Why age newly mixed saltwater?

[Caurimare]

Check out this video from Red Sea
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UlIHJ02NaKk

[Boston21]

I'v always heard to let it sit atleast a full day. When I first started I would just shake 2.5g containers to mix a few times a week.... didnt work. Now use a powerhead and let it run 1 hr or so a day for about a week in a 5g bucket. So my water sits usually 5-7 days before its used.

[GroktheCube]

I use b ionic for my tank, and sometimes IO for QT. I fill my mixing tank with RO, turn on my heater snd mixing pump, and wait for it to reach desired temp. After it has, I add the salt, and do the WC about 15 minutes after the second b ionic liquid part is added. In the case of IO, I often mix it right in the QT tank. I usually do so about 24 hours before I expect to use the tank, to make sure it is clear by then.

[Ted_C]

question on the ESV - is it detrimental to allow it to sit for 24 hours (with good aeration) before applying to your tank?

[Ptyochromis]

Originally Posted by StaySalty

Wow 3 days of cloudiness? That's like you put in a new sand bed or something. How much water were you changing?

I can't say yet weather or not it's better than the reef crystals I was using. I was pretty happy with it until I started seeing salinity variation with the last couple of boxes of salt I had.

I did a ~25%. I found a dead sea hare in my tank so I decided to play it safe and do a change. My royal urchin dropped all his spines + RTN on all my SPS. The only sps that made it was an encrusting monty, a digitata, and about 5 polyps on a capricornis, the urchin also pulled through.


I still like it better than RC. RC when it's dry burns my skin like no other. RSCP has Ca and KH levels closer to where I keep my tank.
But I agree, it's not the most consistent salt; there is a lot of settling of the mix. If only there was a good way to stir the mix. I did a KH test on the bucket that killed my tank and it came in at 16 dkh

[madweazl]

Originally Posted by Ptyochromis

I lost ~80% of my corals by putting RSCP in after only 6 hours. It took 3 days for the tank to become clear. The pH spiked So err on the side of caution, longer is better especially if your RO isn't the recommended 68f.
I now mix up new salt right after a water change so i'm ready for next weeks change.

Overall I like the salt, at least RSCP doesn't burn my hands like RC does lol.

You didnt lose your corals because you used it after only 6 hours. I've been using this salt for 10+ years, never mix it over 30 mins, and never worry about the temp range of the water (typically 70-75°). I've never lost a single item that could be attributed to this. I guarantee you had another issue that resulted in the loss but if it makes you feel better, blame the salt.

I've never let any salt stand for more than an hour in 25 years in the hobby and have never had adverse effects from a water change. Your results may vary...

For the record, Red Sea recommends not mixing the salt for more than 4 hours but states nothing regarding storage other than checking the salinity and making sure the pH has stabilized (whatever that means).