Why is this happening??!!

Ducati 911

Ducati 911

New member
Im trying to do water changes and I just end up tossing all this new saltwater I make because it turns a dark yellow/ green color.

I have been taking a 5G bucket and mixing about 4 gallons of pure ro/di and oceanic salt... so far so good. water is still clear. After a few hours of mixing with a powerhead it starts to turn colors.

After 24 hours the water is a yellowish color and I dont want to add this to my aquarium...

What is going on?!?

Please help me figure this out this happens everytime.
 
that is weird. I have no idea. Occasionally my Reef Crystals leaves some crappy brown residue in the mixing can, but doesn't turn the water colors. Have you tried a different powerhead? Go ahead and try a different if you haven't. What about a heater? Could try a different heater after you try a different powerhead....not both at the same it. Gotta have a control so you know which/if one is doing it.
 
Korrine said:
that is weird. I have no idea. Occasionally my Reef Crystals leaves some crappy brown residue in the mixing can, but doesn't turn the water colors. Have you tried a different powerhead? Go ahead and try a different if you haven't. What about a heater? Could try a different heater after you try a different powerhead....not both at the same it. Gotta have a control so you know which/if one is doing it.
Click to expand...



Same for me. IO sometimes leaves a brownish film/residue in the bucket, but it is fine to use. I just wash well and wipe the bucket afterward. If the water is going yellow/green you definitely have reason to be concerned. No idea what would do that though.

I sometimes make my mix up to 5 days ahead of time. I usually just use the powerhead and only put the heater on when I am getting ready to use it. Uses up less power that way. Yes, salinity changes with temp, but I have the measurement down and am almost always within 0.01 sg of target.

As others say, I'd suspect the powerhead or heater.
 
Ill try a new powerhead, I dont keep the heather in while its mixing so I know its not the heater.. Im going to take a powerhead out of my DT and try this again, Its really frustrating because I keep wasting all this good ro/di..

I really hope its the powerhead or else idk what to do.
 
Ducati 911 said:
Im trying to do water changes and I just end up tossing all this new saltwater I make because it turns a dark yellow/ green color.

I have been taking a 5G bucket and mixing about 4 gallons of pure ro/di and oceanic salt... so far so good. water is still clear. After a few hours of mixing with a powerhead it starts to turn colors.

After 24 hours the water is a yellowish color and I dont want to add this to my aquarium...

What is going on?!?

Please help me figure this out this happens everytime.
Click to expand...

I would suspect the pump seeing this kind of timing. In other words no pump water is clear but once pump is added the water starts to turn color.

As for the bucket needing to state food safe I disagree. Look at your bucket of salt. I bet it does not say food safe anywere on it. I just looked at several buckets from different salts (IO, Coral Pro, and Brightwell) and none of them said anything about food safe. Also many people use the Lowes and HD buckets without issues as well.

OP have you tested any of this water for ammonia or trites or trates?
 
evsalty said:
I would suspect the pump seeing this kind of timing. In other words no pump water is clear but once pump is added the water starts to turn color.

As for the bucket needing to state food safe I disagree. Look at your bucket of salt. I bet it does not say food safe anywere on it. I just looked at several buckets from different salts (IO, Coral Pro, and Brightwell) and none of them said anything about food safe. Also many people use the Lowes and HD buckets without issues as well.

OP have you tested any of this water for ammonia or trites or trates?
Click to expand...

steelhead77 said:
Thermoplastics are inert once they are set. Generally speaking, they do not leach anything or ever breakdown. If you dropped that can to the bottom of the ocean, in 100 years it will still be there as good as new.

What makes plastic food grade or not is the use of mold release (usually silicone spray) or other treatments used during or after the molding process. "Food Grade" containers are held to a cleaner standard than "non-food grade" containers. However they are molded from the exact same plastic; usually polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE or HDPE). PP and HDPE usually do not require mold release to be used so there should be no manufacturing residue on these cans.
Click to expand...

Storing liquid is a lot different than storing a dry grain type material. I just decided I wasn't going to take a chance on non food safe since so much is invested in livestock.
 
Korrine said:
Storing liquid is a lot different than storing a dry grain type material. I just decided I wasn't going to take a chance on non food safe since so much is invested in livestock.
Click to expand...
Fair enough but I have been using some of these buckets for over a decade and have used many others over the past 16 years in this hobby with no ill effects.
 
ok, ive been mixing a new batch since I posted this thread with a different powerhead ( one i got from my DT) and so far the water is still crystal clear..

I guess it was the pump that was leaching something into the water.. any ideas on what it could be?
 
My bet is that it's likely the pump. I would think the bucket is okay too. I would carefully inspect the pump or simply replace it if not tight on cash. MJ1000s are good utility/water change pumps and pretty cheap IMO.

I would think it could also possibly be a bacterial or algae bloom. Does your change water get exposure to direct sunlight during your 24-hour mixing? Not sure about others, but along with my yearly RO sterilization, I sanitize all top-off and change water equipment using a 30 minute bleach bath and allow it to air dry for 24-48 hrs, includes all buckets, hoses, stirrers, heaters, pumps, etc. Then, rinse all wc/top-off equipment in tap water after each use, and dry throughly. GL!
 
I make sure the bucket doesnt get exposed to any direct sunlight or any light for that matter, it has a lid on the whole time its mixing and that container in placed in a black rummbermaid container to make sure no light can get in. It was def the pump, idk what I would have done if I used this powerhead in my DT. Id be crushed if it wiped out all my livestock.
 
Korrine said:
Storing liquid is a lot different than storing a dry grain type material. I just decided I wasn't going to take a chance on non food safe since so much is invested in livestock.
Click to expand...

Uhh...No it's not. If it "leached" stuff out, that means that it would slowly dissolve. That doesn't happen. Any container that's labled "PP", "PE", "LDPE", "HDPE" will be just fine for storage of saltwater. As I said, the only difference will be what is used as a mold release in the molding process. If you're concerned, clean the bucket with vinegar and/or bleach and be confident that it is safe.
 
You haven't mentioned what "type" of powerhead/pump you were using to mix your water ? I have seen others use pond pumps/equipment that have copper shafts on impellers to a detrimental outcome. What is it that you were using?
 
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