armywife1314
Member
have a friend that used to do sw and they gave me some salt, i dont want to just add it in, its from '04. its still in the original packaging. does it go bad?
does salt go bad
- Thread starter armywife1314
- Start date
coral keeper
Active Member
I don't think salt ever goes bad.
armywife1314
Member
good to know. thanks
sepulatian
Moderator
Originally Posted by armywife1314
http:///forum/post/2613487
have a friend that used to do sw and they gave me some salt, i dont want to just add it in, its from '04. its still in the original packaging. does it go bad?
It is still sealed? I do not believe that it goes bad, even if not sealed. Wait for more responses on this though. I certainly do not want to steer you in the wrong direction.
http:///forum/post/2613487
have a friend that used to do sw and they gave me some salt, i dont want to just add it in, its from '04. its still in the original packaging. does it go bad?
It is still sealed? I do not believe that it goes bad, even if not sealed. Wait for more responses on this though. I certainly do not want to steer you in the wrong direction.
armywife1314
Member
ya, never opened. ill definetly wait, better safe than sorry.
sepulatian
Moderator
Originally Posted by armywife1314
http:///forum/post/2613498
ya, never opened. ill definetly wait, better safe than sorry.
It is perfectly fine, if it was never opened.
http:///forum/post/2613498
ya, never opened. ill definetly wait, better safe than sorry.
It is perfectly fine, if it was never opened.
t316
Active Member
There's nothing in it that's going to "go bad" like food or meds. Usually the biggest problem is if moisture has ever gotten to it. Even being stored in a really hot location, moisture can condensate inside the packaging. But you would know this by the presence of big clumps instead of the fine granulars.
sepulatian
Moderator
Originally Posted by T316
http:///forum/post/2613525
There's nothing in it that's going to "go bad" like food or meds. Usually the biggest problem is if moisture has ever gotten to it. Even being stored in a really hot location, moisture can condensate inside the packaging. But you would know this by the presence of big clumps instead of the fine granulars.
This was my thought as well. I have had that happen and "chiseled" the salt with a plastic device. Salt gets clumpy, but to my knowledge, does not go bad.
http:///forum/post/2613525
There's nothing in it that's going to "go bad" like food or meds. Usually the biggest problem is if moisture has ever gotten to it. Even being stored in a really hot location, moisture can condensate inside the packaging. But you would know this by the presence of big clumps instead of the fine granulars.
This was my thought as well. I have had that happen and "chiseled" the salt with a plastic device. Salt gets clumpy, but to my knowledge, does not go bad.
spiderwoman
Active Member
We just had a presentation about tank chemistry at our club meet and we discussed salt going bad. If you have your salt container not closed and humidity gets in the top layer of the salt gets hard. That part should not be used as it does not fully dissolve any longer because the salt has already reacted with water. I wish I had paid enough attention to this subject.
t316
Active Member
Originally Posted by SpiderWoman
http:///forum/post/2613591
We just had a presentation about tank chemistry at our club meet and we discussed salt going bad. If you have your salt container not closed and humidity gets in the top layer of the salt gets hard. That part should not be used as it does not fully dissolve any longer because the salt has already reacted with water. I wish I had paid enough attention to this subject.
Spidey, what kind of club are you in that meets so regular. I don't know of anything up here around Raleigh
http:///forum/post/2613591
We just had a presentation about tank chemistry at our club meet and we discussed salt going bad. If you have your salt container not closed and humidity gets in the top layer of the salt gets hard. That part should not be used as it does not fully dissolve any longer because the salt has already reacted with water. I wish I had paid enough attention to this subject.
Spidey, what kind of club are you in that meets so regular. I don't know of anything up here around Raleigh
1journeyman
Active Member
I wouldn't think, even if wet, salt would ever go bad. Spidey, I'd love to hear more about this idea.
My thinking is salt is just a lot of various elements in water. Seems to me you could add water, dry, repeat a thousand times. That said, I sucked in chemistry so...
My thinking is salt is just a lot of various elements in water. Seems to me you could add water, dry, repeat a thousand times. That said, I sucked in chemistry so...
1journeyman
Active Member
Originally Posted by T316
http:///forum/post/2613761
....a man who admits his failures
lol, heck ya. I have no problem admitting when I am wrong or clueless.
Chemistry kicked my rear in college. The only reason I graduated with a minor in it is because my professor of Quanitative Analysis felt sorry for me and gave me a passing grade.
http:///forum/post/2613761
....a man who admits his failures
lol, heck ya. I have no problem admitting when I am wrong or clueless.
Chemistry kicked my rear in college. The only reason I graduated with a minor in it is because my professor of Quanitative Analysis felt sorry for me and gave me a passing grade.
hammerhed7
Active Member
I agree with journeyman, technically if we were to take the water from our tanks and evaporate it we would be left with our salt mix in the same form, minus what ever trace elements were absorbed
t316
Active Member
Originally Posted by 1journeyman
http:///forum/post/2613782
lol, heck ya. I have no problem admitting when I am wrong or clueless.
Chemistry kicked my rear in college. The only reason I graduated with a minor in it is because my professor of Quanitative Analysis felt sorry for me and gave me a passing grade.
Hey...at least you got a minor in it
That's more than I can say.
http:///forum/post/2613782
lol, heck ya. I have no problem admitting when I am wrong or clueless.
Chemistry kicked my rear in college. The only reason I graduated with a minor in it is because my professor of Quanitative Analysis felt sorry for me and gave me a passing grade.
Hey...at least you got a minor in it
That's more than I can say.
darrinsimon
Member
I have seen it clump up, I guess it somehow got moisture in there. I used it still after breaking it up but it doesn't fully disslove, there was little white flakes all over my freshly made RO water! I bought one of those permanent coffee filters that are made of gold, the screen mesh is really fine. I had to filter all 15 gallons through this filter and all was good.
spiderwoman
Active Member
Originally Posted by T316
http:///forum/post/2613695
Spidey, what kind of club are you in that meets so regular. I don't know of anything up here around Raleigh
That's our reef club (RASOC = Reef Aquarium Society of Charlotte).
Hey anybody from RASOC here that was at the meet. What was it about the hardened salt that made it not *recommended* to be used? Which chemical process had already taken place?
I'll check on our other board and see if I can get a better answer. I wasn't a chemistry person that much either.
http:///forum/post/2613695
Spidey, what kind of club are you in that meets so regular. I don't know of anything up here around Raleigh
That's our reef club (RASOC = Reef Aquarium Society of Charlotte).
Hey anybody from RASOC here that was at the meet. What was it about the hardened salt that made it not *recommended* to be used? Which chemical process had already taken place?
I'll check on our other board and see if I can get a better answer. I wasn't a chemistry person that much either.
C
calvertbill
Guest
Sodium Chloride is a mineral. It doesn't go bad and it doesn't change. Even the splash on the cover of your tank (left after the water has evaporated) is still the same stuff. Heat water and you can supersaturate it, cool it and it'll crystalize out and lay at the bottom of your tank. If your salt has been exposed to moisture and has become a salt block, it will still dissolve in new water as long as there's enough flow. Water can only absorb so much before it becomes saturated and the water which hangs around a block w/o flow won't accept any more.
If you're afraid that your mixing container doesn't have enough flow, take fist sized blocks and run them over a cheese grater. The salt will mix fine.
The only salt which can "go bad" is salt which has exchanged ions with another mineral (usually in the presence of water). Salt in a bag or bucket which has acquired moisture only should be fine. Sweepings from your local highway = not fine.
If you're afraid that your mixing container doesn't have enough flow, take fist sized blocks and run them over a cheese grater. The salt will mix fine.
The only salt which can "go bad" is salt which has exchanged ions with another mineral (usually in the presence of water). Salt in a bag or bucket which has acquired moisture only should be fine. Sweepings from your local highway = not fine.
spiderwoman
Active Member
Here is the recap from the presentation. I got it straight from the presenter..
whenever you have hardened salt mix you have usually abiotically precipitated out CaCO3, MgCO3, and/or SrCo3. when something bonds, diluting it with water doesnt free it up... it just makes a diluted compound. anyway.. since these are bound, they are not freely available for use by your tank inhabs rendering that new water useless... well, not useless... i guess you could cure rock with it, etc... but one of the main functions of a water change besides exporting waste is to replenish elements... and these elements wouldnt be freely available if bound together.
this is why you shouldnt dump salt in a bucket and then add water.... there isnt enough vigorous addition of water to keep the bonds from happening and the elements precip. and vice-versa... dumping a lot of salt into a container of water is too fast and will cause precipitation too. most often this is seen in chalked walls of the mixing vessel.
whenever you have hardened salt mix you have usually abiotically precipitated out CaCO3, MgCO3, and/or SrCo3. when something bonds, diluting it with water doesnt free it up... it just makes a diluted compound. anyway.. since these are bound, they are not freely available for use by your tank inhabs rendering that new water useless... well, not useless... i guess you could cure rock with it, etc... but one of the main functions of a water change besides exporting waste is to replenish elements... and these elements wouldnt be freely available if bound together.
this is why you shouldnt dump salt in a bucket and then add water.... there isnt enough vigorous addition of water to keep the bonds from happening and the elements precip. and vice-versa... dumping a lot of salt into a container of water is too fast and will cause precipitation too. most often this is seen in chalked walls of the mixing vessel.
stdreb27
Active Member
Originally Posted by Calvertbill
http:///forum/post/2613992
Sodium Chloride is a mineral. It doesn't go bad and it doesn't change. Even the splash on the cover of your tank (left after the water has evaporated) is still the same stuff. Heat water and you can supersaturate it, cool it and it'll crystalize out and lay at the bottom of your tank. If your salt has been exposed to moisture and has become a salt block, it will still dissolve in new water as long as there's enough flow. Water can only absorb so much before it becomes saturated and the water which hangs around a block w/o flow won't accept any more.
If you're afraid that your mixing container doesn't have enough flow, take fist sized blocks and run them over a cheese grater. The salt will mix fine.
The only salt which can "go bad" is salt which has exchanged ions with another mineral (usually in the presence of water). Salt in a bag or bucket which has acquired moisture only should be fine. Sweepings from your local highway = not fine.
yeah, but I doubt spiderwomans club's presenter is talking about NaCl probably discussing some of the trace elements in the mixture.
http:///forum/post/2613992
Sodium Chloride is a mineral. It doesn't go bad and it doesn't change. Even the splash on the cover of your tank (left after the water has evaporated) is still the same stuff. Heat water and you can supersaturate it, cool it and it'll crystalize out and lay at the bottom of your tank. If your salt has been exposed to moisture and has become a salt block, it will still dissolve in new water as long as there's enough flow. Water can only absorb so much before it becomes saturated and the water which hangs around a block w/o flow won't accept any more.
If you're afraid that your mixing container doesn't have enough flow, take fist sized blocks and run them over a cheese grater. The salt will mix fine.
The only salt which can "go bad" is salt which has exchanged ions with another mineral (usually in the presence of water). Salt in a bag or bucket which has acquired moisture only should be fine. Sweepings from your local highway = not fine.
yeah, but I doubt spiderwomans club's presenter is talking about NaCl probably discussing some of the trace elements in the mixture.