixing and heating it? As part of my Ultimate Salt Test I stored each salt for at least one week after making it but it was kept circulated and heated. Any of the high alkalinity salts (usually 11-13dkh) precipitated horribly. I did not store any of them without heating and mixing which I’ve read can help a lot with this situation.

I didn’t use a heater to heat this batch. Fritz recommends mixing with water between 72-75.

It was 72° before I turned the pumps on and the pumps running warmed the water to 75°

 

[daikaijureefer]

My problem with using the water as it is, it will lower my dkh (which i know I can make up for in my dosing but it still annoys me). I don’t really care as much about the other elements as the percentages it would affect are so low. But I’m not super happy about swapping out with low dkh water to begin with.

Am I doing something wrong by adding to my dkh in the mix bucket before it goes in the aquarium?

 

[daikaijureefer]

Highly considering TM pro. I would just want to adjust my alkalinity up. Could adding an alkalinity buffer (I’m currently using BW reef code B) cause TM pro to precipitate out as well?

I’m starting to feel like this thread is going into @Randy Holmes-Farley chemistry territory and I’m regretting not posting there.

I added 8.9 ml of reef code b after mixing the blue bucket salt for two hours to bring the alkalinity up from 7.9 to 9.0 and it stabilized for about 24 hours, as I tested it again last night.

Another 12 hours later the precipitate formed and my dkh is 7.3. Other than salinity I did not test the other elements so I can’t say what else precipitated out.

Are you mixing and heating it? As part of my Ultimate Salt Test I stored each salt for at least one week after making it but it was kept circulated and heated. Any of the high alkalinity salts (usually 11-13dkh) precipitated horribly. I did not store any of them without heating and mixing which I’ve read can help a lot with this situation.

@rtparty I’m doing a deep dive into your salt test thread right now! I just watched the video on SR with the recap the other day!

Thanks for the info. ESV seems really intriguing to me. I have had a mantra this whole time I’m setting this up of - can I show someone how to do this if I’m not here? My equipment choices and setup design are shaped around it. Nothing mind blowing by any stretch. But I work as a crew member on movies sometimes where I need to be gone for 6-8 weeks and I want to keep things simple. For example, I have pre mixed identical containers of my 2 part that only require swapping out every 80 days.

Adding steps like ESV for mixing salt kinda goes against that mantra. However, the desire to know exactly what’s going in and what portion of each is highly desirable.

Thanks for replying! Gonna deep dive your salt thread. This is just what I needed for a cold rainy Sunday.

 

[daikaijureefer]

@rtparty i decided to get a box of the TM pro. Had some other stuff I’m ordering from brs with their sales so I figured why not try it out.

I guess what I would like to figure out now is- because it’s not going to match my alkalinity, can I raise that in the mixing bin with some sodium bicarbonate or soda ash? It seems like I have the answer for the Fritz blue bucket. But I’d like hope that TM pro salt is a bit more stable since that’s what a lot of tests seem to suggest and I may be able to raise the alk in the mixing bucket but now it looks like I’m on an adventure to find out. Haha.

I guess another question is would it be better to adjust my two part dosing in the reef tank to accommodate for the lower alk? It’s not ideal but I can adjust for it on my apex with the brs dosing pumps…