Storing salt water?

[Frtdrmrose7]

Just wanted to get your current method of storing saltwater and how long you store it. I ask because I use Reef Crystals and 0 TDS RODI water and I have found after 24-36 hours my container (Brute can) starts to develop a yellowish/orange residue in the bottom. I use a powerhead to keep it circulating and the container is covered to prevent contamination. I typically can’t see the residue but after my WC when I wipe out the container I find it on my paper towel. I would eventually like to switch over to an automated WC system but don’t like the idea of this getting into my tank (150G). What do you do? Ever found a residue? Are there better Salts that don’t have this issue?

 

[melanotaenia]

Tropic Marin Pro Reef, never has left a residue for me, I remember when I used the Red Sea salt, that left some nasty stuff in my buckets. Storage with mixed seawater has not been a problem for me so far with TM Pro Reef.

 

[GrantM91]

Tropic Marin Pro Reef, never has left a residue for me, I remember when I used the Red Sea salt, that left some nasty stuff in my buckets. Storage with mixed seawater has not been a problem for me so far with TM Pro Reef.

I have that isssue with redsea salt. Can get some really nasty brown stuff if i leave it mixing for 24 hours in the bucket

 

[PatW]

I get that residue with Instant Ocean and to a lesser extent with Reef Crystals. Both mixes enjoy a good reputation. I don’t see any residue in my aquariums which is odd but maybe filtration and skimming removes it.

Bulk Reef Supply has you tube videos covering salt mixes and comparing different mixes. I think they have one that mentions the issue. They have one that does go into how fast salt mixes dissolve and how clean they dissolve.

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

I get that residue with Instant Ocean and to a lesser extent with Reef Crystals. Both mixes enjoy a good reputation. I don’t see any residue in my aquariums which is odd but maybe filtration and skimming removes it.

Bulk Reef Supply has you tube videos covering salt mixes and comparing different mixes. I think they have one that mentions the issue. They have one that does go into how fast salt mixes dissolve and how clean they dissolve.

Yes, I’ve never had an issue with Reef Crystals other than this. I don’t even know if this residue is bad or not but I just don’t want to import something and cause problems.

 

[Lukas75]

I have that isssue with redsea salt. Can get some really nasty brown stuff if i leave it mixing for 24 hours in the bucket

I have the same issues with Red Sea and that is the primary reason I dropped them and decided to go to Neomarine. I have never read an official response or anyone having a clear idea of what this brown crud is other than contaminants. For me it was a balance between cost and quality.

BRS did an exhaustive series on this with the top selling salts and recently tested the ESV. The ESV coming through in terms of clarity, precipitates and stability being ridiculously good. I won't post all the links here, but it wouldn't hurt to go and check the videos out.

 

[GrantM91]

I have the same issues with Red Sea and that is the primary reason I dropped them and decided to go to Neomarine. I have never read an official response or anyone having a clear idea of what this brown crud is other than contaminants. For me it was a balance between cost and quality.

BRS did an exhaustive series on this with the top selling salts and recently tested the ESV. The ESV coming through in terms of clarity, precipitates and stability being ridiculously good. I won't post all the links here, but it wouldn't hurt to go and check the videos out.

Thanks man il have a look ! I only have a nano and just recently purchased 22kg of the stuff

 

[Darth.Daddy12]

Just wanted to get your current method of storing saltwater and how long you store it. I ask because I use Reef Crystals and 0 TDS RODI water and I have found after 24-36 hours my container (Brute can) starts to develop a yellowish/orange residue in the bottom. I use a powerhead to keep it circulating and the container is covered to prevent contamination. I typically can’t see the residue but after my WC when I wipe out the container I find it on my paper towel. I would eventually like to switch over to an automated WC system but don’t like the idea of this getting into my tank (150G). What do you do? Ever found a residue? Are there better Salts that don’t have this issue?

Bulk reef has a great new series going over this with various types of salt.. I’d recommend getting on YouTube and watching the series..

In short what they are starting to find is that salt needs to be mixed for 2-3 day before it’s ready. Otherwise you end up with perticipant residue left over like you are talking about.. 3 says of mixing seems to be the point where most brands find balance and are completely mixed though. After that seems you can store almost indefinite with little effect.

 

[jsker]

I would say that it is the Ca and some organics in the mix are turning the water brown. My water in the mixing reservoir turns brown with no effect on the system. I also dose the balling method and the Ca mix has a brown residue and that is normal

With the salt I use, the fresher the mixed and used the better. I was doing an auto water change daily and switch back to the weekly

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Bulk reef has a great new series going over this with various types of salt.. I’d recommend getting on YouTube and watching the series..

In short what they are starting to find is that salt needs to be mixed for 2-3 day before it’s ready. Otherwise you end up with perticipant residue left over like you are talking about.. 3 says of mixing seems to be the point where most brands find balance and are completely mixed though. After that seems you can store almost indefinite with little effect.

I have watched their videos on this and what I experience I wouldn’t call precipitant, it’s more of residue that starts in about 24 hours and will continue to get worse the long the water is stored.
I also have two containers one is a brute and one is a food grade and I found this in both containers. I tried the food grade container to see if there was a reaction happening with my brute can. Since I had similar results in both both containers this must be a by product of the salt.

 

[Idoc]

It's normal for Reef Crystals to leave that brown residue in the container if left mixing for over a day or so. I've read elsewhere that it is due to something that prevents the salt from clumping, or something likes that. Since it's a different color than the Instant Ocean residue, I'll bet its all the autumnal amino acids that are added to RC as well. I initially used HW Marinemix and it left no residue at all, but the cost really is ridiculous for salt. I've switched to Instant Ocean and I now get the residue if i leave it mixing a couple days... but now the residue is white.

If i get residue sticking in my brute container, i empty it out...add a little tap water with vinegar to cover the bottom.. splash it around and wipe down the sides... then rinse and let dry.

 

[blitzkragz]

I will just chime in here with my limited (6 month) experience. My whole setup is based around storing SW for a month or so for auto-water changes (5g/day) with a DOS. I have a 200 gal cistern.

The first salt I used was Reef Crystals and I was just shocked when I looked in the cistern, there was a brown film everywhere and the water never did clear after a few days of mixing. I just didn't want to start that way, so I cut bait, drained/cleaned the cistern, and used regular IO instead. I offered a fellow reefer the extra 200g box of RC I had for free when he came to help me to move something, but he didn't want it (basically couldn't give it away, lol).

Then I tried regular IO and used it for 5 months, and that was much better, but there was still a greyish buildup at the bottom of the cistern (but not the sides like RC), and having a 6ft tall cistern looking down into it when full you can really tell if it is clear or not, and even regular IO still never looked totally clear.

A few weeks ago I finally decided to try Tropic Marin Pro. And WOW. It is a completely different experience. Within an hour it is completely crystal clear in the cistern. And although I have only been using it for a month, I don't detect any noticeable precipitate at the bottom.

Another noticeable difference is the smell. I get on a ladder and stick my head in the top, and with IO there was this distinct noticeable smell. With TM, there is no smell at all, I don't necessarily know if that means much, but I take that as a good sign.

Looking down at the Tropic Marin Pro

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I stored normal IO for a month or two in Brute cans as I used it for continuous water changes. It was fine.

I’m not a fan of storing salt water like Reef Crystals that contains organics. The solids you mention are expected of it, although I’m not sure exactly what it is.

 

[ReefKeeperElite]

I will just chime in here with my limited (6 month) experience. My whole setup is based around storing SW for a month or so for auto-water changes (5g/day) with a DOS. I have a 200 gal cistern.

The first salt I used was Reef Crystals and I was just shocked when I looked in the cistern, there was a brown film everywhere and the water never did clear after a few days of mixing. I just didn't want to start that way, so I cut bait, drained/cleaned the cistern, and used regular IO instead. I offered a fellow reefer the extra 200g box of RC I had for free when he came to help me to move something, but he didn't want it (basically couldn't give it away, lol).

Then I tried regular IO and used it for 5 months, and that was much better, but there was still a greyish buildup at the bottom of the cistern (but not the sides like RC), and having a 6ft tall cistern looking down into it when full you can really tell if it is clear or not, and even regular IO still never looked totally clear.

A few weeks ago I finally decided to try Tropic Marin Pro. And WOW. It is a completely different experience. Within an hour it is completely crystal clear in the cistern. And although I have only been using it for a month, I don't detect any noticeable precipitate at the bottom.

Another noticeable difference is the smell. I get on a ladder and stick my head in the top, and with IO there was this distinct noticeable smell. With TM, there is no smell at all, I don't necessarily know if that means much, but I take that as a good sign.

Looking down at the Tropic Marin Pro

I just started using Tropic Marin Pro last week, and am due for another mixing today. I can verify that looking into the storage container today, TM Pro has left zero precipitates, zero residue, and zero odor. With my previous Red Sea Pro salt, I had precipitates building up on the bottom of the storage container, a sandy grit on the bottom, and it would smell a bit rancid after a week. I am a true believer, and will make TM my permanent salt.

I still have a couple gallons of the TM Pro seawater in my storage tank, and am wondering if I should mix this weeks 30G on top of that, or if I should still empty and rinse out the storage tank first like I used to do with the Red Sea Pro. Anyone have thoughts on that?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I see no reason to rinse out seawater storage containers unless you are trying to get the water to hold high alk levels, or you use a mix with organics in it that is driving bacterial growth.

 

[Reef.]

I use Red Sea blue bucket, I mix for 24 hours, then it sits for 2 weeks, no heat or mixing, then make a new lot 2 weeks later, I don’t clean the container between mixes, after 6 months I had a slight brown film on the bottom of the container, literally took less than a minute to wipe off.

 

[sreefs]

I was told by a rep. from the manufacture that the brown residue left behind is from a non caking agent they add to the salt during the manufacturing process! He told me it is harmless! I will say Tropic Marin does not do this!

 

[ReefKeeperElite]

I see no reason to rinse out seawater storage containers unless you are trying to get the water to hold high alk levels, or you use a mix with organics in it that is driving bacterial growth.

Thanks Randy. I'm also going with a 2 week schedule now, since TM is so clean after one week. Not having to clean out the container after each batch, along with moving to a 2 week schedule, already makes up for the extra cash I'm paying for the TM Pro.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I was told by a rep. from the manufacture that the brown residue left behind is from a non caking agent they add to the salt during the manufacturing process! He told me it is harmless! I will say Tropic Marin does not do this!

You are talking about Reef Crystals? That’s the only one that I know if that leaves an unknown brown scum, and I was told by someone fairly high up and knowledgeable that there are no anti caking agents in Instant Ocean or Reef Crystals.

The solids that form from high alk mixes are generally calcium carbonate.

 

[mike550]

Red Sea put out a video a few weeks ago about mixing and storing their salt. Long story short, they suggest using the salt within 12 hours of mixing it, and have some guidelines / comments about storing for longer periods. They also address the stuff that accumulates. Here is the link to the video (hopefully):