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View Full Version : Reef Crystals salt is hard as a rock!! Now what???


ghstrider
10/18/2009, 07:40 PM
I opened a new bucket of reef crystals i bought a few months back and 90% of it is solid rock. This is the first time this ever happens to me... I usually buy 2 buckets at a time and it lasts me about 6 months and after using a few scoops of this salt i realize everything but the top layer is rock solid. Is this normal?? The buckets have a seal gasket that is supposed to seal out moisture and it was tight when i opened it but this is what i got. Are there any reps out there from Aquarium Systems? Im sooooo upset over this especially when i began mixing in a few scoops into 30 gal of RO when i couldnt break it up anymore. what a waste!

poolkeeper1
10/18/2009, 07:47 PM
I opened a new bucket of reef crystals i bought a few months back and 90% of it is solid rock. This is the first time this ever happens to me... I usually buy 2 buckets at a time and it lasts me about 6 months and after using a few scoops of this salt i realize everything but the top layer is rock solid. Is this normal?? The buckets have a seal gasket that is supposed to seal out moisture and it was tight when i opened it but this is what i got. Are there any reps out there from Aquarium Systems? Im sooooo upset over this especially when i began mixing in a few scoops into 30 gal of RO when i couldnt break it up anymore. what a waste!

I would toss It, They will say you let moisture get Into the bucket. So there are no winners on this one, Next time make sure It's closed good so this don't happen again. I feel your pain as everything Is so exspensive these day's:blown:
Bill:bigeyes::bigeyes::bigeyes:

ghstrider
10/18/2009, 07:57 PM
I would toss It, They will say you let moisture get Into the bucket.


pool, how is this my fault when all i did was buy the bucket and when i opened it it was solid? I didnt open a good bucket and leave the top off or not fully closed. Ive been buying salt for 3 years now so i know not to leave the bucket even a little bit loose. this has never happened to me.

obiwanthegoby
10/18/2009, 08:15 PM
even if moisture did get into the bucket and this is why the salt hardedned it is still the same constituents as when it was granular. Think about it,... if you throw the salt in water ...does it ruin it?

This has happened to me before as I buy salt in bulk and it comes in plastic bags, Ive continued to use it no problems. If youre skeptical.... throw some in and make a batch of SW. Test it for alk, calcium, ect.... and run with it how you choose....

Obi

adambirk
10/18/2009, 08:33 PM
i would contact i/o or whoever you purchased it from and see if they will take it back. if they will then great if not i also would try disolving it and then test it to see what it tests at. if everything tests good i would use it. or if you have a food processor put it in there and grind it all back up. then mix up a batch and test it. i am sure it will be fine.

i have had some of my salt clump like this before i just bust it up and use it.

Marchingbandjs
10/18/2009, 08:51 PM
umm, lol the salt for are aquariums is not NaCl. Or table salt. You have to mix it with water and you cant mix to fast, and you have to have the right amount of water. if you get moisture in the bucket you will get a calcium carbonate precipitate. Just like if you mix to much salt with too little water you will get white slime in the bucket. But, salt can also settle into masses... if its one solid rock, something reacted with one of the chemicals they use, and it wasn't the calcium, as calcium carbonate wouldn't bind it would separate. It wasn't moisture. I dunno what would have happened, its not good to use though.

wayne in norway
10/19/2009, 04:42 AM
I would bet the seal wasn't perfect. Salt mixes are hygroscopic - leave one in a damp room and it will actively absorb atmospheric moisture, and the result will be precipitated CaCO3 which will not redissolve. Alternatively, it could be something strange in the mix, or that batch of it as it seems strange to have the whole bucket go hard.
You could take it back to the retailler or contact aquarium systems directly and tell them what happened. You should really get another bucket. IF you mix it up it is likely the thing that will be most depletes is alk, with Ca maybe down a quarter to a third max. You could use it for a qt tank salt I guess, but for a reef it'll be a pain to supplement it back to normal.

Randy Holmes-Farley
10/19/2009, 04:47 AM
There may be a small amount of precipitation of calcium carbonate or other things that can change when the salt gets wet, but more than likely it is fine to use. Just check the alkalinity when you mix it up, and if it is OK then it is good to go, IMO. :)

Magga Pie
10/19/2009, 11:23 AM
Same thing happened with my bucket that I bought awile back I had to chizzle the salt to break it up and I did a water change with it and it was like a snow storm in my tank. I threw the bucket out I figured that the snow storm of salt can't be good for my tank.

Randy Holmes-Farley
10/19/2009, 11:31 AM
Did you let it dissolve and then settle to become clear before using it?

I can't see what could happen to settled and clear new salt water that could be added to a reef tannk to cause precipitation.

squid_fart
10/19/2009, 12:10 PM
When using wet salt I noticed that not all of it dissolves well like dry salt, probably CaCO3 precipitation.

wayne in norway
10/19/2009, 01:55 PM
'I can't see what could happen to settled and clear new salt water that could be added to a reef tannk to cause precipitation'.

You're assuming the precipitation happened in the bucket, but of course it could be already there, and just left behind as everytihng else dissolved. But you've already stated to check the alk - I had a bucket of German uber salt a few years that was roaringly in fashion, but a certain % of buckets caused snowstorms when mixing, and had an alk of approx 1, including the I tried.........

Randy Holmes-Farley
10/19/2009, 01:58 PM
I'm not sure I understand. All I'm asking Magga Pie is whether they let it settle to clarity first, and if so, regardless of where any CaCO3 came from, I can't see it later causing a snowstorm in the tank (unless it is a mismanufactured salt mix with excessive alkalinity).

kybreos
10/19/2009, 03:00 PM
if you bought it from a local pet store they should take it back, if you got it online it wont be worth it to ship it back and then they ship you another one. let the store you bought it from take care of it, they should get reimbursed from their supplier. I doubt you will get anything from the manufacturer as they shouldnt even be dealing with the end user. You are literally a drop in the ocean to them. it's on the retailer if you ask me.

Ken_wied
10/20/2009, 11:13 AM
I agree also - If you are dealing with a reputable LFS, they should and most likely WILL take it back. They will just defect it out and return it to the supplier for a refund or exchange.

Magga Pie
10/23/2009, 08:01 AM
I'm not sure I understand. All I'm asking Magga Pie is whether they let it settle to clarity first, and if so, regardless of where any CaCO3 came from, I can't see it later causing a snowstorm in the tank (unless it is a mismanufactured salt mix with excessive alkalinity).

Yes I let it settle first but all the salt did not dissolve like it normally does when I use reef crystals. I wasnt sure what happened to cause it. Sorry for the late response been kinda busy with work.