Lots of white small particulars while mixing salt

[kschew1498]

Hi...

Was wondering does anybody have this experience.....I was mixing salt with water to do my water change last night and I notice there is a lot of white particle in the water!

Initially I thought it was undissolved salt but after letting it settle for more than 1 hr...the white particle was still there and I thought there is nothing to worried.

However on my 1st scoop of the salt water into the tank.....the white particle was all around and its like my tank infested with brine shrimp....all over the tank!

What are these??? Is it because the salt turn bad? Or some chemical reaction? I never have this encounter before and I have use the salt for a few water change already! The water was also in my pair for more than 1 week!

Bro. Triggerpuff....do you face this problem as I bought this salt with you in Balestia!

I had to resort to use a cloth to sleeve off all this white particle before topping my tank!

Can anybody advise?

Gonna try to mix the salt again tonight!

[aStRoBo|]

hMm.. some of the salt package comes with a small bag of, i dunnoe wad, nv really read it, maybe it's to keep the salt dry one. Maybe it's the thing from tat small bag inside tat has torn or burst?

[lona]

I've encountered that as well...what salt mix are you using? I'm using the tropic marin one. It's definitely not undissolved salt.

If you ask me, it looks like calcium to me...but this is merely an uneducated guess, no testing whatsoever done.

These are the instances where I get the white particles:

- pouring in fresh water into a pail of standing (about 12 hours) salt water in an attempt to lower the salinity

- leaving the salt water to stand very long (like a week)

- not making sure the salt has completely dissolved into the water

I can't really be bothered to find out what it is lar, all I do is to avoid getting into the situations above. I don't even know why it's like that...

[ryz]

yea experienced it as well.. using MArine Environment dual phase formula sea salt.

[Michael Young]

This tiny substance sounds to me like calcium carbonate precipitation when you mixed the salt with water.

This can happen when the freshwater you use for mixing is pretty hard (alkalinity); and when the salt was put into the water, the excess calcium in it precipitated together with the excess alkalinity in water. The cloudiness is totally harmless but they don't look pleasing the eyes.

If you are using unfiltered tap water (ie. non RO or DI), I would suggest you guys buy a 2-litre bottle of distilled water to test the salt. If the water is still turns cloudy with these tiny particles, somthing's wrong with the salt.

[kschew1498]

Thanks Micheal....I will try to see if there is something wrong with the salt.

Anyway I am using Kent Marine Salt. I didnt experience this previously with this salt....hmmm.....

By the way my salt has become harden!! Is there anyway to prevent that! I merely tied it with 2 rubber band and further keep it in a plastic bag......Any advise?

[ben]

this is calcium carbonate, nothing harm. its due to excess calcium had gone thru chemical reaction and hence become calcium carbonate. I think u have added hardener before adding calcium as singapore water supply is very soft, too soft in fact. I use coral life before anything added and so far ok but after one time I made the water so hard, then I added the calcium, it became cloudy with small white particles. After research and found out this is calcium carbonate.

to make salt dry, buy some silicate gel to absorb those water vapor. U can use a container with thirsty hippo too but just dont them accidently mixed.

[ryz]

nothing wrong with it hardening. mine is also the same. can just break off.. will powderize.

[ben]

if urs powderized, it means salt and elements not disolved yet

[Michael Young]

Thanks Micheal....I will try to see if there is something wrong with the salt.

Anyway I am using Kent Marine Salt. I didnt experience this previously with this salt....hmmm.....

By the way my salt has become harden!! Is there anyway to prevent that! I merely tied it with 2 rubber band and further keep it in a plastic bag......Any advise?

Its hard to say if there's anything wrong with your bag of Kent Marine salt. Why don't you test it with distilled water first?

To stop your salt from hardening, you need to stop moisture from getting into the bag. Which is not very easy in this humid climate of ours. We also introduce moisture into the salt when we scoop them with wet hands; a common occurance among reefers when mixing saltwater.

Don't sweat on this. The salt will ultimately end up 'wet' don't they?

[ben]

I dont think kent marine has anything wrong. U are not using china, taiwanese or thai made salt.

coral life salt are very fine too and will get wet once opened for few minutes. why? our environment is too humid. but dont worry, it will still disolved. Why u worry about this salt hardened? U are not going to keep it for years.

[triggerpuff]

Hi...

Was wondering does anybody have this experience.....I was mixing salt with water to do my water change last night and I notice there is a lot of white particle in the water!

Initially I thought it was undissolved salt but after letting it settle for more than 1 hr...the white particle was still there and I thought there is nothing to worried.

However on my 1st scoop of the salt water into the tank.....the white particle was all around and its like my tank infested with brine shrimp....all over the tank!

What are these??? Is it because the salt turn bad? Or some chemical reaction? I never have this encounter before and I have use the salt for a few water change already! The water was also in my pair for more than 1 week!

Bro. Triggerpuff....do you face this problem as I bought this salt with you in Balestia!

I had to resort to use a cloth to sleeve off all this white particle before topping my tank!

Can anybody advise?

Gonna try to mix the salt again tonight!

hi kschew,

I didn't have a problem with the Kent Marine salt that we bought. No white particles fromed whatsoever. I normally put a PH in the pail overnight to get the salt fully dissolved and use it for water change the next day.

Recently reverted to Coral Life again - more value for $$$$ I suppose...

[kschew1498]

I did a water change just now.....same same.....there were still some white particles in the water! but not as much as the other day. I believe it may be due to the tap water from the water tank on the buidling!

Hi Ben....when you say i have to add hardener before adding calcium.....I dont really understand.... (was reading your advise again and was scratching my head! hehehe )

Anyway if it is harmless.....dont care la! but just a bit "buay song"! hahaha and troublesome also as I have to fliter it off with a cloth before additing into my tank during a water change! (troublesome!)

[Michael Young]

Did you try mixing it with distilled water like I suggested?

[ben]

I did a water change just now.....same same.....there were still some white particles in the water! but not as much as the other day. I believe it may be due to the tap water from the water tank on the buidling!

Hi Ben....when you say i have to add hardener before adding calcium.....I dont really understand.... (was reading your advise again and was scratching my head! hehehe )

Anyway if it is harmless.....dont care la! but just a bit "buay song"! hahaha and troublesome also as I have to fliter it off with a cloth before additing into my tank during a water change! (troublesome!)

I dont think the tap water has problem. yes they contain small particles but not easily seen type.

hardener means water hardening solutions. or means dkH. higher dkH means water bicarbonate level is higher. Understand now?

[kschew1498]

Did you try mixing it with distilled water like I suggested?

hehe havent try yet.....

[kschew1498]

I dont think the tap water has problem. yes they contain small particles but not easily seen type.

hardener means water hardening solutions. or means dkH. higher dkH means water bicarbonate level is higher. Understand now?

Ooorrrr! But I didnt add any harderner! I just mix the sea salt with tap water which was left untounch for more than a week.

Apparantly I find out last night while testing the parameters, my dkh was 6-7 only!!!

After I did my water change I added a cup of Kent ph buffer to buff up the dkh.....will measure again tonight! sigh!