Crystal Sea and the stuff that doesnt disolve

joemack

joemack

Member
I use Crystal Sea (happy too) and I have a 5 gallon bottle I got at a hardware store and I fill it with RO water from the supermarket and when I add the salt there is always stull on the bottom that doesnt disolve (even after days) and if I shake it up it clouds the water (in the 5 gallon container).
I never put the last bit in my tank because of that sedement. Are those the "trace reef elements" they say are in the salt?
Should I dump that in my tank too and clud the water for a bit?
It hasnt hurt anything in the past but I stoped because it looks fishy.
Any ideas???? Thanks again guys for answering my question
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Ideally you should be mixing your water with a power head, this should be enough movment for everything to dissolve over a 24-48 hour period. Then with a tube attached to the power head you can just pump the water into your tank. :cool:
I would not just dump any sediment from water change into my tank.
Thomas
 
joemack

joemack

Member
Yeahhh.... I dont use a powerhead because it wont fit inside the 5 gallon jug. Any ideas so I can keep using my jug guys?
 
trippclark

trippclark

Member
I mix Instant Ocean with a powerhead for 24 - 48 hours and still have a small amount of undesolved particles also -- probably a quarter or half teaspoon for 5 gallons.
 
joemack

joemack

Member
Ya, I dont use a powerhead but I do get that un disolved "stuff" Does anyone know a name of a super tiny powerhead?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
The undisolved "stuff" is mostly made up of Calcium, carbonate, and Magnesium.
This is caused because you don't "vigerously" stir up your water as you mix in the salt. You should use a bucket that you can stir as you slowly add the salt to the water. Otherwise you will tend to precipitate some Calcium carbonate out of the water. This will cause a low Ca and ALK level in the new saltwater.
 
elfdoctors

elfdoctors

Active Member
Thanks Bang guy. I have had the same problem.
You didn't answer what to do if you get the white "stuff".
I mix my water with a powerhead but managed to get this anyway. Not knowing what it was I changed the water and stirred up the white material thinking it was necessary for proper water chemistry. My fish are fine but I seem to have killed off all of my snails. Are they eating this stuff and is this possibly toxic to them?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
If you use Tap Water then it's possible that the "White Stuff" precipitated heavy metals along with Magnesium. This would be toxic to snails. Not because they would eat it, but because they would eat diatoms growing in it.
The White Stuff is mostly Calcium carbonate, basically the same as your aragonite sand except finer and not coated with bacteria. Any impurities would be caused by not using RO/DI water. Magnesium is included because it tends to bind to Calcium carbonate crystals (thankfully).
 
joemack

joemack

Member
I do use RO/DI water. So if i was using a powerhead would it completely disolve or does everyone have a little Calcium carbonate left over?
BTW I dumped in the last of the water with the "Calcium carbonate" on the bottom of my jug and no one in the tank was mad.
And... Bang Guy thanks for all the help that you offer to everyone on this board and thanks to everyone else as well!
 
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