Red Sea Pro Salt mixing extremely high - 13-14dkh

[scvbrent]

I know Red Sea Coral Pro Salt is supposed to mix with high levels, but I'm getting readings that are significantly above what is indicated on the side of the bucket. Ive used salifert and hanna checkers to test. When mixing to 1.026 I got the following levels:

 

Alk: 13.4 (have seen as high as 14.2 recently)

Ca: 500

Mg: 1500

 

Any thoughts on what I might be doing incorrectly? I haven't been able to find the "batch number" on the bucket. 

 

Thanks for any help!

[OPtasia]

1) Your volume measurement might be a little off depending on how you're measuring up your RO/DI water. For example, I use a five gallon food grade bucket when doing water changes and sometimes go a little over or under that 5 gallon volume accidentally. My RO/DI unit is tabletop operated at the kitchen sink and it takes approx. two hours for a whole five gallons of filtered water. For my makeup water, a 2 cup addition of Red Sea Coral Pro Salt comes to 1.025 with 480 Cal, 8.1 d/kH and 1420 mag.. 

 

2) You might've added a little too much salt. You can try topping it off with small amounts of RO/DI to dilute it to where you want it, say 16 ounces at a time. Measuring yours salts by weight instead of by volume can also help, so once you have it dialed in you write down the weight (in grams) and you'll have more accuracy at hitting your numbers.

 

3) Measure readings on the existing tank water. If the tank is sufficiently low on those parameters then your water could help bring the overall values up when added to the tank. If not, see step #2.

[scvbrent]

I usually only mix up about 2-3 gallons, and just add salt until I hit 1.026. So I'm not using a predetermined amount of salt each time. 

 

How do you measure out your salt by grams - I'm assuming by using a scale of some kind?

[skyscraper2290]

I never see my alk that high when mixing and have only used RSCP. I don’t have an RO/DI unit so I get the 2.5G distilled water jugs and measure out my salt to 12.4oz for it using a scale. Seems that a measure by weight instead of volume is more accurate to me.

[pablos34Lnano]

Kitchen scales i always measure by weight to litres.

[HarryPotter]

Small water changes should work, if you arrive concerned about changes in parameters. 

[Clown79]

When I used it the highest I ever saw mine mix at was 12.5

 

There have been others who have had it mix at high levels but most comments i have seen is 11-12 dkh.

[malady]

That salt is notorious for high alk.

 

A lot of people switch to blue bucket especially If you are running low nutrient.

[scvbrent]

So I think I may have discovered part of the issue. 

 

I have been using an IceCap Digital Salinity tester when mixing the salt. When I first got that tester, I had some issues with getting accurate readings but once the IceCap support people had me stop using the plastic cup and identified that the pump I was using to mix the salt was leaching electricity into the water, all seemed accurate and consistent. It dawned on me today that if the salinity tester was giving results that were too low, that would have caused me to add too much salt for the amount of water, resulting in too much Alk. 

 

That was correct. After working with the IceCap support people again, I was able to factory reset the digital salinity tester, and am now getting consistent results that are about .004 lower than before, which I think will bring the Alk back in-line with what is listed on the bucket. 

 

Thanks to all for your help!!