IO Reef Crystals STINK

[meowzer]

Next weekend...when I make up w/c water for my small tanks....I'm gonna use the reef crystals....and mix it just like I mix the regular IO.....just to see what happens...LOL...I always have 11G's of ro/di made up...so I mix that container all at once
never had a problem when I was making 25G's either.....and I would add 10G's of water with salt...etc...etc....OOPS....I did 1x

 

[rlablan]

Here is how I do mine.
I have my trashcan, with has a tube connected to my RO unit. It is connected to a float switch, and it drips until it fills and then the switch will close and then I won't have a flood.
I wait until I get about 1/3 of the bucket full (A couple of hours) then I turn on my Mag pump.
The article I read said that you wanted to avoid piles of salt (IE dumping it in cup after cup, so that it makes a wet pile of salt on the bottom) so the article advised that you put in the salt, cup for cup, slowly "shaking" the cup over the surface area of the bucket. This way, the salt has 80% dissolved by the time get to the deeper area of the bucket, and it also never has time to settle because the current has swept it up.
This is how I do it, doing 1/2 the salt mix and then the other a few hours later. Water is always clear, no film, params are ALWAYS in check and I have not had a single issue ever.

 

[bang guy]

Doing it 10 gallons at a time is fine as long as you always add the water first and add the salt slowly to the water while stirring vigerously.

 

[meowzer]

Thanks everyone.....Next time I do the BIG w/c I'll try that....I have never had an issue with the smaller ones..

 

[king_neptune]

I have the same problem with residue in my garbage can.
I mix 30-40 gal at a time in a 60g bin.
I let it mix with a MAG 4, and heater to keep at tank temps.
Usually 48 hours, although Reef crystals dissipates in half that time easily.
I mix to .025, and always end up with residue. Its only a mild frustration, since the water itself comes out fine.
My corals seem to like Reef Crystals better than the more expensive Seachem Reef I was using prior, and its $35-$50(they sell cheap to pull people in) for a 5g bucket at my LFS vs. $80 for the Seachem. So I cant complain since Im cutting costs significantly.
I guess if the water is coming out fine, then residue in the mixing bucket isn't really a problem IMO. Now if it created residue in the DT...then I would be pulling the plug as well.

 

[flower]

Bang Guy...
Colder the better..can you explain why please, I always thought warmer to dissolve the salt..

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3293867

Bang Guy...
Colder the better..can you explain why please, I always thought warmer to dissolve the salt..

Warm water dissolves salt better, cold water dissolves Calcium and Carbonate better. So if you use warm water the salt dissolves fast but you can end up with Calcium reacting with Carbonate and create a residue of Calcium carbonate. The residue will not dissolve in saltwater, it will just sit there until you wipe it out.
Cold water dissolves Calcium and Carbonate better so there may be a little lag in the salt dissolving. The salt will still eventually dissolve and will leave no residue at all. It may take an additional 2 or 3 minutes depending on how cold the water is.
Another important facet is stirring the water. A powerhead is just not sufficient. You want the Calcium to dissolve before it even gets to the bottom of the container. To do this it really needs to be stirred, hard. Once it's mixed a powerhead or airstone can be use to equalize gasses.

 

[cranberry]

Even though it's not always feasible, it better to mix of the entire unit (bag, box, 5 gallon pail....) instead of scooping it out in measured doses. The different components can settle out causing a variable salt and trace element ratio. Even if the bag wasn't closed very well, or if you live in a high humidity environment, the different elements may bind so that you also scoop out an uneven mix.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/3293882
Warm water dissolves salt better, cold water dissolves Calcium and Carbonate better. So if you use warm water the salt dissolves fast but you can end up with Calcium reacting with Carbonate and create a residue of Calcium carbonate. The residue will not dissolve in saltwater, it will just sit there until you wipe it out.
Cold water dissolves Calcium and Carbonate better so there may be a little lag in the salt dissolving. The salt will still eventually dissolve and will leave no residue at all. It may take an additional 2 or 3 minutes depending on how cold the water is.
Another important facet is stirring the water. A powerhead is just not sufficient. You want the Calcium to dissolve before it even gets to the bottom of the container. To do this it really needs to be stirred, hard. Once it's mixed a powerhead or airstone can be use to equalize gasses.

Thank You, thats really good to know...no heater for me anymore..

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3293920

Thank You, thats really good to know...no heater for me anymore..

You will still want to heat the water up to your display tank temperature just before doing a water change. If you're using a hydrometer you may also want to do one last check for salinity just before the water change to make sure salinity matches the display tank.

 

[king_neptune]

Well that's good to know. Ill be mixing at room temp from now on.
And heat it just prior to my WC.

 

[eric b 125]

before buying a case of the reef crystals myself, i e-mailed instant ocean requesting a guaranteed analysis of IO vs Reef crystals. they couldnt send me the analysis of --, but heres the analysis of regular IO and a copy and pasted e-mail from IO regarding the --...
Typical Composition of Instant Ocean Salt
Solution at Approximate Salinity of 35ppt
Ionic Solution 32ppt, if the salt is dissolved as per our directions on the package.
IonInstant Ocean Seawater*
(ppm)(ppm)
Chloride19,29019,353
Sodium10,78010,781
Sulfate2,6602,712
Magnesium1,3201,284
Potassium420399
Calcium400412
Carbonate/bicarbonate200126
Bromide5667
Strontium8.87.9
Boron5.64.5
Fluoride1.01.28
Lithium0.30.173
Iodide0.240.06
Bariumless than 0.040.014
Ironless than 0.04less than 0.001
Manganeseless than 0.025less than 0.001
Chromiumless than 0.015less than 0.001
Cobaltless than 0.015less than 0.001
Copperless than 0.015less than 0.001
Nickelless than 0.015less than 0.001
Seleniumless than 0.015less than 0.001
Vanadiumless than 0.015 less than 0.002
Zincless than 0.015less than 0.001
Molybdenumless than 0.010.01
Aluminumless than 0.006less than 0.001
Leadless than 0.005less than 0.001
Arsenicless than 0.0040.002
Cadmiumless than 0.002less than 0.001
NitrateNone1.8
PhosphateNone0.2
* Data for seawater values taken from An Introduction to the Chemistry of the Sea. 1998. M.E.Q. Pilson
Hello,
Instant Ocean is formulated to duplicate natural seawater with respect to major, minor and trace element composition. Reef Crystals sea salt was formulated to have an elevated calcium level which can be beneficial for the growth of certain coral species as well as desirable calcareous algae. Calcium in Reef Crystals is elevated by ~14% over natural seawater level.
Aside from having an elevated calcium level Reef Crystals also has elevated levels of selected trace elements. Most are elements that are not often heard about but all have proven benefit to the symbiotic algae that live within the tissue of photosynthetic corals. Reef Crystals also has several different kinds of vitamins added which have also shown to be beneficial to corals.
While we cannot disclose the exact percentage by which these trace elements are elevated. We can, however say which elements are elevated. Below is a list of these elements (excluding calcium). These are some of the same elements that are present in various "Trace element" additives available on the market.
Iron
Manganese
Zinc
Molybdenum
Cobalt
Vanadium
Selenium
Sincerely,
UPG Aquatics

 

[eric b 125]

i dont know if that helps you out at all, but when i saw this thread i figured i'd share the info that IO sent me. the numbers on the analysis of IO are a little hard to read after copy and pasting. the first number is representative of IO and the second number is sea water.