jglackin
New member
Ok, the problem appears to be me. I have had an exchange with someone from IO/RC and here is the result (start at the bottom):
RC: Well, I'm not trying to say you are unsanitary, but a really good scrubbing with some kind of brush or scotch brite pad maybe once a month or so should help with the formation of this material you mentioned. I have seen pretty much exactly what you describe and when we scrub our basin down along with a bleach soak we don't see it for a while ....
then it returns and we clean again.
Me: So, it appears that I may have some unsanitary procedures that I need to correct.
RC: I believe the brown foam is also due to the bacteria in the basin. I do not see this effect right after we do a good cleaning of our 100gal mixing basin. There is no type of clay added to the product nor is there any present in any of the raw materials.
Me: Thanks. I figured that the discolored water was due to bacteria building up, so I drained the water, bleached the tub, rinsed it out, and am in the process of making a new batch today. The other issue is with a brown foam forming at the top of the water when I add the salt. It doesn't discolor the water, but it does form in brown bubbles. Is this also bacteria? There are numerous theories on this, from bacteria to a certain type of clay added to the mix and everything in between. Can you elaborate?
RC: In my experience this tends to occur when the basin being used to mix the seawater is also used to hold the mixed seawater for some time. Bacteria will grow in any water body. I have found that a very thorough cleaning of the mixing basin by soaking with some dilute bleach followed by a fresh water soaking/rinsing/scrubbing will eliminate the slime condition for the next few uses of the basin. After it is used to hold the seawater again, the bacteria will grow again so this washing is best done regularly.
RC: Well, I'm not trying to say you are unsanitary, but a really good scrubbing with some kind of brush or scotch brite pad maybe once a month or so should help with the formation of this material you mentioned. I have seen pretty much exactly what you describe and when we scrub our basin down along with a bleach soak we don't see it for a while ....
then it returns and we clean again.
Me: So, it appears that I may have some unsanitary procedures that I need to correct.
RC: I believe the brown foam is also due to the bacteria in the basin. I do not see this effect right after we do a good cleaning of our 100gal mixing basin. There is no type of clay added to the product nor is there any present in any of the raw materials.
Me: Thanks. I figured that the discolored water was due to bacteria building up, so I drained the water, bleached the tub, rinsed it out, and am in the process of making a new batch today. The other issue is with a brown foam forming at the top of the water when I add the salt. It doesn't discolor the water, but it does form in brown bubbles. Is this also bacteria? There are numerous theories on this, from bacteria to a certain type of clay added to the mix and everything in between. Can you elaborate?
RC: In my experience this tends to occur when the basin being used to mix the seawater is also used to hold the mixed seawater for some time. Bacteria will grow in any water body. I have found that a very thorough cleaning of the mixing basin by soaking with some dilute bleach followed by a fresh water soaking/rinsing/scrubbing will eliminate the slime condition for the next few uses of the basin. After it is used to hold the seawater again, the bacteria will grow again so this washing is best done regularly.
I'm so glad that I have been stopping in this forum lately. I just had the brown slime in my tank that I use to mix water in, about a month ago. Like everyone else, I just thought it was something from the air that got into the tank. Cleaned up the tank, heater, and pump, and mixed a new batch. I guess it wasn't something in the air after all.
