Instant Ocean won't disolve?

[Victor1046]

I just mixed 25 gallons of R/O DI water with Instant Ocean
12.5 cups and there are particles that refuse to dissolve?

chuck it right????

 

[shag26272]

it takes about a day , stick a powerhead in it overnight, if you switch to TropicMarin it will clear up in 5 minutes

 

[Victor1046]

Dissolve has 2 s's whoops!

 

[henryjd]

Victor,
I have never had a problem with Instant Ocean, but I add the salt one cup a time as it dissolves. I can usually do 32 gallons in about an hour. I then run a powerhead in the water, along with a heater and airstone until it matches the tank.

 

[bertoni]

A powerhead should dissolve the salt in a short period. Overnight should be more than enough. My 5g containers usually mix up in a few minutes. If circulation doesn't solve the problem, it's possible, but not very likely, that the salt mix has some problems.

 

[chemesgh]

Yeah, I tried doing a water change one week with two 5 gallon buckets. One I mixed with a power head, the other I just used a pvc pipe to stir the bucket. Don't ask me why I decided to do that, I do weird crap all the time. Anyway, the powerhead bucket was ready in about 15 mins, where the hand stirred bucket took a good hour, and even then I still had some undissolved salt. I put the powerhead in and the salt was mixed in just a few minutes.

The moral of this story: don't do weird crap like I do.

oh and powerheads make a big difference when mixing salt.

 

[Dubbin1]

12.5 cups does not sound right. It should be more around 17.5 cups. Are you using a hydrometer or refractometer to test it with?

 

[Randall_James]

I usually mix 6 cups per 10G (1.027)

IO should dissolve completely in just a few minutes.

Every time I have seen salt leave this residue it has been left open to the air too long.

As close as I can tell, the moisture in the air causes some of the calcium to precipitate out of the mix. Did you see any "clumps" of salt in your supply?

 

[drummereef]

Victor, are you mixing the salt into the water or the water into the salt? Always add the salt to the water not the other way around.

 

[Victor1046]

I always add the salt to the water and stir for 15 minutes ....always has been fine but I think it is air exposure.
I had ripped the bag open too much and poured the balance of the salt into a seal tight 5 gal container.

the direction say .50 cups to every gallon so 12.5 for 25 gallons
I am chucking it and starting again.
Thanks everyone!!!!!!!!

 

[kathainbowen]

Don't chuck it! It's most likely still good!

Manual stirring is generally insufficient for mixing salt unlease you're using Oceanic (*because it's loaded in manganese, which generally makes things more soluble in water) and can leave big clumps or accumulation of undesolved salts at the bottom. Using a powerhead will quickly and evenly mix the salt.

If that doesn't work, also check the temp of the water. At cooler temperatures, not only will testing equipment be poorly calibrated and give off readings, but it will also be harder to get salt to mix and disperse thoroughly in the water.

 

[Victor1046]

Thanks everyone....I definitely use a refractometer and have been using Instant Ocean for months never had this problem
before.

I think I will be safe and not sorry....

 

[XSiVE]

Ive never had a problem with IO dissolving quickly unless the bag got exposed to high humidity for too long without being sealed...

Running a powerhead in there to mix it for you will probably help dissolve the rest.

 

[Randall_James]

The undissolved solids are not an issue and I would use the water and just dump the residue.

Trying to keep the moisture out of the salt can be a real hassle. I use sealed 5 gallon buckets and have them open only long enough to scoop out the salt and immediately reseal them. Even so, by the bottom of the bucket, I sometimes get these undissolved solids (calcium I am pretty sure).

If it bugs you that much, you can break your bigger salt purchase down into ziplock bags and that will help (as long as you get the salt sealed quickly)

 

[bertoni]

If the undissolved solids are calcium carbonate, then you'll want to supplement the mix back up to reasonable levels before using. If other compounds aren't dissolving, I'd pitch the salt. I don't know of any useful way of determining what's precipitated, though.

 

[Randall_James]

a bit of vinegar might tell part of the story, but the precipitation I have seen is not very substantial however. (At least not enough to merit throwing out the batch of salt)

If there is substantial residue, perhaps pitching it out is appropriate but so far, I have only seen small amounts this happens with.

Johanthan,
Now suppose this.... if it is calcium carbonate, could you not put it back into suspension with a bit of vinegar?

I say this because in some cases where a tank needs a bit of a CA boost, we will add vinegar to our Kalk solutions to lower the PH and so allow more dosing.

I realize this is a different principal (lowering PH vs dissolving CA) but doesn't the CA re-enter the water column all the same? I do not know what the chemical process does to the CA

 

[Saltwater_Dog]

Nothing mixes in water without proper movement. Powerhead is the key.

 

[MTB]

I had a problem with a few "flakes" not dissolving with IO. A power head in there over night yielded the same results. But I still recommend mixing it over night with a power head. After testing several elements I determined it was unsubstantial and used the water with no ill effects. I didn't let the undissolved particles into the tank.

 

[bertoni]

Dissolving the calcium carbonate with vinegar might work, but the vinegar would also be bacteria food. If the amount was small enough, that wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Dubbin1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10355516#post10355516 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Victor1046

the direction say .50 cups to every gallon so 12.5 for 25 gallons

That is pretty much just a starting point and really isn't correct. I have used IO and RC since I started and it has ALWAYS been 7 cups of salt for 10 gallons of water to get 1.025.