Just another year of using Ree Crystals!

[paintman]

And to think you only have to pay $80 for a bucket to get this crap!

 

[nereefpat]

You pay 80 dollars for Reef Crystals? Petsmart currently has it on sale for 39.99

 

[Gungo]

Amazon has on sale for 39 too.

 

[Reefing102]

Is that algae growth in your mixing container? Perhaps it’s just too much light passing through the container during storage

 

[Mike konesky]

Lol $80. I've got buckets for sale for $75! Give me a holler.

 

[East_Coast_Reefer]

Same issue using IO, and that's why I switched to brightwell salt.

 

[LeftyReefer]

I had the same issue, which is why I switched to Live Aquaria salt. Much happier now.
Only a few bucks more (still pretty cheap!) but a way better salt. Doesn't dirty up my mixing container the way IO/RC did.. Now that I've switched over to the LA salt, and my containers stay clean.... I'm having a really hard time using up my remaining stores of IO salt. Even when I just try adding a little at a time, I still get brown stuff in the barrel. When I only use the LA salt, there's no brown stuff ever. I might just end up throwing out the last of my IO salt, Or maybe use it on the sidewalks this winter. LOL.

 

[ZoWhat]

Calcium carbonate precipitation fallout that inert and really not a big deal. It's the same compound hard skeleton corals use to build their structure.

You should be scrubbing out your mixing station containers 2-3 times a year with 5% acidic vinegar and a dedicated toilet brush anyway to avoid build up of contaminates

You possibly don't have enough high flow internally inside your mixing container allowing it to fallout and settle.

Best Practices is if you store SW to keep it moving internally with high flow. All the compounds in stored SW needs to be continuously turned over to keep the compounds suspended in the water to avoid settling.


.

 

[DangerDave]

meh, I wouldn't worry about it. I have something similar in the saltwater container of my mixing station. 4 years of RSCP, 1 year of IO. It's slowly falling off since I stopped RSCP, and I've been sucking it out with a syphon here and there. I've never "cleaned it", no effects regardless.

 

[ReefKeeperElite]

Is that algae growth in your mixing container? Perhaps it’s just too much light passing through the container during storage

Agree with this. SW storage containers should have little to zero light passing through them. That's one advantage over using dark brute trash cans vs the norwesco storage bins. I put black heavy duty garbage bags around the rack that holds my norwesco because it is in the garage which has light coming through the garage door windows.

 

[Ryan Avery]

You should be scrubbing out your mixing station containers 2-3 times a year with 5% acidic vinegar and a dedicated toilet brush anyway to avoid build up of contaminates

Or you could get a salt without contaminates.

 

[Gtinnel]

Agree with this. SW storage containers should have little to zero light passing through them. That's one advantage over using dark brute trash cans vs the norwesco storage bins. I put black heavy duty garbage bags around the rack that holds my norwesco because it is in the garage which has light coming through the garage door windows.

While that is true I suspect that wasn't the OP's issue. Reef Crystals are known for having a brown sludge residue left over. No one seems to agree on exactly what it is that causes it though.

 

[ReefKeeperElite]

While that is true I suspect that wasn't the OP's issue. Reef Crystals are known for having a brown sludge residue left over. No one seems to agree on exactly what it is that causes it though.

Just throwing it out there, because although RC is bad, every salt will cause particulates to varying degrees if held in storage tanks that are exposed to light. I use Tropic Marin Pro, and had particulates at the bottom of the bin after each 2 week batch, before lining the rack with black garbage bags.

 

[PatW]

You will get some brown precipitates. I never get that much. When I get a little build up I rinse and scrub the Brute trash can with 5% HCl, muriatic acid. It dissolves the crud just fine. Vinegar will work too… just not as fast.