Hey all, I've had the big bucket of Instant Ocean sitting around my house for several years as I have planned to set up a reef tank but never got around to it due to the fact I'm constantly moving around with the military. I am not in a position where I will be in a stable location for a very long time, and I decided to get this thing running finally! The Instant Ocean saltwater mix is about 5 or 6 years old, the bucket hasn't been opened that whole time. Can I use it or should I buy new mix?

I can not see why not to use the Instant Ocean if it has never been opened. Mix some in a bucket let it sit and test it at the LFS. But I have never used salt that old before, but if the bucket was sealed than I would think it would be ok.

i dont know about the shelf life of salt. however i have heard that if it clumps due to exposure to moisture that it changes the chemistry of the salt mix. id have to agree with cheryl, mix it up and give it a test. though if it is clumped then your alk/ca levels may be off a bit. who knows how long that stuff sits before it gets to us consumers and then into our tanks though.

As long as it isn't clumped from moisture exposure, it will be fine. Some salts with organic additives may not last quite that long without those additives degrading, though. Fortunately, that doesn't apply to instant ocean. Do not use clumped salt, though. Just throw it away. It's not worth using it.

it should be fine if u havent opened it. mine got clumpy but got rid of it a long time ago. the Ca is very low on instant ocean.

Thanks for the advice guys. The salt was never opened but solid as a rock. I bought salinity. Added it to the aquarium a few hours ago. So far cloudy in there but I'm hoping it will clear up in 24 hours or so. Thanks again....

Jason

Salt that was exposed to moisture seems to take longer to clear up, but should do fine for making the salinity where you want it.

I actually am not using the old salt. I bought salinity sea salt mix instead. supposed to be pretty good quality stuff.