Instant Ocean mixing @ 3.5 DKH?

[LBA]

Today was the day for a large water change and I decided to test everything as I was mixing up the salt for the change. The parameters were way off. The only thing I can attribute these following results to would be old age of the salt. Though it was in a factory sealed bag.

20 gallon batch of Instant Ocean @ .26 after 24 hour mixing

Using salifert test kits properly the salt mixed to.

• 310 Calcium
• 3.5 DKH
• 1170 Magnesium

It took Aproximately this many MLs to bump up the parameters per 5 gallons of saltwater

17 ML Brightwell Part A ---->420 Calcium
7 ML Brightwell Part B -----> 9 DKH
20 ML Brightwell Magnesium ---> 1290 Magnesium


Any thought on why this salt parameters are so terrible? Could it be old age? Even though it was factory sealed?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Did you mix the whole bag?

Was there substantial undissolved material?

You've used this kit for alk before?

 

[LBA]

I mixed 20 gallons worth of the 50 gallon bag.

There was probably 1/4 cup (at most) of grit that wouldn't mix. Ever with strong disruption / flow.

I use the Alk kit regularly and it's accurate elsewhere.