Cloudy salt water mix

[aquahobbyMD]

Starting up a new reef tank. I've been using Coralife scientific grade salt for a long time with tap water and never had any problems with cloudiness. Now I'm using RO/DI water. So I mixed in the appropriate amount of salt to 5 gallon jugs a few days ago, added the water to my tank, turned on the heater and a few power heads to mix, and my new tank has been cloudy for 24 hours with a white film on the glass. One other thing that might be important, my bucket of Coralife salt had hardened (solidified) so I had to chop it up with a knife before adding it to the water. Did the salt mix go bad (I've had the bucket for well over a year)? Any ideas? Please help!

 

[DaveK]

Salt loves to take in water and turn into a block. Once that occurs, I recommend replacing it.

Yes, once you break it apart, it often doesn't dissolve clear. Some people still use it. Personally, I can't see putting the system at risk to save a few dollars on salt.

 

[aquahobbyMD]

Thanks DaveK. If the water does clear up in the next few days do you think it is safe to use, or would you just remove it now and start over?

 

[dltt]

It could also be combining with the calcium and precipitating out of solution.

 

[aquahobbyMD]

If the calcium is precipitating out of solution, why did this happen and how do I prevent it?

 

[DesertOrchid]

The calcium will precipitate out if you add too much salt to too little water. Always fill your containers with most of the water first before adding the salt then mix well with the power heads or whatever you use. I've used salt that has turned into a block and it really isn't worth the hassle. Get new stuff and put it in ziploc gallon bags to keep from absorbing moisture. Good luck.

 

[dltt]

The hydrated salt could have become "unstable" and or contaminated with the addition of water. Typically the calcium molecules will bind with the chloride molecules in the water column, this is one of the reasons you have a ph drop. The calcium chloride will then precipitate out of solution. In the real world, the ocean contains about 3 times as much magnesium as calcium (Ca=~420ppm, Mg=~1290ppm), the Mg blocks the chloride and calcium reaction into calcium chloride. In short, I think I would go with fresh salt, lol.