What is wrong with my salt mix?

[BristleWormHater]

Ive been running my tank since the beginning on the same supply of salt. Two bags of Instant Ocean sea salt (purple). Im not really sure what's going on but im so relieved that I randomly tested the alkalinity of my salt mix before a water change. It seems my salt is mixing really low alkalinity. This recent mix was the last of my supply of this salt.
Am I storing it improperly? When I opened the bag the salt was granular but has since turned into hard rocks that ive had to break up before mixing. Also there used to be no residuals after mixing, now there is. When I mix salt I use a measuring cup to scoop the salt, at some point I may have gotten water in measuring cup and scooped salt out of the bag. Could this be caused by water getting in the bag?

These parameters were tested with a Hanna alk tester and with a refractometer calibrated with solution heated to 79⁰f
All samples were heated to 79⁰f
25 gallon tank
8.6dkh
1.026sg

Salt mix (mixed a few days ago)
5.5dkh
1.024sg

8 gallon tank, this tank was set up exactly two weeks ago and I think the salt must have mixed low alkalinity then too
6.9dkh
1.023sg

Here is a picture of the residuals, I know this is a common occurrence for IO salt but I used to not have any.

 

[exnisstech]

I can't help except to say I've been using IO purple for about 9 years and I've never seen anything like that left behind. It mixes dirty but I get a brown residue. I've only tested alk on fresh saltwater a few times and alk has been a little over 9dkh.
I have a hunch what ever happened to make it a hard chunk has something to do with it. I mix mine to 1.025 and sometimes it's a week or longer before it gets used and it's always still 1.025

 

[BristleWormHater]

I can't help except to say I've been using IO purple for about 9 years and I've never seen anything like that left behind. It mixes dirty but I get a brown residue. I've only tested alk on fresh saltwater a few times and alk has been a little over 9dkh.
I have a hunch what ever happened to make it a hard chunk has something to do with it. I mix mine to 1.025 and sometimes it's a week or longer before it gets used and it's always still 1.025

Yeah my tank usaully sits at 9.2dkh and ive only ever used this salt. It only dropped to 8.6 because I did a small water change last week and I assume that water also had a low alk, probably 6.9 like the 8 gallon.
Im about to buy some more salt so we'll just hope the next supply is fine. How do you store your salt? I feel like that had something to do with this. Im thinking water getting in there must have done something.

 

[RedReefer]

Looks like some settled and harden. Didn’t mix all the way. Probably why alk is down. I would rinse the holding container thoroughly prior to making a new batch. Pressure washer works wonders.

 

[RedReefer]

Yeah my tank usaully sits at 9.2dkh and ive only ever used this salt. It only dropped to 8.6 because I did a small water change last week and I assume that water also had a low alk, probably 6.9 like the 8 gallon.
Im about to buy some more salt so we'll just hope the next supply is fine. How do you store your salt? I feel like that had something to do with this. Im thinking water getting in there must have done something.

Needs to be stored air tight container or bag. I only buy the instant ocean 50 gal bags and use the entire bag each mix. Never have clumping issues…this happened to me before from trying to use salt that was older and clumping.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Looks like some settled and harden. Didn’t mix all the way. Probably why alk is down. I would rinse the holding container thoroughly prior to making a new batch. Pressure washer works wonders.

Would that little ammount of residue account for the missing 3.5dkh of alk though?
Maybe I need a stronger powerhead? The one in the picture is a little over 500gph. Would heat help too? I dont heat my mix.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Needs to be stored air tight container or bag. I only buy the instant ocean 50 gal bags and use the entire bag each mix. Never have clumping issues…this happened to me before from trying to use salt that was older and clumping.

So should I empty the bag into some other container then? Ive just been folding the bag and putting a chip clip on it.

 

[RedReefer]

So should I empty the bag into some other container then? Ive just been folding the bag and putting a chip clip on it.

Really if you use it within a week or two that should be good but you can fold the bag put the clip on it and then stick it in like a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. I would leave it in a bag. I definitely wouldn’t dump it out.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Really if you use it within a week or two that should be good but you can fold the bag put the clip on it and then stick it in like a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. I would leave it in a bag. I definitely wouldn’t dump it out.

I just dont use it very quick, I dont have very many fast growing stony corals so water changes are only once a month at the moment.
Ill see if the bucket helps, thanks!

 

[exnisstech]

I buy it by the bucket and store it in the bucket. If i find a deal I'll buy the 200 gal box which is 4 50g bags. Those I leave in the bag until needed then dump the entire bag into a bucket.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Update to this, got new salt and upgraded my mixing setup, went from a 550gph powerhead to a 2100gph powerhead plus a 50w heater. Hopefully that'll do it!

 

[Shirak]

I have a 5gal bucket with a screw top lid with a rubber gasket. It holds the big boxes of salt mix. Finding one of these buckets and lids that works properly can be a challenge but they work wonders keeping salt from pulling humidity out of the air and turning into a block.

 

[BristleWormHater]

I have a 5gal bucket with a screw top lid with a rubber gasket. It holds the big boxes of salt mix. Finding one of these buckets and lids that works properly can be a challenge but they work wonders keeping salt from pulling humidity out of the air and turning into a block.

Ive got one of those actaully, maybe ill try that.