burtbollinger Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 just tested my fresh batch of reef crystals....SG at 1.025....calcium at @ 330. Gonna dose ca to bring it up to par, but still....looks like I got a bad bucket. Link to comment
skydive Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Doesn't Reef Crystals have a low Ca anyway? I used it at one time and switched to Oceanic because of that. Every time I tested it was 380 or below and now with Oceanic it stays at 450. Link to comment
burtbollinger Posted December 7, 2008 Author Share Posted December 7, 2008 that very well could be, but I was expecting that it would be in the 400s...I think I'm going back to basic Coralife next bucket. Link to comment
kgehrke Posted December 7, 2008 Share Posted December 7, 2008 Contact Reef Crystals. They'll make you send in a sample. Then you'll get a new bucket. Link to comment
burtbollinger Posted December 7, 2008 Author Share Posted December 7, 2008 sweet...will do. Thanks! Link to comment
disaster999 Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 tested mine and got CA of 380. too bad im all the way in hong kong. Link to comment
bustaphoto Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Ya I usually get inconsistent results with the reef crystals sometimes I get in the 400 sometimes super low like 320 360 and others like 420 440 its really inconsistent. Link to comment
bdare Posted December 9, 2008 Share Posted December 9, 2008 This is an old issue which had a lengthy discussion over at Reef Central about 8 months ago. There were bad batches of RC that had Ca levels at around 360-380 when mixed to 1.026. Mg was also low at around 1100. If you have a good batch Reef Crystals Ca should mix to 420. It is also true if you contact Aquarium systems you can send them 1-2 cups of salt and they will send you a new bucket. I also went through this with them. Link to comment
appsgang43 Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 This is an old issue which had a lengthy discussion over at Reef Central about 8 months ago. There were bad batches of RC that had Ca levels at around 360-380 when mixed to 1.026. Mg was also low at around 1100. If you have a good batch Reef Crystals Ca should mix to 420. It is also true if you contact Aquarium systems you can send them 1-2 cups of salt and they will send you a new bucket. I also went through this with them. Just out of curiousity how long do you let your water sit after you add the reef crystals before you add it to the tank? Link to comment
bdare Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Just out of curiousity how long do you let your water sit after you add the reef crystals before you add it to the tank? Sometimes a few hours. Sometimes a few days or somewhere in between. Just depends on what I have going on. With a 2 year old, a 4 year old and a high maintenance wife it's hard to schedule time to myself. Link to comment
disaster999 Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Sometimes a few hours. Sometimes a few days or somewhere in between. Just depends on what I have going on. With a 2 year old, a 4 year old and a high maintenance wife it's hard to schedule time to myself. make sure she doesnt see that just sent them an email about my low calcium levels, hopefully i can still have my salt replaced by them since i dont live in the states anymore Link to comment
disaster999 Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 damn, they are not able to replace my salt if im outside of the states Link to comment
PoopCola Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Poop I use reef crystals! Link to comment
burtbollinger Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 I'm gonna give em one more try....maybe i got a bad bucket. as it is now, my opinion of RC is cloudy, messed up garbage.... gonna buy a fresh, smaller bag and hope it mixes clearer. only cause i dont know what alternative to use. my routine is I make the ro/di water, let it areate for 2 days, then mix it with salt and let it sit for 4 days....in that time, the cloudyness settles into a thick white slime on my water container...and I am able to scoop out clear water form my changes....water with a CA of @ 330.... LAME. Oh and I called them....they were no help, no offer of returning anything or refunds.... Link to comment
bdare Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I've been powering through bad buckets. I just add Mg and Ca to the water before adding it to my tank. Link to comment
hazmat Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 my routine is I make the ro/di water, let it areate for 2 days, then mix it with salt and let it sit for 4 days.. Wow . that's a week long process! do you ever have algae or crud build up after that many days? Link to comment
Monkfish Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I'm gonna give em one more try....maybe i got a bad bucket. as it is now, my opinion of RC is cloudy, messed up garbage.... gonna buy a fresh, smaller bag and hope it mixes clearer. only cause i dont know what alternative to use. I used it once becuase the lfs was out of oceanic and I had the same problem it was very cloudy and it never really dissolved completely. Maybe I didnt wait long enopugh but Im not sure. With the oceanic ir dissolves almost instantly it seems. They carry it at PETCO as well so its easy to get. One of the guys at the LFS was telling me the red sea brand is very good and inexpensive as well. Link to comment
burtbollinger Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 eh. not too long of a routine...I mean I start making water on Monday for a water change on Sunday....no algae build up or anything.....the ro/di goes from filter to a hefty "garbage" can, where a pump airates it and I buffer it...so no algae there....the water is in the dark and . well, its perfectly clean.... but once i mix the salt and the water in another container, thats when I see the cloudy water, which eventually turns clear, with white slime buildup on the sides and bottom. like I said...I will not buy another reef crystals bucket....I'll try one more less expensive bag of reef crystals, and if it still does this, then I'm done...or I might just say screw it and buy a bucket of coralife. I am sick and tired of looking at milky water swirling in my slimy white mixing container. Link to comment
annamarie421 Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 the ro/di goes from filter to a hefty "garbage" can, where a pump airates it and I buffer it... but once i mix the salt and the water in another container, thats when I see the cloudy water, which eventually turns clear, with white slime buildup on the sides and bottom. ;Maybe the buffer is the cause of the problem. What are the levels if you just mix up salt + RO/DI? edit for clarity Link to comment
burtbollinger Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 I've tried it both ways....buffered ro/di at @ 8.0....and non buffered ro/di.... comes up cloudy both ways....the cloudiness isnt harmful, just ugly....its the low calcium thats annoying....FYI: I am going with coralife next time....check this out: http://reefsaltanalysis.googlepages.com/AW...alysis_0208.pdf Link to comment
fierceseaman Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Never had an issue with Reef Crystals. I love, mixes up perfectly. Link to comment
disaster999 Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 RC mixes clear for me also, in 30 mins the water is crystal clear. from instant ocean's website Q: My Instant Ocean®/Reef Crystals® will not dissolve properly. I have a cloudy solution with sediment at the bottom of the mixing container. Why?A: The most common cause of poor solubility is moisture. Some of the compounds used in sea salts are hygroscopic, meaning they readily and quickly draw moisture from their surroundings. If your sea salt has any “clumps” or hardened sections, then this is a sure sign that moisture has been introduced. Sea salt that has absorbed moisture may dissolve with the addition of aeration. The best way to avoid moisture in your sea salt is to re-seal the container immediately after use. and i come from a country with 90% humidity in the summer Link to comment
burtbollinger Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 yeah, I had read that....mine was bone dry and humidity was negligible.... a part of me thinks that the salt want mixed right, meaning some elements had settled in the bucket....and I sould have stirred it better....anyway...the buckets almost gone now....prolly enough for 5 more gallons... Of salt used so far, the only time it mixed clear for me was when I used a wisk and whipped the crap out of the dry salt before scooping it/sprinkling into my ro/di water. in the end, cloudiness was annoying but not harmful....it was the crazy low calcium that irks me...330 on average... bottom line, bad buckets of reef crystals got out into the wild in early 2008, late 2007, and I got one...bought from a dusty old LFS at the wrong place and wrong time. no biggie...all I'm saying is if you use Reef Crystals, it might be wise to test if before you put it in your tank, if youre not already doing so. I was foolish and didnt do this for a change or two and didnt notice it until my CA was low... Link to comment
disaster999 Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 at least instant ocean is willing to replace the bucket/give you a free bucket if in fact the calc is reading low. i, on the other hand, is not so lucky living halfway around the world. i always liked reef crystals, sucks i have to dose extra calcium to bring it up to ~450ppm. Link to comment
burtbollinger Posted December 17, 2008 Author Share Posted December 17, 2008 I just found a LFS 20 miles from me that has Tropic Marin salt...I'm gonna spend the extra cash on a bucket....hell I feed my cats crazy expensive food too....might as well treat the tanks good.... maybe I'll just change the water every 10 days instead of 7 the cat food is Innova, btw...good stuff. Link to comment
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