Help: mixing water

[burrows14]

how long are you leaving between dosing and adding salt?

[burrows14]

also what color is the precipitaion and how long do you let everything mix together before adding it to your system?

[Coleus]

Originally Posted by burrows14

how long are you leaving between dosing and adding salt?

24 hours between dosing and adding salt

then another 24 hours before adding to the tank

The color is white or greyish

[burrows14]

Whats the alk at? I know if my alk is on the low side and I add calcium I get a snow storm in my tank kinda like what your describing

[Coleus]

after adding the salt, my alk is 10

[kien]

I thought reef crystals had high(ish) levels of calcium and magnesium? Isn't that why it is more expensive than Regular IO?

Anyway, these days I dont dose my new salt water (I dose my main tank) but after mixing my heater and the inside if the mixing drum is coated with a fine white/brown powdery substance. I read that this is normal with regular IO. Not sure if it is the same as your powdery substance tho. It has been like that for me for a long long time. Doesn't seem to affect anything and I just accept it :-)

[Coleus]

well, i tested it serveral times with several different buckets of reef crystals and they are not any near what they claim on the bucket label so I have to dose to bring it to match with my tank params

I am experiencing the white/brown coating just like you do. It is not affecting anything but i have to clean the container and heater after mixing water which sucks

[kien]

Originally Posted by Coleus

well, i tested it serveral times with several different buckets of reef crystals and they are not any near what they claim on the bucket label so I have to dose to bring it to match with my tank params

I am experiencing the white/brown coating just like you do. It is not affecting anything but i have to clean the container and heater after mixing water which sucks

This is why I just stick with regular old IO. So many people report that the claimed levels on the bucket are false. I'm sure you get some buckets that do match, but in my opinion, if you're paying that much for a pale of salt and they claim those levels then there should be those levels! No exceptions. Otherwise you're paying for a very very expensive bucket of regular IO

I don't clean the heater or the trash bucket.. i just leave it! Well, maybe clean it out once every few months. I did test it for ammonia and nitrates and phosphates which there doesn't seem to be any trace of so I'm not sure what that film is :-)