Reef Crystals Salt Mix Problems

[ChrisKirkland]

I don't know... All I can say is that once I got this last batch about 3 days after performing a 30+ gallon wc on my SPS 120 it started to have the Dino problem... Never have had any issues on this tank... I also noticed on my 100 cube that it was begining to have the same issue...

[BLKTANG]

I got a question?

Is this the RC that was on sale for $39 a bucket?I saw a thread on here a while back.

[ChrisKirkland]

I would have to agree it may be true we have heard that rumor too...

[surge19us]

Reef Crystals have been known to cause this. It develops over time and depends on how you mix your salt. It is most likely calcium carbonate from locally high concetrations of salt during the mixing process. The above article link by RHF cover it including pic. I have used RC over a year and have to clean my brute of this 2- 3 times during that period. It has no known effect on tank health. In your Dino thread you indicate the tank has been set up 8 months. I think the switch to RC was coincidental to your tank going through the aging algae growth/die off period.

[ChrisKirkland]

No I paid 51.99 a barrel

[tank o tang]

I have called them on this issue over a year ago and they had no answers. Its a brown residue that coats the pump heaters and bucket. BTW water is ro/di 0tds always pre heated and circulating before mixed.

[BLKTANG]

Originally posted by BigJay
The brown stuff likely contains a good amount of magnesium in addition to the calcium carbonate. From the article, written by a renowned chemist (Randy):

Most salt mixes leave behind a solid residue when dissolved, although the extent to which this occurs varies from brand to brand. I use Instant Ocean and rarely clean out the 44-gallon trashcan that I mix it in, so a significant residue builds up over time (Figure 1). In preparation for this article I removed some of this solid material, and found that it could be almost completely dissolved in hydrochloric acid with lots of bubbling. This demonstrates that these solids were probably calcium carbonate (CaCO3), perhaps also containing magnesium. Pure magnesium carbonate is undersaturated in seawater (which is detailed in later sections of this article) 1 and should dissolve in marine systems, so it isn't likely to be the precipitated material, although there may be significant magnesium in the calcium carbonate.

all scientific stuff aside.

If you made a batch of NSW for your reef,& it looked like the NSW in the picture here.Would you put it in your reef?

[ChrisKirkland]

Originally posted by surge19us
Reef Crystals have been known to cause this. It develops over time and depends on how you mix your salt. It is most likely calcium carbonate from locally high concetrations of salt during the mixing process. The above article link by RHF cover it including pic. I have used RC over a year and have to clean my brute of this 2- 3 times during that period. It has no known effect on tank health. In your Dino thread you indicate the tank has been set up 8 months. I think the switch to RC was coincidental to your tank going through the aging algae growth/die off period.

Again I have to disagree... Randy does show something but its not the same thing randy was looking for or testing... RC is just plain crappy anymore in the past 6 months

[ChrisKirkland]

Originally posted by BLKTANG
all scientific stuff aside.

If you made a batch of NSW for your reef,& it looked like the NSW in the picture here.Would you put it in your reef?

Boom goes the dyamite... I don't care what or why its there I am not putting that in my SPS reef... I have used RC before and NEVER had this problem. I know other people that have used this for 10+ years and never had anything like this happen.

[vetdog]

I've been using it for the past two years and it does create a brown film on the inside of the brute and the mixing pump but I have never had any issues because of it. I simply, as stated above, wipe out the brute every couple of months and that is that....no biggie. I think RC is a great product.

[BLKTANG]

Originally posted by ChrisKirkland
No I paid 51.99 a barrel

wow

Its $34.99 for a 5g bucket at my LFS.

[ChrisKirkland]

Originally posted by vetdog
I've been using it for the past two years and it does create a brown film on the inside of the brute and the mixing pump but I have never had any issues because of it. I simply, as stated above, wipe out the brute every couple of months and that is that....no biggie. I think RC is a great product.

Of course I will respect all opinions... But as far as that goes this product is not going in a clients tank (or mine) until we know what is going on... Thats my take on it... JMHO

[ChrisKirkland]

Originally posted by BLKTANG
wow

Its $34.99 for a 5g bucket at my LFS.

Geez my LFS sell it for 75-90 bucks a barrel

[downhillbiker]

RC is not going out of business. I dont remember the details but there was a big thread on here a few months ago about it. The parent company of RC, has filed bankruptsy and is dropping some of their product lines, but they are not going to stop making RC, IO and RC are their biggest money makers.

[ChrisKirkland]

Originally posted by downhillbiker
RC is not going out of business. I dont remember the details but there was a big thread on here a few months ago about it. The parent company of RC, has filed bankruptsy and is dropping some of their product lines, but they are not going to stop making RC, IO and RC are their biggest money makers.

Thats interesting, when means they are going to try and find a way to make a cheaper salt on their end so they can maximize profits...

[LobsterOfJustice]

You should be adding salt to water, not water to salt. Adding in the wrong order will cause precipitation of some minerals, mainly some form of Ca, Alk, and Mg, and will lead to lower numbers and a precipitate on the bottom.

This is not responsible for the brown film you are describing, but could be the reason for white particles at the bottom, or any low readings.

[ChuckLawson]

The last bucket of RC I've used has been giving me this same brown film; it's also mixing up with significantly higher calc/alk/mag than previous buckets have:

Ca - 500
dKh - 13.6
Mg - 1430

@ 1.026, using TDS 0 RO/DI water.

So far I haven't identified any ill effects from using it, but I'd rather not have my saltwater barrel look like the creature from the black lagoon lives in it...

[ChrisKirkland]

Originally posted by ChuckLawson
The last bucket of RC I've used has been giving me this same brown film; it's also mixing up with significantly higher calc/alk/mag than previous buckets have:

Ca - 500
dKh - 13.6
Mg - 1430

@ 1.026, using TDS 0 RO/DI water.

So far I haven't identified any ill effects from using it, but I'd rather not have my saltwater barrel look like the creature from the black lagoon lives in it...

I agree, but I always say better safe than sorry... If i pay 5-10 dollars more for a better salt mix than its worth it vs a 6000 dollar reef

[108reefer]

I have some RC that I got a great deal on $30 per box (2 bags of 50gal) and no residue? I was getting the brown residue with Red Sea coral pro for ro though??? I did just recently buy a new 150gpd ro with di and absolute 0 tds in the bucket...

[Klaus777]

I switched to RC in January after the LFS had them on sale. I bought 6 buckets and began using them almost right away. I have had this brown stuff growing in the mixing barrel ever since. I just clean the bucket,heater and pump every 2 months or so and everything is fine. I just assumed the brown stuff came from phosphates in the salt. I would like to know if it is something more.

[downhillbiker]

Originally posted by ChrisKirkland
Thats interesting, when means they are going to try and find a way to make a cheaper salt on their end so they can maximize profits...

wow dude. do you hate this company or something? dont try and read into it too much. and if they are doing just that, good for them. that is how you stay in business during tough time. cheaper doesn't mean worse quality it just means more efficient methods.

[BigJay]

Originally posted by downhillbiker
wow dude. do you hate this company or something? dont try and read into it too much. and if they are doing just that, good for them. that is how you stay in business during tough time. cheaper doesn't mean worse quality it just means more efficient methods.

The formula has changed in the last year or so. IO started adding more calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity to their RC salt mix. Most people would agree that's probably a good thing.

However, higher Calcium + Mag + Alk = more precipirate. It's brown. It's the same color that forms on your pumps, skimmer, and heaters. Get over it already. Randy is a real-life scientist. His article is based on scientific fact and knowledge. "Brown = ugly and bad" is a stupid argument to make because it lacks both science and common sense.

If you want to use a designer salt, then go ahead and buy one, but don't sit here and tell everyone that they are going to kill their tanks with this salt. Good reefers will test every new bucket of salt, and make adjustments as necessary for water changes.

[ChrisKirkland]

Originally posted by BigJay
The formula has changed in the last year or so. IO started adding more calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity to their RC salt mix. Most people would agree that's probably a good thing.

However, higher Calcium + Mag + Alk = more precipirate. It's brown. It's the same color that forms on your pumps, skimmer, and heaters. Get over it already. Randy is a real-life scientist. His article is based on scientific fact and knowledge. "Brown = ugly and bad" is a stupid argument to make because it lacks both science and common sense.

If you want to use a designer salt, then go ahead and buy one, but don't sit here and tell everyone that they are going to kill their tanks with this salt. Good reefers will test every new bucket of salt, and make adjustments as necessary for water changes.

I really don't hate the company, I just hate the way they do business... And no I will not get over it... RC has never left a brown scum before in any of my old batches, so thats why I'm not so happy. As one poster said I would want to put a salt mix in my prized SPS reef if it looks like it came from a swamp. Let randy chime in if he's so good at this. No offense to him or anyone else. I'm use to high quality products from United Pet Group (the new owners of RC, IO basically marineland products). Furthermore I also paid for their product and I expect a high quality product. No other decent salt mix on the market produces this film or the MASSIVE amount of brownish/tan precipitate. A little bit is ok but that much after only 42 gallons worth, thats crazy. So I will stop using RC and probably begin using Red Sea Coral Pro, as I have tested this salt and it is fantastic (about 5 bucks more). Or I might look at other brands. I like quality, and don't really care about the price (as long as it's reasonable). I just always though RC was one of the best, but I guess I was wrong.

[ChrisKirkland]

By the way the avatar pic is really old, like 4 years ago, haven't had a trace of cyno in two years

[jasoncampbell83]

I will no longer buy Reef Crystals... I bought a 5 gallon bucket from them last August, it must have been a bad batch because all my fish and coral died, in only the two tanks I used it in for a water change. They had me send a salt sample, after 4 months of calling and calling they just said "your salt was fine, we cant give you the parameters because if its fine we dont keep them, but its fine" Well that wasnt good enough for me. I turned them into the Better Business Bureau and then I get the water parameters in the mail about 3 months after they told me they didnt have any way of giving the results to me because they didnt keep them. They ended up sending me a tank kit that was double worth the salt that I bought (it sells online for 120.00), still it didnt replace the 600.00 worth of fish and corals I lost... So I wouldnt be surprised what comes up with their salt. I definately wouldnt recomend it at all. I now use Coral Pro Salt and have had no problems!