Should I be worried about this?

[TimeOrMoney]

What is this gunk on the 'walls' of the trash can? This is a new can that I cleaned thoroughly.. There's like 25 gallons of already mixed saltwater in here that I dont want to lose...

[WormLicker]

Is it possible it's just salt that isn't mixed all the way? I got something similar when I first filled my tank up, I hadn't mixed it thorough enough and it left lines kinda like that on the walls.

Good luck!!

[TimeOrMoney]

5 minutes ago, WormLicker said:

Is it possible it's just salt that isn't mixed all the way? I got something similar when I first filled my tank up, I hadn't mixed it thorough enough and it left lines kinda like that on the walls.

Good luck!!

I guess it is possible. Maybe it just looks like gunk in the weird garage lighting. 

[gena]

Is it slimy? I think that happened to me before.  And I think I still used it.  I'm assuming it's just minerals from the salt mix.  Maybe someone else knows for sure.

[TimeOrMoney]

13 minutes ago, gena said:

Is it slimy? I think that happened to me before.  And I think I still used it.  I'm assuming it's just minerals from the salt mix.  Maybe someone else knows for sure.

It is kind of, but not really, but not gritty either. If no major concerns pop up on this thread by this evening, Im just going to use filter floss on the inbound water.. That's good salt..lol

[banasophia]

My bucket has been getting white buildup on the bottom and sides with Red Sea Coral Pro… I usually got brown buildup with Reef Crystals.

[gena]

25 minutes ago, TimeOrMoney said:

It is kind of, but not really, but not gritty either. If no major concerns pop up on this thread by this evening, Im just going to use filter floss on the inbound water.. That's good salt..lol

Yeah...sounds like what I experienced!  I'm pretty sure I used it because I wasn't about to waste a brute can of freshly made saltwater LOL.

[gena]

14 minutes ago, banasophia said:

My bucket has been getting white buildup on the bottom and sides with Red Sea Coral Pro… I usually got brown buildup with Reef Crystals.

I had that issue when I mixed over-night...which is what I always did.  Now that I'm following the directions, I only mix 2-3 hours and then use.  No buildup that way.

[mcarroll]

On 8/27/2021 at 9:40 AM, TimeOrMoney said:

What is this gunk on the 'walls' of the trash can?

I think it's clay, probably used as a binder (chelator, a la EDTA) for the salt mix's trace elements.  Doesn't precipitate right away....better for it to be in the tank where it can be used rather than overmixing and have it come out in the mixing vessel.

 

If you're using a good mixing method, it should take about 5 minutes for the water to clear after you add the salt.   Once it's clear, it should be good for a water change.  If you can't use it right away, that's alright, but STOP mixing at. 5 minutes anyway.  Keep it covered to keep out the dust, but use it whenever you're ready after that.

 

BTW, stirring with your hand is very effective and should serve as a baseline for mixing performance.....a pump laying in a bucket is NOT good at all by comparison.

 

Here's how I make saltwater two different ways, with and without power equipment:

 

 

[TimeOrMoney]

18 hours ago, mcarroll said:

I think it's clay, probably used as a binder (chelator, a la EDTA) for the salt mix's trace elements.  Doesn't precipitate right away....better for it to be in the tank where it can be used rather than overmixing and have it come out in the mixing vessel.

 

If you're using a good mixing method, it should take about 5 minutes for the water to clear after you add the salt.   Once it's clear, it should be good for a water change.  If you can't use it right away, that's alright, but STOP mixing at. 5 minutes anyway.  Keep it covered to keep out the dust, but use it whenever you're ready after that.

 

BTW, stirring with your hand is very effective and should serve as a baseline for mixing performance.....a pump laying in a bucket is NOT good at all by comparison.

 

Here's how I make saltwater two different ways, with and without power equipment:

 

 

Thanks! Until now, I have never had the space for WC reserves, so I thought it was a good idea to mix 20 gallons. I did leave a small pump running in there...kinda thought the water may need to stay moving. I think I was thinking about dead spots. So today I looked and sure enough, I believe you are right...it is clay! So to make sure I understand (I haven't had a chance to watch your videos but I will)..keeping reserve is ok, but do not keep a pump in thr reserve can. 

 

Thanks again

[mcarroll]

You've definitely got the idea!  

 

You'll also see what I mean about the speed of mixing if you can mount your pump (or hold it for 5min w/your hand) like mine in the vid.  

 

Laying on the bottom was much slower in my tests.  (Nothing I tested was faster than 5 minutes tho....seemed to me like that's the speed limit.)

 

TL;DW the vids?  I use a 36" Tamco HDPE mixing paddle for best/fastest results ever since then.  At least for anything from 5 gallons to 50 gallons, it gives the best/fastest/easiest results I've been able to get...without getting my arm wet.  😉  (Getting your arm wet is $free though!)

 

I use two 65 Gallon pickle barrels for water reservoirs now and mix 50 gallons at a time with the same paddle.  It does take about 10 minutes to mix 50 gallons....can't get it down to 5.  🤷‍♂️ Mixing that much by hand is actually fun though.  LOL

 

[banasophia]

I mix with a powerhead or pump and most people probably do

[Ratvan]

i do very small water changes (approx 2.5g) so tend to just mix by hand now, takes about as long as it did with the pump 

[PeterU]

13 minutes ago, Ratvan said:

i do very small water changes (approx 2.5g) so tend to just mix by hand now, takes about as long as it did with the pump 

With either 2.5 or 5 gallon changes, I use a wooden spoon.

[empresto]

You might also find the following brs tv investigates videos of interest as they look at the storage times for various salts. Some salts are much better for long term reserve storage than others.

 

https://youtu.be/oe9vjPNvKUk

 

Also, this video talks about precipitation like your experiencing.

 

https://youtu.be/WYHvOla6wp8

[DaJMasta]

I mix with a powerhead connected to some silicone tubing, so when it's all ready to go you just switch it on to pump and don't have to lift the bucket.  Using Red Sea Coral Pro I get the same mineral build up on the bottom of the bucket (and to a lesser extent, in the pump), as I did years ago with the same salt, so every few months I put a gallon or so of RODI in the bucket with a couple cups of vinegar and let it circulate for half an hour or more.  Dissolves the gunk and frees any buildup on the pump impeller pretty reliably (I have seen a pump lockup from mineral deposits around the axle/impeller magnet, vinegar will dissolve these just fine too), then you just dump it and refill with RODI for making more saltwater.

[banasophia]

1 hour ago, DaJMasta said:

I mix with a powerhead connected to some silicone tubing, so when it's all ready to go you just switch it on to pump and don't have to lift the bucket.  Using Red Sea Coral Pro I get the same mineral build up on the bottom of the bucket (and to a lesser extent, in the pump), as I did years ago with the same salt, so every few months I put a gallon or so of RODI in the bucket with a couple cups of vinegar and let it circulate for half an hour or more.  Dissolves the gunk and frees any buildup on the pump impeller pretty reliably (I have seen a pump lockup from mineral deposits around the axle/impeller magnet, vinegar will dissolve these just fine too), then you just dump it and refill with RODI for making more saltwater.

That’s what I do too… and I use either vinegar or citric acid 

[Tired]

I mix my water by putting half a gallon of water in an gallon jug, adding a gallon worth of salt, and shaking the hell out of it. Takes a couple minutes, usually. Once the vast majority of it is mixed in, I pour in the rest of the water to make a full gallon (all I need for my tank), and give it a couple minutes to sort itself out. The reason I don't fill the jug all the way at first is because then there'd be no room for it to slosh around and it'd take forever to mix. This will of course only mix a bit of water, but it's scaleable- you can mix however much water you can lift and shake half of.

[banasophia]

Much ado about nothing… no, you don’t need to be worried about that, it’s normal… why do we always need to tell people 10 different ways to do something they are already doing in a normal, acceptable way? I shake it in a jug, I mix it with my arm, I use a plastic paddle… does it really matter? Is it wrong to use a powerhead or pump - no, most people do. Grr I’m cranky. But if it’s not broke don’t fix it. And follow the manufacturer directions for the salt you are using as far as how long/how you mix it and store it.

[Tired]

As long as the salt is mixed, no, it doesn't really matter. But it's nice to mix it the fastest way, ya know? And it can be fun to see how other people do a reasonably simple, familiar task. 

[banasophia]

Well, that wasn’t even the question… and my understanding is that the OP wanted to make extra in advance and store until they needed it.

 

I don’t think it’s necessarily nice to mix it the fastest way… some salts are supposed to be mixed right before using and some they recommend mixing for a longer period of time. Depends on the salt mix.

 

I think it can be detrimental to give someone tons of extra options and info that’s not even related to their question. I get tons of newbies that pm me saying they are overwhelmed by people swarming their post with excessive unrelated and contradictory info. 
 

If a person chose dry rock, for example, go with that. If they chose to mix with a powerhead go with that. Stop giving newbies info about all the other methods they did not choose when they aren’t even asking, they already made their choice. 

[JonathanS]

8 hours ago, banasophia said:

Well, that wasn’t even the question… and my understanding is that the OP wanted to make extra in advance and store until they needed it.

 

I don’t think it’s necessarily nice to mix it the fastest way… some salts are supposed to be mixed right before using and some they recommend mixing for a longer period of time. Depends on the salt mix.

 

I think it can be detrimental to give someone tons of extra options and info that’s not even related to their question. I get tons of newbies that pm me saying they are overwhelmed by people swarming their post with excessive unrelated and contradictory info. 
 

If a person chose dry rock, for example, go with that. If they chose to mix with a powerhead go with that. Stop giving newbies info about all the other methods they did not choose when they aren’t even asking, they already made their choice. 

Newbies say "Jeeeeze, I only wanted a simple answer, no conversation. OMG my brain hurts, thoughts are bad." lol