Reef Crystals results....

[brshriver]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11928815#post11928815 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley

Here's a picture of the solids on the bottom of my mixing reservoir:

Randy snuck into my basement and took a picture of my salt mixing 44 gallon trash can! Mine looked exactly like that using RC for two years. I started mixing magnesium chloride into the RO/DI water before I added the salt mix and the precipitate stopped. I suspected that it was because my RC was low in Mag (1100 - see RC is low in Mag threads) and causing more Calcium carbonate to precipitate out.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Yes, you were sleeping at the time.

 

[brshriver]

 

[Billybeau1]

Actually RC in the good buckets runs 1260-1290 or so. It is only the bad buckets that are low in mag.

 

[brshriver]

I did not test my newly mixed salt water until this year after a low magnesium problem last year. Every RC batch I have tested has come out CA ~320 and Mag ~1100. I think that is only over 2 bucket purchased early this year though. I just bought a bag of RC instead of a bucket. I'll test it and see how it does. Unfortunatley, I used the last of the bucket before I read the RC threads on bad RC batches so I have no samples to send back. Now it looks like I need to be careful boosting Mag before adding the salt since I must have had the bad buckets! Glad I found these RC threads which I found while looking for salt mix threads because I wanted to switch from RC due to the low Mag

I started with Tropic Marine Pro when I got addicted to reefs two plus years ago. I switched to RCs after a couple of months and seeing TOM after TOM having good success with IO and RC salts. My thinking was it is cheaper and people can clearly run fantastic reefs with it.

I may switch to IO and still boost the expected amount of mag before adding the salt. I'll have to test every batch that way though - which I now consider a must anyway.

 

[Billybeau1]

The last bag of RC I bought (a few months ago) tested 420 and 1270 @ 1.026

But I seem to recall someone getting a bad bag. First one I've heard of.

 

[msman825]

I had a problem with the brown stuff back in jan- feb I keep my mixing can clean also. here's a pic of were i cleaned the pump off.

 

[EvilE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12176680#post12176680 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by msman825
I had a problem with the brown stuff back in jan- feb I keep my mixing can clean also. here's a pic of were i cleaned the pump off.

That could be tar from the Marlboros! :lol:

 

[brshriver]

Hey EvilE, you switched to Coralife didn't you? Any regrets?

I needed some salt and had to go to petsmart. I picked up a bucket of Coralife because that is what they had in the 150G size.

 

[EvilE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12186553#post12186553 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by brshriver
Hey EvilE, you switched to Coralife didn't you? Any regrets?

I needed some salt and had to go to petsmart. I picked up a bucket of Coralife because that is what they had in the 150G size.

so far, so good! I have a grip of the damn low RC, so I may start mixing the Coralife with the RC........

 

[jglackin]

I don't believe that I am ready to switch yet. RC has not really failed me yet. I am currently traveling, but when I get back, I am going to finally hook up my calc reactor and kalk top off and I will pay much more close attention to the RC chemistry then.

p.s. I am in Singapore. I was just on a live aboard diving in Komodo. If you are interested, here are some pics: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1352488&perpage=25&pagenumber=1