A General Guide to Salt Mixes

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14694728#post14694728 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
Although I had a new bucket of Reef Crystals, I shook it up vigorously before mixing it up.

FWIW, shaking can actually cause separation and striation of the different components of a salt mix. Someone from Instant Ocean/Reef Crystals told me they had actually tested that and found it to happen. So you are probably best off not shaking a salt mix before using it. :)
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thanks Randy--that's a very interesting concept.

Can you elaborate on "separation and striation of the different compounds?"
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14695280#post14695280 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
thanks Randy--that's a very interesting concept.

Can you elaborate on "separation and striation of the different compounds?"
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Just an educated guess:

When you shake a container full of salt, the smaller and larger particles (dry crystal salts) will tend to separate. I imagine the larger stuff (sulfates, bicarbonates) will tend toward the bottom, and the smaller/finer stuff (chlorides) higher.
 
PS: I'm really liking the "Higher calcium" Reef Crystals bucket numbers. I have a batch from DFS coming shortly, I'm looking forward to testing it.
 
Shaking it should not cause the particles to separate by size. Constant vibrations would cause the smaller salt particles to sink down not the other way around, Jay. Also rolling the bucket and flipping it over should actually mix the salt.
 
The particles are different density, not just different size. Magnesium chloride hexahydrate, for example, is only 72% as dense as sodium chloride. The denser ones move down and the lighter ones move up when there is vibration that can cause movement.

The experimental result by the manufacturer said shaking does cause separation. Whether other sorts of motion cause separation or mixing or nothing is hard to say, IMO.
 
I wouldn't worry about it. I have no doubt vibrations will separate the salt mix.

Shaking will not separate it though. If you want to test it fill a bottle half way with salt mix and shake it. Then test different depths for changes the composition. There will be no difference.

Now do the same with the bottle completely full of salt mix. When you shake this bottle for a period of time. This bottle should separate into layers. This is due to the salt not being able to all move at the same time. Therefore, the movements you subject it to are like little vibrations.

A brand new bucket will be nearly full but it will still have enough room to be "shaken."
 
I heard a lot of folks using the RC with Oceanic Salt Mix? I am using Oceanic now and prefer to start using RC instead? Should I make the switch or try mixing them together? I really would prefer just using RC but I have a Brand new Bucket of Oceanic that I need to sell or trade soon...
 
I would use your old bucket up first. Or just start mixing 50/50 to use it up. In these tough economic times, no sense wasting good salt. :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14705100#post14705100 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Billybeau1
I would use your old bucket up first. Or just start mixing 50/50 to use it up. In these tough economic times, no sense wasting good salt. :)
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I have my bucket too and I aint wasting, if something isn't right during water lab work, I would adjust it. There is no way i'm wasting 20-30 bucks fill with valuable salt. Money is hard to make and yea, you are right, we shouldn't throw it away.
 
I want to just switch out this new Oceanic Salt Bucket for RC but I guess I am stuck with it for now.... no LFS will trade for me...
 
Reef Crystals. :D

Nano, Oceanic was, and still may be the most unbalanced of all of the salt mixes. Way too much calcium and magnesium and not enough alkalinity.

Not that this is necessarily bad. Some high demand tanks flourish with this salt as long as you keep the alk up. :)

The new Reef Crystals (which I have yet to test), supposedly is improved with higher calcium.

If the numbers I am seeing posted hold true, this could be a very good all around salt mix to use. :)
 
It has long been known in many threads here to have these excessive levels. The first post of this thread, which compares many mixes with the same testing and salinity measurements, shows it to have 580 ppm calcium and 1650 ppm magnesium and to be far and away the highest of the salts tested. Those seem very high to me, but if you like them, keep with it. :)

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=11532087#post11532087
 
And that is why I want to stop using it I have been using it for almost 5 months now and I have tried everything to get the levels stabled but no luck my calcium is always @ 580PPM my Mag around 1600 and my Alk believe it or not is around 9.3 which is high to me.... Also I have a few sps in the Tank now that I fell like it is taking quite awhile to grow and I had them in my tank for 4 months and it's just now starting to encrust over the frag plug that I have them on. I notice a big difference in growth when another buddy of mine started using RC his SPS growth was amazing and he wasn't even dosing just weekly water changes. Growth with his SPS and other LPS was a huge difference from what mine were growing. I feel as if Oceanic Salt mix is more for Bigger established tank that require the High Calcium and High Mag reading for SPS and LPS dominated Tank... Right now I don't have enough to show any Growth. I believe it stunts the growth or Coral from growing at least that's how I see it.... I think with the high Cal and Alk it's fighting each other.... I don't know I may be doing something wrong with my water changes....
 
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