LiveAquaria Salt - Any Numbers Yet?

NickK · Dec 13, 2017

9.0 after 24 hours
8.3 after 7 days
7.6 after 14 days
7.4 after 21 days

Has anybody tested other salts Alk over time? I suspect this is more common than we think.

mdd1986 · Dec 13, 2017

NickK said:
9.0 after 24 hours
8.3 after 7 days
7.6 after 14 days
7.4 after 21 days

Has anybody tested other salts Alk over time? I suspect this is more common than we think.

This has been happening in my tank with Fritz RPM as I'm cycling. No live stock in the tank. It went from 8.5 to 7.5 in about 12 days. I wonder if this happens with other salts? I guess its hard to tell as most people would contribute a drop in alk from corals in the tank. Its not really that big a deal. I just added 1/2 TSP of baking soda and my tank was up to 8.5 the next day.

DanielJameS · Dec 13, 2017

I have had similar findings. I’m 2/3 through my first box and I have some fish in quarantine at the moment, so I constantly have saltwater made up that is stored in a bin (@1.026 and diluted as needed) also seeing 8dKh on fresh mix, and a drop to around 7 over the period of a couple weeks.

The point about other salt mixes is valid. I never thought to test this on my previous salt (HW - Marine Mix Reefer) and only thought to look into it from the reports about Fritz/Live Aquaria.

I have to say in general, I have had no complaints about this salt so far. It mixes very well, and being that I keep my Alk around 9 and other parameters almost identical to the mix, I have had zero issues with Alk swings from water changes. At most it would only swing the tank .2 - .3 dKh with a smaller change, and I also run Kalk so everything has stayed rock solid [emoji1360]

kyleinpdx · Dec 13, 2017

I wonder if the drops reported can be contributed to CO2 present in the storage locations? If so, any brand/type of slat mix would be susceptible to the same effects. I dont know if other formulations would see a decrease at faster/slower rates?

That would be a question for Mr. @Randy Holmes-Farley

mdd1986 · Dec 13, 2017

kyleinpdx said:
I wonder if the drops reported can be contributed to CO2 present in the storage locations? If so, any brand/type of slat mix would be susceptible to the same effects. I dont know if other formulations would see a decrease at faster/slower rates? That would be a question for Mr. @Randy Holmes-Farley

I doubt it. I was seeing the same drop in my tank as in the storage vat I was using. But I guess anything is possible.

rishma · Dec 13, 2017

I mixed up a 50 gallon batch and alk was 6.5....this does explain why I have been battling low alk since changing to this salt.

yellojello · Dec 13, 2017

rishma said:
I mixed up a 50 gallon batch and alk was 6.5....this does explain why I have been battling low alk since changing to this salt.

What salinity do you mix it to? Also, do you use the mixed water right away or store it for use later?

rishma · Dec 13, 2017

I mix to 1.026/53.0 ms /cm.

My Alk measurement was the day after i mixed it.

125mph · Dec 26, 2017

So whats the deal.. Is this new DFS salt just a rebranded product or is this really their innovative salt mix?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 26, 2017

NickK said:
9.0 after 24 hours
8.3 after 7 days
7.6 after 14 days
7.4 after 21 days

Has anybody tested other salts Alk over time? I suspect this is more common than we think.

Are you stirring and heating it?

Such precipitation is a function of the temp (lower is better to prevent it), the pH, and the alkalinity.

BUT, what you are observing can be an additional effect, which is very slow settling of fine calcium carbonate solids, which will dissolve in an alk test and read a false high alkalinity.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 26, 2017

mdd1986 said:
This has been happening in my tank with Fritz RPM as I'm cycling. No live stock in the tank. It went from 8.5 to 7.5 in about 12 days. I wonder if this happens with other salts? I guess its hard to tell as most people would contribute a drop in alk from corals in the tank. Its not really that big a deal. I just added 1/2 TSP of baking soda and my tank was up to 8.5 the next day.

Cycling depletes alkalinity, if there is ammonia being converted into nitrate.

Daniel@R2R · Dec 26, 2017

Good info. I didn't know some of this about alk readings

mdd1986 · Dec 26, 2017

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Cycling depletes alkalinity, if there is ammonia being converted into nitrate.

That is possible. But this was happening well before I had traceable nitrites/nitrates in the water.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 27, 2017

mdd1986 said:
That is possible. But this was happening well before I had traceable nitrites/nitrates in the water.

The number you quote (1 dKH per 12 days) is very low and can easily be accounted for by abiotic precipitation of calcium carbonate. I think it many aquaria, abiotic preciptiation is quite significant and can certainly be 1 dKH per day.

NickK · Jan 2, 2018

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Are you stirring and heating it?

Such precipitation is a function of the temp (lower is better to prevent it), the pH, and the alkalinity.

BUT, what you are observing can be an additional effect, which is very slow settling of fine calcium carbonate solids, which will dissolve in an alk test and read a false high alkalinity.

I have a pump circulating the new water for the first 24 hours to make sure everything is disolved. I am not heating it at any point. After the first 24 hours the water sits in the trash can until it is used up.

rbadger · Mar 3, 2018

Just mixed a fresh batch myself (from one of the 50G bags I got when they first came out) and after about 30 mins of mixing tested:

Temp: 77F
SG: 1.026
dKH (Hanna): 10.9!

EDIT - Just tested again with Salifert and getting 11 dKH, so suspecting this is pretty accurate.

Others seem to be getting widely varied ALK numbers...Can others post their ALK numbers?