new salt water not clear

[rocko918]

I am mixing Reef crystals in a 55 gal barrel. I just switched from Instant Ocean. But it never becomes clear. The water is white. I have a mag 7 stirring it up.

thoughts? Is there something wrong with the salt?

 

[gilmour01]

are you using ro/di water? what kind of barrel is it?

 

[RBursek]

Is the water up to tank temp first? Are you adding the salt to the water? And are you adding the salt slowy, for that much I would add it over a hour time period. If not I bet it precipt out.

 

[rocko918]

it is ro/di water, not up to temp . added salt to water and all at once.

it's a big blue plastic barrel i use all the time

 

[roshi719]

let it circulate for a few hours and get it up to temp, and you should be fine. I have had that happen w/ RC before in cold water. Everything cleared up once it warmed up though. It prolly has a hard time dissolving everything in the cold water.

 

[GrouperGenius]

I had the same thing with IO and RC salt. The only one I haven't had that happen was Tropic Marine Pro Reef.

Once it gets into the tank I didn't notice the white though.

 

[RBursek]

RockO, that is the problem, warm water holds more chemicals in solution then cold, and you over loaded it by adding it all at once, been there done it once with RC and that is what I use from day one, some chemicals if they come out of solution, at sturation point, they will not go back in, Sodium Hydroxide is one of them. So get the water to tank temp first, you have to do it anyway be for the water change. I mix up 30gal at a time and I add about 4cups at a time slowly into the water at tank temp, in front of the pump discharge , so it gets circulated right away when added, few minutes later an other 4 cups, ect,ect, never had it happen again.

 

[rocko918]

thanks for the help. I will bring it up to temp and see how it does.

 

[RBursek]

Rocko a mag 7 will give plenty of mixing, I use a Rio 2100, my spare/back up skimmer pump, then I have a hose on the discharge in by brute coiled up near the suface, to help gasoff/areate off and then gives me the lentgh to reach to the sump/ fuge.

 

[Sikryd]

I learned something here.

I usually just dump a 50gal bag in, then heat up the water a day or two later before the water change. Never really had an issue, but never really cared if it looked cloudy either since it was fine after I did a h20 change.
I'll heat the water up first, then dump in 1/4 of a bag at a time and see if it looks better.

 

[Eggs]

Heating the water speeds up the salts ability to be disolved in water. If your circulating with a pump, it does not matter if you add the salt slowly, just allow a day or so for all of it to be dissolved.
And nothing will come out of solution if you shut the heat and circulation off, after it's all mixed up.

 

[RBursek]

rocko,skiyd,eggs,you all learned have a point. but some chems WILL come out of solution and go back into saturation when the cools down, and go back into solution,some will not, for the WC, I am not a chemist nor did I do good in it, as Boomer told me all the abbreviations are from Latin, Nuns could not drill that into me!!!!!!!!!!! But my years at a fossil fuel power lab tech, and taking care of a boiler that runs at 2600psi super heated steam and any over too much chems in the boiler water goes into the steam and deposits on the turbine blades is disastrous, so I learned the chemistry I needed there. BUT I KNOW some chems will not go back into solution after précis out, I do not know all of them, and what is all in are salt mixes, but sodium hydroxide at 50*f goes to a solid and will NOT go back into solution again no matter how warm. I just suggest, warm your water first, add the salt over time, I do agree, I have mixed that my way got lazy on a WC, after mixed turned off heater and pump, it cooled down over a few days, BUT nothing came out of solution because it was already in solution, and reheated the water for a WC.

 

[rocko918]

thanks guys, i checked on the water this morning and it was still white. I have a heater in it and the mag 7. I will see what it looks like when i get home.


so would you use the water still? I am going 50 gals on a 300 gal system.