New saltwater Mix

NDIrish · Feb 23, 2020

Don't know if this the right place to post this.
I have done a search and haven't found anything on this.

I mixed up RODI water and new Instant Ocean salt. Had a pump, heater and air stone in the Brute container. Mixed it for 2 days. Salinity is 1.025.
When I put it in the tank, it is cloudy.
Should it be cloudy or clear?

Billldg · Feb 23, 2020

It should be clear. I keep salt water for up to a month in a brute trash can. When was the last time you cleaned the container. I wonder if their is some residue or something in it.

mike550 · Feb 23, 2020

Was the saltwater clear in your Brute?

NDIrish · Feb 23, 2020

Billldg said:
It should be clear. I keep salt water for up to a month in a brute trash can. When was the last time you cleaned the container. I wonder if their is some residue or something in it.

I cleaned it with RODI water before I filled it up. The RODI water was clear in the container before I added the salt.

NDIrish · Feb 23, 2020

mike550 said:
Was the saltwater clear in your Brute?

It was little cloudy but I could see the bottom and pump with no problem.

Billldg · Feb 23, 2020

Then the only other thing I can think of is the salt water fully dissolved for whatever reason.

NDIrish · Feb 23, 2020

Billldg said:
Then the only other thing I can think of is the salt water fully dissolved for whatever reason.

This may sound stupid but, I don't understand what you mean.

Billldg · Feb 23, 2020

NDIrish said:
This may sound stupid but, I don't understand what you mean.

I should have said the salt didn’t fully dissolve in the water.

NDIrish · Feb 23, 2020

Billldg said:
I should have said the salt didn’t fully dissolve in the water.

Will it dissolve in the tank?

Billldg · Feb 23, 2020

NDIrish said:
Will it dissolve in the tank?

Yes, I am not familiar with IO as I use HW Marine and mixes rather quickly, but after 2 days it should have mixed up clearly. Have you used this batch of IO salt with clear mixing results before?

mike550 · Feb 23, 2020

@NDIrish I'm looking at your original post. It seems like the pump would have provided plenty of circulation to mix the salt into the water. Weird that after two days it was still cloudy. But to your question, I would think that it would eventually clear up in the tank --- assuming it was just undissolved salt. What's the purpose of the air stone in your Brute?

Maybe a bacterial bloom? Sorry not being much help here.

Not sure what's in your tank, but I'd mix another batch -- leave out the air stone. Make sure it's clear, and start doing partial water changes.

legrunt · Feb 23, 2020

In some instructions I have seen, they say mix it for a certain amount of time, but not longer than so and so hours.

NDIrish · Feb 23, 2020

Billldg said:
Yes, I am not familiar with IO as I use HW Marine and mixes rather quickly, but after 2 days it should have mixed up clearly. Have you used this batch of IO salt with clear mixing results before?

I have used to mix a gallon. Just stirring the salt into the water, it would come out clear. Never mixed this much before.

NDIrish · Feb 23, 2020

mike550 said:
@NDIrish I'm looking at your original post. It seems like the pump would have provided plenty of circulation to mix the salt into the water. Weird that after two days it was still cloudy. But to your question, I would think that it would eventually clear up in the tank --- assuming it was just undissolved salt. What's the purpose of the air stone in your Brute?

Maybe a bacterial bloom? Sorry not being much help here.

Not sure what's in your tank, but I'd mix another batch -- leave out the air stone. Make sure it's clear, and start doing partial water changes.

The air stone was for putting oxygen into the water.

homer1475 · Feb 24, 2020

I've used IO for years and have never had it mix up to anything but crystal clear in a couple hours. I don't heat mine, but I wonder if heating it, and having an air stone in it caused some sort of precipitate issues, or with the airstone it could just be microbubbles that make it look cloudy?

Cory · Feb 24, 2020

I noticed this last water change. I heated the water before adding it, normally i dont and its clear but heated it was slightly foggy even after 24 hours. However it was a new brute trash can so maybe something else. Ill have to test again. I used the water no problems at all.

Uncle99 · Feb 24, 2020

+1 above

PatW · Feb 24, 2020

Instant ocean almost always leaves a very fine particulate residue that does not dissolve and it is a light tan color. You might be seeing that. Try turning off the powerhead and letting it sit for a few hours. The gunk should settle out. I just used it and figured the filter socks cleaned it out.

I switched to Reef Crystals because of higher Mg and it does dissolve better.

NDIrish · Feb 24, 2020

The tank was clear this morning.

NDIrish · Feb 24, 2020

homer1475 said:
I've used IO for years and have never had it mix up to anything but crystal clear in a couple hours. I don't heat mine, but I wonder if heating it, and having an air stone in it caused some sort of precipitate issues, or with the airstone it could just be microbubbles that make it look cloudy?

I'm thinking it maybe have been heating the water while mixing the salt.
I read that heating while mixing could possibly cause the calcium to precipitate.

Next time I'll mix it first then heat it to DT temperature.

IO recommends to put an air stone in the water to equalize the oxygen and carbon.