Can Salts go bad?

nater · Dec 9, 2009

i got a bag of tropic marine from a friend who got out of the hobby a year ago. does salt go bad if it sits that long? it was in original bag dry as a bone.

roshi719 · Dec 9, 2009

Not that I know of

Mallard · Dec 9, 2009

Is there anything wrong with it? Salt can get hard if moisture gets into the mix. However, i believe all that does is make it harder to dissolve. But you should be good to go.

nater · Dec 9, 2009

awesome. i am mixing it up as we speak. just wanted to double check with you guys before i throw it in the tank. he was like " here ,have this " full bag of the same salts i use. perfect. thanks guys

Paul_N · Dec 9, 2009

I used half of a bucket of salt that was probably 2 years old and it was fine. I just had to chip it out in clumps when I got near the bottom.

nater · Dec 9, 2009

also , does salt mixture have a slight smell to it? not sure if it's just me or not.

benny z · Dec 9, 2009

nater said:
also , does salt mixture have a slight smell to it? not sure if it's just me or not.

should smell like an ocean breeze!

110reef · Dec 9, 2009

Sorry - just made me think of this:

Luke 14:34-35: "Salt is good, but if salt itself loses its taste, with what can its flavor be restored? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out."

Ike · Dec 9, 2009

As long as there are no clumps salt can be store for years.

droblack · Dec 9, 2009

I've got a whole 5 gallon bucket full of completely hardened Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt. Chisel it away and mix it, seems fine.

DaveA · Dec 9, 2009

Mallard said:
Is there anything wrong with it? Salt can get hard if moisture gets into the mix. However, i believe all that does is make it harder to dissolve. But you should be good to go.

+1. Salt can NOT go bad, but will suck in moisture and become one hard block. Just chip it and dissolve it when you need to use it.

Angels 2010 · Dec 9, 2009

I agree, it doesn't go bad, but may not dissolve as well as new. I had a bucket of IO sit for 4.5 years and used it no problem. It didn't dissolve completely so i strained it before putting it into the tank...

macawmagic · Dec 9, 2009

I just used a bucket of dried salt...glad this thread says you can use it instead of thsi thread saying its bad!

DaveA · Dec 9, 2009

Angels 2010 said:
I agree, it doesn't go bad, but may not dissolve as well as new. I had a bucket of IO sit for 4.5 years and used it no problem. It didn't dissolve completely so i strained it before putting it into the tank...

It might just take longer to dissolve. If you use a powerhead to keep stirring the mixture, that should help it dissolve.