More dirty salt?

[Sean Clark]

So I was doing a water change today and notices that my salt was not mixing up clear like it usually does. I instantly thought about another company having issues currently and thought "oh no, it's contagious". I am using Seachem Aquavitro Salinity salt and have been using this salt for about 7 years without issue. I don't even know if this is an issue or not but I know from my experience that something is not right. This salt usually mixes up super clean and crystal clear ant now it is super cloudy. I can not even see the bottom of the bucket with this stuff. Has anyone else had any issues with this salt recently? Lot number 102136.00 pics attached. Hopefully I am just over thinking this. I appreciate your thoughts.

RODI

Mixed to 1.026

 

[Sean Clark]

Here is the bucket as I emptied it. Sorry for the lighting. This only had 3 cups of salt in it.

 

[BigRick]

Oh please say it ain't so..... I really hope not. This has been my favorite salt.

 

[Sean Clark]

I agree, I hope I am over reacting. I am making up a third batch to verify.

 

[Jeeperz]

When I used it a couple years ago it was always cloudy for many hours and left that residue everywhere. I just kept it mixing till it cleared. I don't use it anymore since nobody local carries it and vendors are not to ship it according to seachem

 

[Sean Clark]

This is my third batch. RODI

Added standard circulation still filling RODI.

Video showing RODI shut off and adding three cups of Aquavitro Salinity salt to the same clean bucket.


The solution should be close to 1.026 when fully mixed. I will adjust accordingly and I will post the mixing results later.

 

[Jeeperz]

Question on your mixing. I have always sprinkled the salt in slowly over 30 seconds per 1/2 cup, is it ok to just dump in like that? Would save me a bunch of time, lol.

I read somewhere that if the salt picks up moisture from the atmosphere and becomes larger granules/clumping it may not dissolve correctly, not sure if that's true or not. I do remember salinity being large granules vs IO that is a fine powder and it took longer to dissolve.

 

[Sean Clark]

Question on your mixing. I have always sprinkled the salt in slowly over 30 seconds per 1/2 cup, is it ok to just dump in like that? Would save me a bunch of time, lol.

I read somewhere that if the salt picks up moisture from the atmosphere and becomes larger granules/clumping it may not dissolve correctly, not sure if that's true or not. I do remember salinity being large granules vs IO that is a fine powder and it took longer to dissolve.

I can not speak to what is best practice for mixing but this is how I always do it so anecdotal as it is this is what I am basing my experience on.

I started noticing this earlier this morning on a batch that mixed over night. I poured it in the same way so there is that but it never cleared up after mixing over night.

I have been using this salt for a long time and have not changed my mixing technique yet I have noticed this difference which is why I felt the need to ask others for their input.

 

[Sean Clark]

Here is the water after one hour of mixing.

One hour of mixing Aquavitro Salinity salt.

youtube.com

 

[Sean Clark]

Here is the salt after two hours of mixing.

 

[fishguy242]

question ? are the buckets sealed with a tamper proof device now.

no names ,approx 4 yrs ago , witnessed lfs ,swapping the vitro, refilling w bulk x salt.
at that point they were not sealed when sold.
glad to say he is no longer in business.

 

[Sean Clark]

question ? are the buckets sealed with a tamper proof device now.

no names ,approx 4 yrs ago , witnessed lfs ,swapping the vitro, refilling w bulk x salt.
at that point they were not sealed when sold.
glad to say he is no longer in business.

Yes, there are tamper seals, but they are only stickers so they could be easily circumvented. I like to assume the best until shown otherwise.

 

[fishguy242]

wonder if you could send sample to them, to verify is their salt.
or identify a defect in their mix batch ?
worth an email...

 

[Sean Clark]

wonder if you could send sample to them, to verify is their salt.
or identify a defect in their mix batch ?
worth an email...

Definitely worth an inquiry. Not like this salt at all which is why I was asking if anyone else was having issues.

 

[fishguy242]

agree , not cheap salt,
someone swapping with x salt ,is doubling profit.
and deceiving ethics of business.
hurting the reefers along the way.
will tell you this was in Chicagoland area.
might have even been 2017,it was before indo closed ??
tired, think indo closed 5/4 /18 .

 

[Sean Clark]

agree , not cheap salt,
someone swapping with x salt ,is doubling profit.
and deceiving ethics of business.
hurting the reefers along the way.
will tell you this was in Chicagoland area.
might have even been 2017,it was before indo closed ??
tired, think indo closed 5/4 /18 .

I would hope that my LFS would not do something like that. I am not far from Chicago though... Ca Alk Mg are always inline so I really don't think that there has been any kind of slight of hand going on. Part of why I choose to use the Aquavitro is to support my LFS.

 

[Jeeperz]

It appears very course like salinity salt always was for me. Does it smell very pharmaceutical/chemical, if yes it's probably the real deal

 

[Sean Clark]

It appears very course like salinity salt always was for me. Does it smell very pharmaceutical/chemical, if yes it's probably the real deal

It doesn't really smell like much of anything. I am not questioning if it is the real deal or not. Only if anyone else's is also dirty all of the sudden.

Here is the same batch that I mixed up last night after mixing for over 14 hours.


And what is left in the bottom of the bucket.

I am not trying to sound any alarms or claiming that the salt is "bad". I still put it in my tank. It definitely is not clean like it usually is though. I am going to send an email to Seachem to see what they say as @fishguy242 suggested above.

 

[Sean Clark]

I didn't realize that the flash was on for that middle pic. It doesn't look yellow, just murky cloudy white. The yellow tint is from the flash.

 

[Pntbll687]

My suspicion is that we'll probably see quite a few threads on dirty salt for a while.

The same place that supplies tropic marin probably supplies ALLOT of companies in the industry.

I started noticing that my instant ocean is leaving residue very similar to what you have there. It has never done this before.