Instant Ocean (Bad Batch of Salt?)

CoralNerd · Jan 26, 2016

I bought a 200g box of instant ocean from Dr's Foster and Smith. I added my rodi (testing 0) water to my brute trash can. I added the salt slowly, sprinkling it in and only 1/2 cup per hour. Each batch I make it has specks on the top layer of water. I also noticed when I add the water (1.025 matched salinity) to my tank, the salinity slowly gets lower in my tank. Dr's Foster and Smith are sending me a new box. What do you guys think? Crazy precipitation?

Sabellafella · Jan 26, 2016

CoralNerd said:
I bought a 200g box of instant ocean from Dr's Foster and Smith. I added my rodi (testing 0) water to my brute trash can. I added the salt slowly, sprinkling it in and only 1/2 cup per hour. Each batch I make it has specks on the top layer of water. I also noticed when I add the water (1.025 matched salinity) to my tank, the salinity slowly gets lower in my tank. Dr's Foster and Smith are sending me a new box. What do you guys think? Crazy precipitation?

I got the same issue, i take a cup and pour it into my ato to make up for the skimmer loss

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 26, 2016

It is normal for IO to show precipitate, so I'm not sure what we are looking for in the picture. The flecks are floating?

FWIW, I can't really see an explanation that's plausible for how mixing water with a sg of 1.025 with tank water with a sg of 1.025 to get anything other than a sg of 1.025.

This is what my mixing barrel looks like:

What is that Precipitate in My Reef Aquarium? by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/rhf/index.htm

from it:
Figure 1. The residue on the bottom of the plastic trash can that I use to mix Instant Ocean. I rarely clean it out. The solid is most likely calcium carbonate.

Sabellafella · Jan 26, 2016

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
It is normal for IO to show precipitate, so I'm not sure what we are looking for in the picture. The flecks are floating?

FWIW, I can't really see an explanation that's plausible for how mixing water with a sg of 1.025 with tank water with a sg of 1.025 to get anything other than a sg of 1.025.

This is what my mixing barrel looks like:

What is that Precipitate in My Reef Aquarium? by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/rhf/index.htm

from it:
Figure 1. The residue on the bottom of the plastic trash can that I use to mix Instant Ocean. I rarely clean it out. The solid is most likely calcium carbonate.

Put it in a blender with some sand and you could maybe compete with coralup

CoralNerd · Jan 26, 2016

The flakes are floating.

McMullen · Jan 26, 2016

Is that the Big Dipper on the left?

Pretty!

Sorry, I didn't have anything intelligent to say.....

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 27, 2016

If you can, I'd try to scoop up a few and mix with a little vinegar to see if they bubble or dissolve.

CoralNerd · Jan 27, 2016

There was no change when I put the white flake into vinegar.

cameronh · Jan 27, 2016

When I buy salt (instant ocean) if it's clumpy and not very loose, it never dissolves, also doesn't smell right when mixing. So I always check now to see if it's good and loose. Like dry sand on the beach

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 27, 2016

Maybe they are flakes of plastic. Did it float in vinegar? Not many components of a salt mix float in water.

CoralNerd · Jan 27, 2016

cameronh said:
When I buy salt (instant ocean) if it's clumpy and not very loose, it never dissolves, also doesn't smell right when mixing. So I always check now to see if it's good and loose. Like dry sand on the beach

The salt was like beach sand.

CoralNerd · Jan 27, 2016

I'm thinking plastic also. It did float in vinegar. I'm pretty sure it messed with my protein skimmer as it was not as productive (might of been also due to clean tank) but the skimmer cup did have something odd that looked like the flakes.

CoralNerd · Jan 27, 2016

Could it be coming from rodi unit?
Trying to figure it out.

Ryengoth · Jan 27, 2016

CoralNerd said:
I bought a 200g box of instant ocean from Dr's Foster and Smith. I added my rodi (testing 0) water to my brute trash can. I added the salt slowly, sprinkling it in and only 1/2 cup per hour. Each batch I make it has specks on the top layer of water. I also noticed when I add the water (1.025 matched salinity) to my tank, the salinity slowly gets lower in my tank. Dr's Foster and Smith are sending me a new box. What do you guys think? Crazy precipitation?

Salinity drop on a probe can be temperature compensation related, when the temp probe is not right beside the cond probe or it has growth/coating on it that prevents fast reaction to temp changes.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 27, 2016

CoralNerd said:
I'm thinking plastic also. It did float in vinegar. I'm pretty sure it messed with my protein skimmer as it was not as productive (might of been also due to clean tank) but the skimmer cup did have something odd that looked like the flakes.

So only organics will float in vinegar (barring oddities such as pumice). No minerals. It could be in the salt mix from something that happened at IO, or from some other source (like cuttings getting into the air from a hobby project, a powerhead impeller breaking apart, packing material in a shipping box, etc.).

Since it is likely plastic, I'd still use the salt water and just collect the plastic with a fish net or something.

Ryengoth · Jan 27, 2016

I saw similar from the last 25G box I purchased and concluded it was plastic flake. The buckets I've ordered have not had it but some of them have had huge salt clumps in them.

cameronh · Jan 27, 2016

CoralNerd said:
The salt was like beach sand.

Hmm, then it should be fine.

CoralNerd · Jan 27, 2016

Minus the plastic lol...I'm going to wait for the replacement box I requested yesterday.
[emoji106]

Reef_a_holiks · Jan 27, 2016

CoralNerd said:
Minus the plastic lol...I'm going to wait for the replacement box I requested yesterday.
[emoji106]

Ive had several issues buying instant ocean salts from Dr.foster. Either they come with the box and bags torn open , or salt clumped and dont mix right. Even though they have great customer service and always sent me a brand new box, ive decided to now order my salt from Marine depot, and been fine ever since. Im not bashing Dr. foster in any way as ive order stuff from them for years now and still do except my salt. Im just sick of delaying water changes waiting for my new box of salt. Dr. foster ships my boxes of salt bare, just the original instant ocean box, in contrast, Marine depot packs the instant ocean boxes in another shipping box with packing material. Maybe this does the difference.