Reef Crystals...

[792404]

Hi all, I am thinking about putting reef crystals into a container with rodi water and let it liquify so I can dose it through my doser pump. Anyone try this? Not sure if it ruins the chemistry of it? Its the same thing as what I do now, except it will have to stay in the container for longer. Any thoughts why it would be a bad idea?

[Peter Eichler]

What are you hoping to accomplish by doing so?

[LobsterOfJustice]

Mixing salt mix to too high a concentration will mess up the chemistry of it.

[Straight_Chaos]

High concentrations of certain elements and minerals causes precipitation. Ever try to mix water into the salt instead of salt to water? Ever add to much salt to quickly and have cloudy water or small bits of calcium...

[792404]

I am looking to try and add the salt mix slowly over time, instead of mixing in bucket and dumping it in. It would be easier for me. I was going to use a 1 gal container and add maybe a 1/4 salt to 3/4 rodi and dissolve it. Then set up my doser to dose maybe every couple hours till I dial it in to a stable .025. I think it would be more stable that way then dumping the salt mix from bucket into sump. Even dumping the bucket into the sump in a few times still is allot. It was just a brainstorm of mine.

[downbeach]

I think you would be better served to use your freshly made SW for top off for a while instead of using plain RO/DI water. Once you've reached your desired SG, go back to plain RO/DI water.

[792404]

Thats hard for me, I use a 150 gal holding tank that my rodi unit is hooked up to with a float switch.

[LobsterOfJustice]

I am looking to try and add the salt mix slowly over time, instead of mixing in bucket and dumping it in. It would be easier for me. I was going to use a 1 gal container and add maybe a 1/4 salt to 3/4 rodi and dissolve it. Then set up my doser to dose maybe every couple hours till I dial it in to a stable .025. I think it would be more stable that way then dumping the salt mix from bucket into sump. Even dumping the bucket into the sump in a few times still is allot. It was just a brainstorm of mine.

This has me confused. Why would you be dumping salt mix directly into the sump? Are you talking about performing regular water changes? Or do you need to raise your salinity?

[SaltWater226]

Im confused are you topping off with saltwater instead of freshwater (rodi)?

[792404]

Right now I have my ato using rodi water from my 150 holding tank. I have a small pump hooked up to a timer to pump water down the drain every day, its my auto water change. I dose alk, cal, mag, phyto, and strontium. The only thing I really add manually is salt mix. I am just trying to automate my salinity level instead of manually mixing what I think is going to bring it back up. So, I am simply looking to dose my salt mix automatically a little at a time to raise my salinity back up.

[Twistofer]

It seems you are trying to do two things at one time from one source, automatically.

1) Daily small saltwater changes.
2) Daily additions of water to compensate for evaporation/waste from skimmer/etc. (aka Top-off.)

It seems you want to do this at the same time using the same water source...in other words from the same saltwater solution.

Did I get it right?

[792404]

lol, Im must be writing it in a confusing way. All I want to do is dose salt. I use reef crystals now. I usually mix in bucket and dump it in the sump. I just want to dose salt. I am wondering if I can make a dosing solution out of the reef crystals to run through my dosing pump. Thats all. I am not looking to change my ato tank or anything else.

[LobsterOfJustice]

Your talking about an automated water change? Mix up the saltwater in a separate container to a normal salinity and use a dosing pump to pump the same amount into the sump that your other pump removes down the drain. You dont want to mix up a "dosing solution," you just mix up saltwater like normal.

[dubble]

I have never heard of anyone wanting to dose salt. After all of your posts I still don't understand why.

[dubble]

Dosing salt will raise your salinity to high.

[792404]

I was trying to avoid another tank to hold saltwater, thats why i thought dosing a concentrated salt solution to keep it stable would be an option. I guess I will just do it the way I have been. Thanks Guys.

[bertoni]

The problem is that calcium carbonate already is supersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate, so if you make a concentrated solution, you'll get a lot of precipitation, so in the end, it's not practical. Even a factor of 2 increase in concentration is unlikely to work.