I use salt mixes for my tanks. This has worked very well for me and my wife. However, I've had a problem with water changes when I'm near the bottom of the salt bag (that means when it's been open and I've been using it for several weeks/months).
The salt eventually hardens up, and when I dissolve it, there is white particulate floating in the water. The particulate takes FOREVER to dissolve (like, days pass and it's not all dissolved). I've heated it, let it sit for days, etc, but there is still this white particulate.
If I do a water change with this water, I get problems. My corals seem shocked. I lost some very nice zoanthids this way. My fish are OK and the more robust corals seem not to care, but I'd like to get to the bottom of it anyway. If I get a brand new bag of salt (same brand) and dissolve it right away (I mean I don't let it sit around to get moist or to harden up) then it's all good.
I take it that this is a common experience. Any suggestions for keeping the salt dry to begin with? I live in a small coastal town in California, so it's generally humid here all the time. But I think this should be happening to everyone and not just me.
My best guess is that the particulate is calcium or one of the elements in the salt that gets wet and then forms a solid that won't go into solution in water very well. Pure salt shouldn't have this problem.
Thanks!
The salt eventually hardens up, and when I dissolve it, there is white particulate floating in the water. The particulate takes FOREVER to dissolve (like, days pass and it's not all dissolved). I've heated it, let it sit for days, etc, but there is still this white particulate.
If I do a water change with this water, I get problems. My corals seem shocked. I lost some very nice zoanthids this way. My fish are OK and the more robust corals seem not to care, but I'd like to get to the bottom of it anyway. If I get a brand new bag of salt (same brand) and dissolve it right away (I mean I don't let it sit around to get moist or to harden up) then it's all good.
I take it that this is a common experience. Any suggestions for keeping the salt dry to begin with? I live in a small coastal town in California, so it's generally humid here all the time. But I think this should be happening to everyone and not just me.
My best guess is that the particulate is calcium or one of the elements in the salt that gets wet and then forms a solid that won't go into solution in water very well. Pure salt shouldn't have this problem.
Thanks!
took forever to dissolve, but it didn't have any adverse effects. I thought shocking was usually a result of having "raw" salt left undissolved in the new water?
