Salt water in Rubbermaid container

Bob Escher · Aug 18, 2017

i mix my salt in a Rubbermaid Brute container. I end up with about 5 gallons left over in case of
I run a pump on it continuously I believe it's about a 250 GPH pump
I'm getting a white residue all over the container what is going on? Too big a pump
The water is clear
Thanks

Flippers4pups · Aug 18, 2017

Are you mixing in salt into water or water into the dry salt? You should always mix in dry salt into water, never the other way around.(I'm sure you know this already)

Most likely your having some precipitation from the calcium in the salt mix. What salt mix are you using?

Bob Escher · Aug 18, 2017

Salt into the water, Red Sea coral pro

I've never understood precipation when it comes to aquarium ( rain I do)

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 18, 2017

It's just some calcium carbonate. Its not a concern. Most mixes have excess of these anyway (Red Sea Coral Pro certainly does).

To reduce it, add the salt slowly to high flow, don't heat the water (or only when needed to use it) and don't keep stirring it.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 18, 2017

Bob Escher said:
I've never understood precipation when it comes to aquarium ( rain I do)

This might help:

What is that Precipitate in My Reef Aquarium? by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-07/rhf/index.htm

oceanfreak09 · Aug 18, 2017

Since salt is one of the most corrosive naturally occurring substances, I try to keep it in glass and not in plastic containers.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 18, 2017

oceanfreak09 said:
Since salt is one of the most corrosive naturally occurring substances, I try to keep it in glass and not in plastic containers.

Seawater is not "corrosive" to plastic, especially the inert plastic of a Brute trash can (polyethylene).

oceanfreak09 · Aug 19, 2017

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Seawater is not "corrosive" to plastic, especially the inert plastic of a Brute trash can (polyethylene).

I know it's been thought to be safe for use in the reef hobby for mixing Salt water and storing top off, but I wonder why they are finding all kinds of plastic particles in the ocean from water bottles that are made out of the same material. [emoji846]

Antics · Aug 19, 2017

oceanfreak09 said:
I know it's been thought to be safe for use in the reef hobby for mixing Salt water and storing top off, but I wonder why they are finding all kinds of plastic particles in the ocean from water bottles that are made out of the same material. [emoji846]

I don't think water bottles are typically made of polyethylene in the category 5 sense that brute containers are. And more to the point, what does that have to so with particles in the ocean? I'd say small pieces of plastic found in the water are just as/more likely to be caused by physical erosion as opposed to chemical.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Aug 19, 2017

oceanfreak09 said:
I know it's been thought to be safe for use in the reef hobby for mixing Salt water and storing top off, but I wonder why they are finding all kinds of plastic particles in the ocean from water bottles that are made out of the same material.

No doubt. There are many uses for plastics, and many of these start as particles (e.g., face scrubs), but a large polyethylene object such as a trash can is not fragmenting into particles simply due to exposure to seawater. I studied polyethylene and how to chemically modify it for my PhD thesis. It is a VERY tough material to break down.

Grey Guy · Aug 19, 2017

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
No doubt. There are many uses for plastics, and many of these start as particles (e.g., face scrubs), but a large polyethylene object such as a trash can is not fragmenting into particles simply due to exposure to seawater. I studied polyethylene and how to chemically modify it for my PhD thesis. It is a VERY tough material to break down.