filter sock mystery

duberz · 01/15/2014, 07:32 AM

My 200 micron socks are clogging in less than a day now but still look clean.I always have got 4-5 days out of them and they were filthy when clogged.Only thing different is I switched to red sea coral pro salt from io reef crystals.Im battling precipitate in tank now from the coral pro.That's another story.What could be clogging my socks but leave them clean? Could it be the salt precipitate? Tank is bare bottom with new aquamax dry rock.

mitsu_matt · 01/15/2014, 07:39 AM

Are you pre-mixing that salt at low temp levels like the instructions suggest?

duberz · 01/15/2014, 07:58 AM

Yep

Spyderturbo007 · 01/15/2014, 07:59 AM

Are they slimy? Mine we getting clogged within a day when I was fighting a bacterial bloom.

thegrun · 01/15/2014, 08:39 AM

If you are seeing calcium precipitation it will certainly clog a 200 micron sock. Soak them in vinegar to remove the deposits, just running them through the washesr may not open up the holes. What are your tank's alkalinity, calcium and magnesium levels at now? Are you dosing two part?

duberz · 01/15/2014, 09:50 AM

I will check and post later.Im not dosing anything.

duberz · 01/15/2014, 07:44 PM

thegrun....cal 400,alk 8.5,mag 1400,ph 8.4,salinity 1.025 and temp 79.I put a new filter sock on 1hr ago and it just started overflowing.

thegrun · 01/15/2014, 08:02 PM

Wow, I'm lost on what is going on. I expected to see high calcium or low magnesium levels. I suppose it could still be calcium precipitate, but your numbers don't look bad. One other thought, are you dosing two part? If you have been needing to dose a little more each week and your calcium and alkalinity are still dropping slightly you could be overdosing the two part. I don't know the chemistry behind the problem but if that is the case you could try reducing the dosing amount by just over half. If that was the problem your calcium and alkalinity will not drop and the precipitation will stop.

duberz · 01/15/2014, 08:17 PM

I'm not dosing anything.Tank was filled two weeks ago with coral pro.I have done one water change since.Im guessing my calcium is low due to the precipitate?The coral pro should mix higher than 400.If I look close I can see tiny white "snow" throughout the tank.I have been reefing many years and never had so much trouble with a salt.Im not claiming to be an expert but this salt has problems.

thegrun · 01/15/2014, 08:21 PM

I wonder if you got a bad batch. I've been using RS coral pro for at least the past three years without a problem, but from time to time all the makers end up with a bad batch. I wish I had a solution for you, maybe someone else out there will.

duberz · 01/15/2014, 08:38 PM

Thanks for your help.How are you mixing your coral pro?Im filling a 5 gallon bucket with ro/di water right from the unit.I then add 1/2 cup per gallon slowly.I have a power head in the bottom mixing.It never clears for me.I tried unplugging the power head after an hour or two like the directions say but that does not help.I have always used reef crystals doing this and never had a problem.

thegrun · 01/16/2014, 09:08 AM

I make up 20 gallons at a time. I fill my brute trash can overnight with RO/DI water, so the water is cool/cold in the morning when I add the salt. Put a 600 GPH pump with about a 2' long 1" flex on the discharge side on the bottom of the container and turn it on so I have a whirlpool action going. I put in three cups at a time slowly pouring it onto the water surface. It takes me about a minute to dump 3 cups of salt into the container. I continue adding the salt until I'm close to the desired salinity. I then use the 1" flex hose on the end of the pump to stir up the undissolved salt on the bottom of the container. Let it mix for another minute and take a reading with my refractometer. Add a little more salt to bring me up to the desired salinity. At this point the mix is clear. I use the flex hose again to stir up any undissolved salt and wait 5 minutes to take another reading. If it's at the correct salinity I let the pump run another 5 minutes and then pump the saltwater into 5 gallon containers for storage. For me, the mix is always clear within 5 minutes.

cakemanPA · 01/16/2014, 09:54 AM

Are you running biopellets? Mine spiked and clogged my 200 filter socks fast.

Usernam Invalid · 01/16/2014, 10:36 AM

Looks like large amount of precipitates r clogging ur socks.

Rscp salt is a pain to mix if not done in low temp around 70-74 with 50-60 turn over with mixing pump and slowly sprinkle salt mix in like 1/4 cup at a time it precipitates like crazy. Dry mixing the salt b4 u add to water seems to help.

Even following Red Sea directions I still get a fair amount of percip. After mixing for 30 mins I let it all settle out over night b4 I pump into storage containers

IMO I wont buy coral pro salt again just so much of a hassle to mix wit what appears to b no benefits

duberz · 01/16/2014, 02:26 PM

No bio pellets.Socks are starting to last a little longer now.I guess it's slowly filtering the precip out.Bad thing is its time for a water change so if this batch doesnt work out for me im NOT putting it into the tank.I'll go back to reef crystals.

duberz · 01/16/2014, 02:28 PM

Thegrun do you think a korali power head is enough turnover in a 5 gallon bucket for this salt?I was even thinking about hand stirring it with a piece of 1/2 pvc.

thegrun · 01/16/2014, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duberz

Thegrun do you think a korali power head is enough turnover in a 5 gallon bucket for this salt?I was even thinking about hand stirring it with a piece of 1/2 pvc.

Yes, you would just need to add the salt a little slower. Try to avoid having a lot of undissolved salt concentrated in a small area. Because RS Pro is so high in calcium and alkalinity, when it is first mixed it has a tendency to precipitate if there is too much salt concentrated into a small volume of space.

duberz · 01/16/2014, 02:48 PM

Thanks I will post the results.

Clamagore · 01/16/2014, 02:58 PM

I've read here on Reef Central that some batches of Coral Pro do have this problem. Personally, I had no luck getting a clear 5 gallon batch of water out of Coral Pro! I made sure to blend the mix thoroughly before adding it to the water, and then poured it very slowly but it was cloudy every time. It also didn't matter whether I mixed by hand or used a small Sicce Micra pump.

The standard Red Sea mix--no problem.

duberz · 01/16/2014, 03:00 PM

Yea I have tried 3 5gal batches exactly as instructed and it is always cloudy.

01/15/2014, 07:32 AM	#1
duberz Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: central Florida Posts: 296	filter sock mystery My 200 micron socks are clogging in less than a day now but still look clean.I always have got 4-5 days out of them and they were filthy when clogged.Only thing different is I switched to red sea coral pro salt from io reef crystals.Im battling precipitate in tank now from the coral pro.That's another story.What could be clogging my socks but leave them clean? Could it be the salt precipitate? Tank is bare bottom with new aquamax dry rock.

01/15/2014, 07:39 AM	#2
mitsu_matt Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: South Lyon, MI Posts: 62	Are you pre-mixing that salt at low temp levels like the instructions suggest? __________________ MaTT Current Tank Info: 225g, 300lbs LR, 80g sump/fuge, Skimz Monster PS250, MP40 x 2, 24"Reefbreeders Full Spectrum X 3, PanWorld PS250 main pump, PVC hot water tank heating system, Vertex100gpd ro/di, ReefKeeper Elite net, Bubble Magnus dosing pump (Ca,Alk, Mg)

01/15/2014, 07:58 AM	#3
duberz Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: central Florida Posts: 296	Yep

01/15/2014, 07:59 AM	#4
Spyderturbo007 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: PA Posts: 2,564	Are they slimy? Mine we getting clogged within a day when I was fighting a bacterial bloom.

01/15/2014, 08:39 AM	#5
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	If you are seeing calcium precipitation it will certainly clog a 200 micron sock. Soak them in vinegar to remove the deposits, just running them through the washesr may not open up the holes. What are your tank's alkalinity, calcium and magnesium levels at now? Are you dosing two part?

01/15/2014, 09:50 AM	#6
duberz Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: central Florida Posts: 296	I will check and post later.Im not dosing anything.

01/15/2014, 07:44 PM	#7
duberz Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: central Florida Posts: 296	thegrun....cal 400,alk 8.5,mag 1400,ph 8.4,salinity 1.025 and temp 79.I put a new filter sock on 1hr ago and it just started overflowing.

01/15/2014, 08:02 PM	#8
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	Wow, I'm lost on what is going on. I expected to see high calcium or low magnesium levels. I suppose it could still be calcium precipitate, but your numbers don't look bad. One other thought, are you dosing two part? If you have been needing to dose a little more each week and your calcium and alkalinity are still dropping slightly you could be overdosing the two part. I don't know the chemistry behind the problem but if that is the case you could try reducing the dosing amount by just over half. If that was the problem your calcium and alkalinity will not drop and the precipitation will stop.

01/15/2014, 08:17 PM	#9
duberz Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: central Florida Posts: 296	I'm not dosing anything.Tank was filled two weeks ago with coral pro.I have done one water change since.Im guessing my calcium is low due to the precipitate?The coral pro should mix higher than 400.If I look close I can see tiny white "snow" throughout the tank.I have been reefing many years and never had so much trouble with a salt.Im not claiming to be an expert but this salt has problems.

01/15/2014, 08:21 PM	#10
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I wonder if you got a bad batch. I've been using RS coral pro for at least the past three years without a problem, but from time to time all the makers end up with a bad batch. I wish I had a solution for you, maybe someone else out there will.

01/15/2014, 08:38 PM	#11
duberz Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: central Florida Posts: 296	Thanks for your help.How are you mixing your coral pro?Im filling a 5 gallon bucket with ro/di water right from the unit.I then add 1/2 cup per gallon slowly.I have a power head in the bottom mixing.It never clears for me.I tried unplugging the power head after an hour or two like the directions say but that does not help.I have always used reef crystals doing this and never had a problem.

01/16/2014, 09:08 AM	#12
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I make up 20 gallons at a time. I fill my brute trash can overnight with RO/DI water, so the water is cool/cold in the morning when I add the salt. Put a 600 GPH pump with about a 2' long 1" flex on the discharge side on the bottom of the container and turn it on so I have a whirlpool action going. I put in three cups at a time slowly pouring it onto the water surface. It takes me about a minute to dump 3 cups of salt into the container. I continue adding the salt until I'm close to the desired salinity. I then use the 1" flex hose on the end of the pump to stir up the undissolved salt on the bottom of the container. Let it mix for another minute and take a reading with my refractometer. Add a little more salt to bring me up to the desired salinity. At this point the mix is clear. I use the flex hose again to stir up any undissolved salt and wait 5 minutes to take another reading. If it's at the correct salinity I let the pump run another 5 minutes and then pump the saltwater into 5 gallon containers for storage. For me, the mix is always clear within 5 minutes.

01/16/2014, 09:54 AM	#13
cakemanPA Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hummelstown, PA Posts: 2,353	Are you running biopellets? Mine spiked and clogged my 200 filter socks fast.

01/16/2014, 10:36 AM	#14
Usernam Invalid Moved On Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 1,130	Looks like large amount of precipitates r clogging ur socks. Rscp salt is a pain to mix if not done in low temp around 70-74 with 50-60 turn over with mixing pump and slowly sprinkle salt mix in like 1/4 cup at a time it precipitates like crazy. Dry mixing the salt b4 u add to water seems to help. Even following Red Sea directions I still get a fair amount of percip. After mixing for 30 mins I let it all settle out over night b4 I pump into storage containers IMO I wont buy coral pro salt again just so much of a hassle to mix wit what appears to b no benefits

01/16/2014, 02:26 PM	#15
duberz Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: central Florida Posts: 296	No bio pellets.Socks are starting to last a little longer now.I guess it's slowly filtering the precip out.Bad thing is its time for a water change so if this batch doesnt work out for me im NOT putting it into the tank.I'll go back to reef crystals.

01/16/2014, 02:28 PM	#16
duberz Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: central Florida Posts: 296	Thegrun do you think a korali power head is enough turnover in a 5 gallon bucket for this salt?I was even thinking about hand stirring it with a piece of 1/2 pvc.

01/16/2014, 02:48 PM	#18
duberz Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: central Florida Posts: 296	Thanks I will post the results.

01/16/2014, 02:58 PM	#19
Clamagore Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Jersey City, NJ Posts: 119	I've read here on Reef Central that some batches of Coral Pro do have this problem. Personally, I had no luck getting a clear 5 gallon batch of water out of Coral Pro! I made sure to blend the mix thoroughly before adding it to the water, and then poured it very slowly but it was cloudy every time. It also didn't matter whether I mixed by hand or used a small Sicce Micra pump. The standard Red Sea mix--no problem.

01/16/2014, 03:00 PM	#20
duberz Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: central Florida Posts: 296	Yea I have tried 3 5gal batches exactly as instructed and it is always cloudy.