what have I done

[debbie]

Okay, yesteday was water change day. All readings in the tank before the change were perfect, no problems at all. All the corals, mushrooms, leathers, anemone were all out in full show and well.
I did my change and shortly after that the mushrooms were expelling their inners and there was thick gobby stuff they expelled to. The anemone is lifeless looking all the mushrooms are this way. The toadstool is open and great looking it is the only one.
The only thing that did happen during the change is that there was some salt in the bottom of my container that was not dissolved completely and when I dumped the new water into the tank there was some salt that went all over and yes some did land of the mushrooms etc.
I took the baster and blew most of it off later on in the day but do you think that some undissolved salt would do this to these corals in the tank??
Fish, snails, shrimp are all just fine.

 

[farslayer]

Yes, undissolved salt will make these mad, but they'll be fine. I tend to p!$$ off my shrooms on occasion this way.

 

[debbie]

Here are some pics I just took of them. Say, can you use a tiny bit of hot water when dissolving the salt or will it alter the benefits of it?? Just curious

 

[farslayer]

They'll be fine You need to use a powerhead to mix up the salt, how are you making it now, in a bucket or something? What type of water?

 

[mr. limpid]

I would mix salt in a separate bucket and aerate a couple days b4 doing water change. This way all the salt has time to dissolve. Take it for what its worth. Good luck in the future.

 

[perfectdark]

Only issue with that scenario is salt dissolves almost immediatly when you add it to your bucket with minimal mixing. The left over granuals that are usually seen at the bottom of your bucket is Sodium Carbonate. Circulating the water with a PH after adding salt is essential as it stabilizes PH and oxygenates the water. You should set your water change bucket up 24 hours in advance IMO. You should also add a small heater and get the water temp close to what it is in your tank.

 

[farslayer]

I have a 26G trashcan in my garage (rubbermaid, no metal!). I have a hole in the lid where I feed the output from my RO unit thru; I also have a maxijet 1200 on the side (using magnets) near the bottom pointing down/across (as in the salt will settle to the bottom). I will use the powerhead only to mix salt and keep the RO water from getting stagnant throughout the week; I only mix in salt when I want to do a water change. The powerhead keeps the water moving and will dissolve the salt, but it needs to be near the bottom since that is where the salt will accumulate undissolved. Works well for me, I'm even installing a sump so that I can pump directly from the trashcan into the DT.

 

[debbie]

Originally Posted by Farslayer
They'll be fine You need to use a powerhead to mix up the salt, how are you making it now, in a bucket or something? What type of water?

I use RO water and have been for the past 3 1/2 yrs, but I can honestly say that I did not let it mix well before I did this change. I usually use an airhose to mix it and then when I get close to the bottom I give it a swish and that is when some undissolved salt came out. My bad.....

 

[debbie]

So they should all be fine in a few days??

 

[farslayer]

Airhose isn't likely good enough, I'd go full steam with a powerhead. But yes, they'll be just fine. How large is your tank?

 

[debbie]

Its my nano 10 gal tank. Things are looking a bit better tonight, I feel bad that I salted them.....

 

[debbie]

Glad to report that all is looking much better today. The BTA is up and full like before. Guess they don't like to be pickled hey...