Preventing salt from clumping?

cmc5dc · 12/06/2007, 03:03 PM

Like to know how everyone is preventing their salt from clumping. I've kept the salt in orig. 5 gallon bucket it comes with but its inevitable it'll clump together, any tricks or ideas?

otiso777 · 12/06/2007, 03:35 PM

Use it before it clumps up

Justin James · 12/06/2007, 04:35 PM

Thats strange... What brand is it? I use instant ocean and it comes with a really good rubber seal in the lid for the bucket. I just give it a good twist and I never get any moisture entering the bucket. Humid/moist air from your house gets in the bucket and causes it to clump to gether. You can't keep salt in anything that isn't air tight you know, just a normal bucket doesn't cut it. I've kept salt in my instant ocean buckets for well over 6 months at a time on more than one occasion and have yet to get clumped salt. Don't leave the sealed lid off the bucket for long while using it either. If your having a problem then you "DO NOT" have an air tight seal.

m2434 · 12/06/2007, 04:57 PM

When I used IO the bucket would turn into a big rock. I just invested in a good chisel.

cmc5dc · 12/06/2007, 05:35 PM

I use IO and it shipped out with the air tight lid, I even hammer it close but when I perform my monthly water change I noticed it all clumped....oh and I keep it outside.

Justin James · 12/06/2007, 07:14 PM

Well you guys obviously are having moisture problems inside your buckets. I have never had to close my buckets with a hammer to get a good seal. I just give it a quick firm twist with my hands. Do you really leave your bucket of salt outside??? That is probably your problem. The bucket would be gathering condonsation on the inside everytime you take it in and open it and then return it to the outside.

Either way there is no way salt can go hard unless moisture is entering the bucket. Don't get a single drop of water in the bucket either.

For a person to get hard salt there is a problem with moisture "Period".

Try removing the salt and putting it in very large ziplock bags. perhaps you could even measure it all out so that 1 bag will make 2 buckets of water or something simple like that.

m2434 · 12/06/2007, 07:18 PM

I left mine in my fish room, which gets very humid. I have no doubt thats the problem, but it was easy to chisel and heavy to lug around...

Rewd · 12/06/2007, 08:05 PM

If it clumps just bust it up again.

mg426 · 12/06/2007, 08:39 PM

I keep mine IO in my fish room and it never clumps. I keep the top sealed hand tight.

useskaforevil · 12/06/2007, 08:51 PM

i thought there was a problem with letting it clump up?

yellowwatchmen · 12/06/2007, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by useskaforevil
i thought there was a problem with letting it clump up?

Not that I know of. I think the only problem is that you have to break it up.

LobsterOfJustice · 12/06/2007, 09:51 PM

Get some (dry) rice, load up a filterbag or pantyhose with it, and keep it in the bucket with the salt. It will absorb the moisture so the salt doesnt clump. Make sure you are securely closing the bucket as well.

adtravels · 12/06/2007, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by LobsterOfJustice
Get some (dry) rice, load up a fuilterbag or pantyhose with it, and keep it in the bucket with the salt. It will absorb the moisture so the salt doesnt clump. Make sure you are securely closing the bucket as well.

+1
I have had success with this and live in a very humid country. I also bag the salt and suck the air out of it then seal it with a rubber band.

yellowwatchmen · 12/06/2007, 10:08 PM

also try bread just change it every couple weeks, so i would change it whenever you do a water change.

12/06/2007, 03:03 PM	#1
cmc5dc Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Central California Posts: 351	Preventing salt from clumping? Like to know how everyone is preventing their salt from clumping. I've kept the salt in orig. 5 gallon bucket it comes with but its inevitable it'll clump together, any tricks or ideas?

12/06/2007, 03:35 PM	#2
otiso777 Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Pendleton, NY Posts: 349	Use it before it clumps up __________________ Kirk Current Tank Info: 20 gal long mixed reef, 29 gal freshwater planted

12/06/2007, 04:57 PM	#4
m2434 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,171	When I used IO the bucket would turn into a big rock. I just invested in a good chisel. __________________ Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there. ~Richard Feynman

12/06/2007, 07:18 PM	#7
m2434 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,171	I left mine in my fish room, which gets very humid. I have no doubt thats the problem, but it was easy to chisel and heavy to lug around... __________________ Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there. ~Richard Feynman

12/06/2007, 08:39 PM	#9
mg426 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 6,923	I keep mine IO in my fish room and it never clumps. I keep the top sealed hand tight. __________________ I found a way to make a small fortune running a reef tank. Start with a large fortune. Unofficial President of the SEACLONE haters club Current Tank Info: 125 mixed reef 110 lbs LR, 1x250watt XM 20K MH 2x175watt XM 20K MH on Magetics 2X96 watt actinic PC, 220 watt VHO actinic, 30 gallon refugium, closed loop system powered by Sequence Dart MSX 200 skimmer 38 gallon sump, Oceansmotions squirt

12/06/2007, 04:35 PM	#3
Justin James Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NS, Canada Posts: 510	Thats strange... What brand is it? I use instant ocean and it comes with a really good rubber seal in the lid for the bucket. I just give it a good twist and I never get any moisture entering the bucket. Humid/moist air from your house gets in the bucket and causes it to clump to gether. You can't keep salt in anything that isn't air tight you know, just a normal bucket doesn't cut it. I've kept salt in my instant ocean buckets for well over 6 months at a time on more than one occasion and have yet to get clumped salt. Don't leave the sealed lid off the bucket for long while using it either. If your having a problem then you "DO NOT" have an air tight seal.

12/06/2007, 05:35 PM	#5
cmc5dc Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Central California Posts: 351	I use IO and it shipped out with the air tight lid, I even hammer it close but when I perform my monthly water change I noticed it all clumped....oh and I keep it outside.

12/06/2007, 07:14 PM	#6
Justin James Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NS, Canada Posts: 510	Well you guys obviously are having moisture problems inside your buckets. I have never had to close my buckets with a hammer to get a good seal. I just give it a quick firm twist with my hands. Do you really leave your bucket of salt outside??? That is probably your problem. The bucket would be gathering condonsation on the inside everytime you take it in and open it and then return it to the outside. Either way there is no way salt can go hard unless moisture is entering the bucket. Don't get a single drop of water in the bucket either. For a person to get hard salt there is a problem with moisture "Period". Try removing the salt and putting it in very large ziplock bags. perhaps you could even measure it all out so that 1 bag will make 2 buckets of water or something simple like that.

12/06/2007, 08:05 PM	#8
Rewd Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: PA Posts: 324	If it clumps just bust it up again.

12/06/2007, 08:51 PM	#10
useskaforevil Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: kent, ohio Posts: 1,012	i thought there was a problem with letting it clump up? __________________ "and the delicate mechanism stripped its gears" Current Tank Info: 80gallon bowfront

12/06/2007, 09:51 PM	#12
LobsterOfJustice Recovering Detritophobe Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Cary, NC Posts: 7,443	Get some (dry) rice, load up a filterbag or pantyhose with it, and keep it in the bucket with the salt. It will absorb the moisture so the salt doesnt clump. Make sure you are securely closing the bucket as well. __________________ If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I remember when zoanthids were called things like "green" and "orange" and not "reverse gorilla nipple." Current Tank Info: 180g reef with all the bells and whistles Last edited by LobsterOfJustice; 12/06/2007 at 10:02 PM.

12/06/2007, 10:08 PM	#14
yellowwatchmen Moved On Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bellevue,NE Posts: 1,058	also try bread just change it every couple weeks, so i would change it whenever you do a water change.