Reef Crystals Above Normal Ca and MG?

[windyridge]

My test results have been pretty consistent in my tank. I add two part about every five days and the tank usually tests out around here:

Ca= 400-425
Mg= 1300
Alk= 8-9
PH 8.0

I had added two part 6 days before the water change, so if anything, the Ca and Mg levels might have dipped below ideal before the water change that we did yesterday as we do every two weeks (15%). But this time I started a new bucket of Reef Crystals. I tested today and got this:

Ca=500
Mg=1600
Alk was ok =8.6

My SpG is always 1.025

I doubt it was operator error both for Mg and Ca and I am pretty careful about accuracy in testing. Has anyone come across higher than normal Ca and Mg in buckets of Reef Crystals? If this happens in two weeks for the next water change it will be confirmed. I will also test right before the change and then again after the change. I don't think my levels are too high to be concerned about but they are significantly higher than normal for Ca and Mg.

My Aquacontroller just arrived so it's time to go play.:bounce1:

 

[cardiffgiant]

What size batches do you mix at once? Do you stir the dry salt before creating batches? I experienced greater variation mixing small batches of salt water from buckets of reef crystals. I've bought the boxes for the past 1-2 years and the batches have been much more consistent.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Ca=500
Mg=1600
Alk was ok =8.6

this is nothing to be concerned about.

However.. since we're here... what do you use to test S.G.? A swing arm hydrometer?

What test kits are you using to test Ca, alk and Mg?

 

[Shmoopy]

I got a bad batch of rc a while back. The alk component wasnt dissolving. That may be whats going on with yours. It would explain the high cal and mg

 

[windyridge]

I mix 15G batches in one container and don't add the salt until all 15G are in the tub. Then I add salt slowly and manually stir with a spoon after each cup of salt is added. At the same time a pump is circulating the water.

No I do not stir the dry salt but that may be what I try if the same thing happens in two weeks.

I use a calibrated to salt water standard and a Sybon refractometer.

I use RedSea test kits for Ca and Mg and Salifert for alk.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

What size batches do you mix at once? Do you stir the dry salt before creating batches? I experienced greater variation mixing small batches of salt water from buckets of reef crystals. I've bought the boxes for the past 1-2 years and the batches have been much more consistent.

This.

Sounds like your test kits are OK (it would be strange for two to go at once) and your method of measuring salinity is OK, so I'd assume the salt in the bucket was not homogeneous.

I've had this happen in the past and it was one of the main reasons I switched to boxes. The boxes contain 4 bags, each is ~45 - 50 gallons depending on salinity. These days I'm usually mixing one or more bags at once, but if I am going to mix a partial bag, I shake it up really well before opening it. This is easier to do with a 50g bag than trying to mix a 160g bucket, IMHO.

 

[windyridge]

It takes a really long time for us to finish a bucket let alone a box and we don't have the room! But thanks for the info. I think I will pour half the bucket into another bucket and mix it up that way, kind of back and forth. It will be a pain but I will only have to do it once a bucket. In the meantime, Instant Ocean should really look into their mixing and filling process to avoid the concentration of some elements into pockets in the mixture.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

fwiw

fwiw

this problem isn't unique to any one brand of saltmix

 

[Jstn]

Recently ive noticed my Ca climbing to the point of me stop dosing Ca and have to space out water changes. Alk keeps dropping as normal, though i dont test the fresh water other than Sg.

 

[windyridge]

Wow Jstn, that's not good. So it sounds like one has to test the water before putting it in the tank just in case? And if it's too high, then what? I only changed 15% of my water after not adding supplements for 6 days so the Ca and Mg levels would have been on the low side of ideal before the addition. That 15% of new water must have been pretty high in Ca and Mg. What if I had done a 50% water change? Yikes. Well now I know.

Having been in manufacturing most of my life I can't see why a consistent salt mix can't be attained at the manufacturing plants. That being said it looks like premixing the dry salt will help before adding. It shouldn't be that way. Has anyone ever written the manufacturers to ask why such sensitive organisms such as ours have to contend with inconsistent levels of elements in a salt mix?

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

To be fair, it's entirely possible that the inconsistencies are caused by settling after the salt is put in the package, vs. lack of thorough mixing.

Jstn, have you tried switching test kits? When one single parameter starts going out of whack and there isn't an obvious cause, IMHO the best course of action is to suspect your test method vs. assuming there's actually a problem.

 

[cardiffgiant]

I had a thread on here a couple of years ago where I thought that I had gotten a bad batch. Gary suggested that it was settling in the bucket causing inconsistency throughout the bucket. I thought he was crazy when he suggested that I either mix about 50 gallons at once or stir my dry salt. I didn't have much room for either, but ended up using multiple dry buckets to pour and stir the dry salt. That made a huge difference... and was also a huge pain.

Now I buy the boxes, with the 4 bags, and pour two bags into a bucket and still make small batches of salt water (10-15 gallons at a time).

The settling makes a lot of sense when you think about the process. I imagine that there is some drop shipping, but the salt is probably trucked a couple of times before we get it. When I order mine, I use the cheapest ground shipping option that I can find, which probably involves even more shaking around on a truck.

 

[windyridge]

Ok so it looks like mixing it between two buckets is the way to go for me. Can't wait for all that dust! I will be using a dust mask. Thanks everyone for weighing in.