Red Sea Coral Pro salt- Don't mix more than 4 hours????

[catfisher]

I've been using this salt mix for a couple years and never noticed this on the mixing directions. This is what it says:

1. Prepare the quantities of salt and water for desired salinity according to the chart.

2. Use reverse Osmosis water at approximately 68 degrees. Always add salt to water.

3.Mix vigorously (without aeration) for 0.5-2 hours, until all of the salt is stabilized to 8.2-8.4. DO NOT mix for more than 4 hours.

4.Raise the water temp to 77 degrees and measure salinity. Add salt or water as necessary.
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I've always mixed my salt around 78 degrees and I mix it for days before I use it. Why would it matter if I mix the salt for more than 4 hours? That doesn't make any sense. Just about everywhere I've read says to mix salt for at least a day or two before using it for a water change.

 

[blanden.adam]

Red Sea Pro Salt is peculiar in that manner as for some reason many people have had precipitation issues when mixing it for long periods before adding it to a tank -- presumably because of their elevated levels of Cal and Alk. It's not clear to me why that is, but nonetheless it's what people report.

 

[MHG]

This was addressed in the Red Sea forum. I mentioned the same thing and I believe the response was that is can be stored (with a circ pump) without issue. I have been storing mile as most of us do and have no issues. The precip on the sides of the container I have, is much less than I was getting with reef crystals...

 

[thegrun]

+1, as posted above because Red Sea Pro salt is so high in calcium and alkalinity when it is being mixed it is easy for the calcium to precipitate out of the water column. Using cool water (good advice even for lower calcium level salts) helps slow down the chemical reaction between calcium and alkalinity. When we add salt to water there is a momentary area where the salt is super concentrated well above 1.026 S.G. Running a pump to mix the water heats the water, especially in the pump itself where the friction of the impeller against the water overheats the water and once again increases the chemical reaction. Stored Red Sea saltwater does not need to be nor should it be continually circulated.

 

[bertoni]

I don't understand why adding some circulation to saltwater would increase precipitation, on average. The temperature change would have to be fairly large to be an issue. How high are the levels seen currently for this salt product?

 

[RedSeaKev]

Mixing Coral Pro salt

Mixing Coral Pro salt

Hi Folks, check out this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlIHJ02NaKk&feature=youtu.be

What is important to realize is our Coral pro salt has as has already been stated high levels of foundation elements (Alk, Ca & Mg) which makes it ideal for the rapid growth of SPS corals and frags.

The mixing may need a little attention but the growth results will speak for themselves, if the mixing becomes an issue our standard Red Sea salt will not need such attention to detail and is ideally suited to low nutrient systems.

 

[HurricaneSystem]

Goodness, another one of these posts. Let me post what I do.

1) Run RO/DI water. (68 degrees out of the RO/DI)
2) Pour water in 5 gallon bucket
3) Mix 2 cups of RSCP salt (stir water while slowly adding salt, thus mixing the salt)
4) Add heater, bring water to 80-82 (takes 15 minutes at most)
5) Use water

It is so easy. Just don't mix the salt with 80 degree water. You just can't do that with this salt. I have never had a cloudy issue or anything else. It is just pure nonsense to let salt sit and mix for 3-4 days before using it. If you mix it thoroughly, why in the world does it need to sit?

 

[hilgert]

Hi Folks, check out this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlIHJ02NaKk&feature=youtu.be

What is important to realize is our Coral pro salt has as has already been stated high levels of foundation elements (Alk, Ca & Mg) which makes it ideal for the rapid growth of SPS corals and frags.

The mixing may need a little attention but the growth results will speak for themselves, if the mixing becomes an issue our standard Red Sea salt will not need such attention to detail and is ideally suited to low nutrient systems.

The OP was asking "why mix no more than 4hours" (as did I in the Red Sea forum, with a similar response posted that contained no direct answer to my question).

I've always mixed my salt around 78 degrees and I mix it for days before I use it. Why would it matter if I mix the salt for more than 4 hours? That doesn't make any sense. Just about everywhere I've read says to mix salt for at least a day or two before using it for a water change.

I'll posit a theory that seems to fit my experience with RSCP (my salt of choice by the way).

Precipitation with continuous mixing, due to the very high levels of the Big Three in RSCP, might be due to surface exposure to the atmosphere, and therefore some gas exchange, etc. Not being a chemist I'm not sure what the mechanism would be, but I do know from my experience (described below) that I have no issue with either cloudiness (after mixing) or precipitation (or at least not any more than with other salts I've used cover the years).

I have a small mix pump in my salt reservoir running 24x7 as I do 1% automated water changes every night. Every few days, but at least weekly, I add some RODI (room temp of about 76F, sometimes warmer, sometime cooler) to the salt reservoir and pour (or sometime just dump if I'm in a hurry) in the corresponding measured amount of RSCP salt, and then walk away knowing my mix pump will mix it.

As my salt reservoir is moderately sealed"ish" (except when I open the hatch to add salt) it has little exposure to outside air exchange except for the amount of air that comes in when my Apex transfers the 1% exchange water into the main tank.

I have very little stuff on the bottom, I make no attempt to pre-cool the water, and I've not cleaned the reservoir for 4 months or so. With nightly auto water changes, a couple of larger changes due to me making some changes in my system, etc., I'd say this represents about 350 gallons of salt water (so, two big buckets of RSCP) through this system in that period of time.

 

[fltekdiver]

Ok, just so I understand , because I use the same salt:

Water from my RO isn't heated. So I'm ok their

Add the salt, mix, bring RO water upto 79 , my tank runs at 79

add to sump when doing. Water changes, that's it right?

I do make my salt a few days prior, and have been mixing it till I need it. I let the power head just run in the container

So your saying NOT to do this, mix it for a few hours, and let it sit till needed?

I just switched over to this salt last month. Only did my first water change with it last weekend

 

[bertoni]

That procedure should be fine.

I have no idea why you shouldn't mix the salt for longer periods.