Does Reef Crystal salt go bad?

mcarroll · Oct 16, 2013

I hear ya.

Alk being low would be a strong indicator of moisture getting to the salt.

Something else that maybe goes under-appreciated by the bulk of salt mixers is the hygroscopic nature of many of the salts in our mix. Leaving the lid off your bucket or your bag open is almost the same as dumping water in. Even short exposures can have an effect on your salt's consistency.

Calcium chloride is probably the main calcium source in most salt mixes. It is also the same as the driveway salt you see in the shape of little white balls.

As an experiment, place some calcium chloride on a table and watch it. Over the course of a fairly short time (depending on humidity), that calcium will attract enough water from the air to fully dissolve itself into liquid form. There will be nothing left on the table but a little drop of (very salty) water.

Same thing happens in your bucket, only it's a very fine powder in there so it happens QUICK!

-Matt

shred5 · Oct 16, 2013

mcarroll said:
I hear ya.

Alk being low would be a strong indicator of moisture getting to the salt.

Something else that maybe goes under-appreciated by the bulk of salt mixers is the hygroscopic nature of many of the salts in our mix. Leaving the lid off your bucket or your bag open is almost the same as dumping water in. Even short exposures can have an effect on your salt's consistency.

Calcium chloride is probably the main calcium source in most salt mixes. It is also the same as the driveway salt you see in the shape of little white balls.

As an experiment, place some calcium chloride on a table and watch it. Over the course of a fairly short time (depending on humidity), that calcium will attract enough water from the air to fully dissolve itself into liquid form. There will be nothing left on the table but a little drop of (very salty) water.

Same thing happens in your bucket, only it's a very fine powder in there so it happens QUICK!

-Matt

I actually see this often in my basement... I get a small pile of salt where I lay my measuring cup down and in days it is water or a wet pile of salt....

TrishW · Oct 16, 2013

I guess the vitamins are why RC stinks. Whenever I have to use RC my mixing container gets a coating of crap and it stinks. I choose to just use another brand.

mcarroll · Oct 17, 2013

Odors would have to be something local IMO - could be some residual stuff in the RODI water. Adding a final (after DI) carbon stage to your RODI - even one of these) - should take care of it. Would at least be a cheap experiment if it didn't work. FWIW, it only takes a little bit of the right bacteria, mold or algae to make things stinky (persistent issues in my ATO reservoir), so don't hesitate to give your mixing vessel and associated gear a good cleaning and disinfecting once in a while.

Definitely not the salt though. I've (sadly) had batches of RC mixing for more than a month at a time...so long I've had to run an auto-top-off system on it. (Yes, sounds like a joke....not kidding tho. :noidea: Heheh.) No smells ever.

Assuming you aren't getting calcium carbonate precipitation, the coating is known just to be a clay used to deliver some of the saltwater ions and it settles out after extended mixing. I haven't used em all, but all the salt's I've used have some kind of residue like this. Again, no associated odor in any case.

-Matt