having some weird issues with Reef Crystals salt....

N

Naperville Reef

New member
i mix my Reef Crystals salt in a 5 gallon container for about 24 hours. the last 3 or 4 times i mixed the salt the following day appeared a rust colored "film" (for lack of a better word) on the bucket walls. wasn't sure what caused it so i gave my heater, thermometer, pump and the bucket itself a good cleaning with water and vinegar.

just did my first water change since the cleaning and the rust colored "film" appeared again.

my tank is also experiencing some cyano for the first time since switching to RC a few months ago. i use ro/di water, run a phosban reactor with PHOSaR and have great flow.

anybody else have this issue with RC????
 
I had a similar issue with a film that was on the freshly made RC salt water. I was also getting VERY high calcium readings. After not dosing the tank with anything for a month and three water changes from the same bag the calcium didn't lower at all. I think that they (IO/RC) make there mix in such large volumes they may neglect the quality control of SOME of their products. Not to bash the company at all. I am going to switch to Tropic Marin which is a little more expensive but seems to be more consistant.( I have a few friends who swear by it, and their tanks show it). Just my 2 cents
 
As the Shedd Aquarium uses RC, I don't like to bash it either but the last time I mixed up a 33g bucket of it, I found small, greasy chips in the water. I heated it up & mixed with my pump for several days & they finally dissolved. I now have to clean out my bucket, because the sides are all greasy. This was mixed from a new bucket of salt. I had a friend with a similar experience. Are we all getting a bad batch of salt?
 
Mixing it in 5 gallon hinckley bottles and no problems, gone through almost 2 buckets without any issues.
I bought 4 buckets when they were on sale a month or 2 back.
Used most of it for my new tank but have done 2 25 gallon water changes in my 125 with no problems.
What type of container are you mixing it in?
 
coralfever.... i switched from Tropic Marin and never had this issue. mainly switched b/c TM is very low in Ca.

Pufferpunk.... small greasy chips?!?! yikes, what was it????

sullyman.... i use an old Tropic Marin salt bucket.

bryanth73.... i have the exact rust colored ring towards the top of the water line plus i have some on the bottom of the bucket as well.
 
i have noticed it before. but rc has worked for me for over 1.5yrs so i dont ask questions.

might be a good question for randy in the chemistry forum
 
I recently open a new bucket of Reef Crystals and have experienced the same issues as Naperville Reef, I also thought that my mixing pump and heater were at fault but after a good cleaning the rust colored film came back in the next water change.
However, I have notice that the coralline is growing at a fast rate (faster than usual) my left over corals and fish have no ill effects.

RickyB
 
I mix in a 5 gal. bucket and do get a faint rust line with RC. That said, since I changed to RC 2 years ago, have had no problems, so I'll stick with it. I ventured out and tried Red Sea's salt over the summer, and it jacked my pH over 8.5 after H2O change (from 8.2/3). Wont be trying that again.
 
the brown water was what caused me to switch from IO, to Tropic marin. After mixing a thousand gallons or so without cleaning the mixing vat the water was brown. You could see a noticeable difference(big time) of the water coming out of the vinyl tubing as I was pumping it into the system.
 
I have the same issue. I thought it was normal with RC and part of the mix. I usually run the pump with the salt a few day and notice the red bubbly film at the corner of my mixing tub. Maybe we all bought a bad batch?

--Bucky
 
I am not saying there is a problem, but I am concern (long term effect). Why will this happen on every water change, regardless of the container been used? Nothing has changed for me on the way I do my mixes, except for the new bucket of RC I recently opened.
 
There's got to be a reason, good or bad. I'm just finishing the 2nd bucket and haven't had any issues.
Rod, do you think it could be the reef crystals reacting to the water? Does metal detoxifier leave residue after it detoxes?
I sent them an email about it, if I hear anything back, I'll let you know.
 
I havent used RC, just the IO, but I understand that they are almost the same with RC having more CA and buffersthan IO. Yes, I beleive that it is some of the metals percipitating for the salt. not from the container
 
Read from soemwhere that th brown slime could be due to Bacteria after the Salt is mixed for a period of time.

But anyway, I saw the same thing when using IO and Reef Crystal.

Anyone know for sure the Brute Can will not leeach anything??
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9071786#post9071786 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Infinitereef
Read from soemwhere that th brown slime could be due to Bacteria after the Salt is mixed for a period of time.

But anyway, I saw the same thing when using IO and Reef Crystal.

Anyone know for sure the Brute Can will not leeach anything??
Click to expand...

Yes, The brutes can/do leach some things, but people here are noticing the brown when IO/RC is mixed in different containers ranging from salt buckets to brute garbage cans to HDPE containers. I use an HDPE container. The issues taht I had took place 2 years ago, so this is nothing new to IO/RC. I dont get the brown water/residue with Tropic Marin.

I would like to add that I never saw any negative effects from the IO, just the brown water (which explains some people that are using 10KK bulbs are seeing more yellow than others )
 
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