really old salt

[vcnt]

Im about to add salt to my 110 gallon tank filled with just RO and Rocks but i saw there is a label on the salt box indicating it is ten years old , is this safe to use? The salt is also reallyt clumped up.

 

[ryanjohn1]

Im about to add salt to my 110 gallon tank filled with just RO and Rocks but i saw there is a label on the salt box indicating it is ten years old , is this safe to use? The salt is also reallyt clumped up.

Are you able to go get some. Heck I think Walmart may even have IO

 

[vcnt]

Are you able to get some. Heck I think Walmart may even have IO

Yeah, I got all my reefing gear used from someone who didn't want it and he mustve had this stuff sitting in his basement for a while, it's a bucket of IO Salt I will probably get the red sea salt from lfs.

 

[ryanjohn1]

Yeah, I got all my reefing gear used from someone who didn't want it and he mustve had this stuff sitting in his basement for a while, it's a bucket of IO Salt I will probably get the red sea salt from lfs.

IMO it’s not worth the potential issues that could arise.

 

[KrisReef]

If it dissolves it should be fine.

If the salt bucket stinks or looks like it is dirty or contaminated with funk from sitting opened in the barn then I would not use it.

 

[threebuoys]

If the salt container has been closed to possible contamination, it should be fine.

 

[ackshee]

Hey there. I manage a chemistry lab. I don't see any issues with using 10 year old salt. I've used older reagents in my lab, honestly. The components of sea salt do not "expire."

That said, @threebuoys brings up a good point about contamination. Is the box open, and full of dust? Or is it a closed box? If it's all dusty and grimy I wouldn't use it. If it still looks fresh, go for it.

You mentioned the salt is clumpy. That will potentially be your biggest issue. The salt has absorbed a great deal of moisture from the atmosphere over the last 10 years. So your ratio of salt-to-water may need to be adjusted a bit, since the salt already contains some moisture. So double-check the salinity.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What brand?

The issue with old salt is generally low alk due to calcium carbonate precipitation.

It may be chunky and hard, but that's OK if alk is OK after you finally get it dissolved and settled clear).

 

[ackshee]

What brand?

The issue with old salt is generally low alk due to calcium carbonate precipitation.

It may be chunky and hard, but that's OK if alk is OK after you finally get it dissolved and settled clear).

I forgot about the carbonates... Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[KrisReef]

What brand?

The issue with old salt is generally low alk due to calcium carbonate precipitation.

It may be chunky and hard, but that's OK if alk is OK after you finally get it dissolved and settled clear).

Interesting.
Would it help raise alk if it was baked in an oven to drive the water out before it was mixed?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Interesting.
Would it help raise alk if it was baked in an oven to drive the water out before it was mixed?

No. The moisture can be enough to allow some of the calcium and some carbonate to find each other in the bucket, and once they do, that's all she wrote. It cannot redissolve.

I'd speculate that more anhydrous salt mixes (such as Brightwell) may actually last longer in the bucket, but I've never seen any data testing that.