Putting Freshly Mixed Salt Into Tank

[ThatGuy]

I was rushing like a noob to get my skimmer online and added 5 Gal of freshly mixed SW. I added it to the sump and it clouded the tank up. Today the tank still looks a little cloudy and the polyp extention of everything looks retarted. For example everything is open but not fully. Even the feather dusters feeders look stuck together and curled. Nothing is STN or RTN as of now. Just worried I might have messed up bad.

Any suggestions would be great.

 

[Zippy69]

I always add freshly mixed salt. The only thing I make sure of is; 1) thoroughly mixed, 2) same specific gravity) 3) almost the same temperature. If all are go, then water change away!

 

[ThatGuy]

I always add freshly mixed salt. The only thing I make sure of is; 1) thoroughly mixed, 2) same specific gravity) 3) almost the same temperature. If all are go, then water change away!

I didn't wait for the salt to be completely disolved(still cloudy). I was told once that it can burn the corals. Is this true?

 

[greybolt03]

That is true that non mixed salt can burn your corals but if you added it to the sump I feel it would have mixed before it hit the tank.. I think what probably happened was you stirred up a bunch of nastys from the sump bottom and that is what is clouding the tank and pissing off the corals... And if it wasn't the same salinity and temp that will affect all parameters in the tank...

 

[redfishbluefish]

You want to mix salt overnight (OR for shorter periods with very high agitation) for three reasons:

1.) Completely dissolve the salt and other goodies in there.
2.) Stabilize pH.
3.) Aerate the water with oxygen.


My guess is that your pH was high (typical with some salts when first mixed, prior to aerating with room CO2), and the high pH caused calcium precipitation (cloudiness).

 

[dnov99]

I didn't wait for the salt to be completely disolved(still cloudy). I was told once that it can burn the corals. Is this true?

Did you ever check to see what the salinity of the 5 gallons of water was??? Even if you did it was probably inaccurate since you are saying the salt wasn't dissolved. Not sure why you wouldn't mix it up until it was dissolved. You probably have spiked the salinity in your tank.


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[ThatGuy]

That is true that non mixed salt can burn your corals but if you added it to the sump I feel it would have mixed before it hit the tank.. I think what probably happened was you stirred up a bunch of nastys from the sump bottom and that is what is clouding the tank and pissing off the corals... And if it wasn't the same salinity and temp that will affect all parameters in the tank...

Brand new sump...not skimmer sorry for the confusion, so there was nothing to stir up. Temp was good but sal could be off as it was reading right but the salt was not completely desolved so I'm assuming it was higher.

You want to mix salt overnight (OR for shorter periods with very high agitation) for three reasons:

1.) Completely dissolve the salt and other goodies in there.
2.) Stabilize pH.
3.) Aerate the water with oxygen.


My guess is that your pH was high (typical with some salts when first mixed, prior to aerating with room CO2), and the high pH caused calcium precipitation (cloudiness).

Normally I give it time I just rushed it like a J/A because it was a all weekend project that I wanted to see running before the weekend was over.


Should I cut the lights back until it clears up or is it a "Time Will Tell" thing that it might go either way?

 

[ThatGuy]

Did you ever check to see what the salinity of the 5 gallons of water was??? Even if you did it was probably inaccurate since you are saying the salt wasn't dissolved. Not sure why you wouldn't mix it up until it was dissolved. You probably have spiked the salinity in your tank.


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The salinity in the tank is the same as it was(didn't change) but when adding the new water it came out of the return with the blurry apperance you get from mixing FW and SW. I got alittle nervous and added some RODI water I had made up to counter act what I did, but unfortunatly it was a after thought.

 

[Sunny]

The salinity in the tank is the same as it was(didn't change) but when adding the new water it came out of the return with the blurry apperance you get from mixing FW and SW. I got alittle nervous and added some RODI water I had made up to counter act what I did, but unfortunatly it was a after thought.

You still did not answer Darren's question. Did you check the salinity of the 5G salt or not? If you did not and just added that water to your DT, that was not a very wise thing to do. Until the salt is completely mixed the salinity will not be accurate. The salinity in your DT did not change but it might after the salt dissolves.

Yes, salt can kill corals. You have to be carful when mixing water.

Sunny

 

[ThatGuy]

You still did not answer Darren's question. Did you check the salinity of the 5G salt or not? If you did not and just added that water to your DT, that was not a very wise thing to do. Until the salt is completely mixed the salinity will not be accurate. The salinity in your DT did not change but it might after the salt dissolves.

Yes, salt can kill corals. You have to be carful when mixing water.

Sunny

I did not. But on the other side I have been using the same salt for close to a year and have the measurement I add everytime, so if it was off it was by .001


Also checked everything and I'm showing

Nitrates-10
Ammonia-.50

Everything else is norm
alk-9
cal-400
ph-7.8
phos-0

Could this be a cycle ?

I also added another reactor for carbon today. Hoping this might help.

 

[Zippy69]

Calcium seems a little low at 400. You want 420 at a minimum, I like to see 460 for my tank.

 

[ThatGuy]

Calcium seems a little low at 400. You want 420 at a minimum, I like to see 460 for my tank.

Oh. I thought 400 was the norm. Thats what its been steady at.

 

[Zippy69]

If you have sps you want it higher than that. You may not have good growth or ideal coloration. From what I have read the average seems to be 430 for calcium. Now,I am not experienced enough and maybe some seasoned reefers can chime in here.
I myself have been much more diligent at 2 part dosing. While I have not figured out my daily rate yet, I can say my corals have started to grow well and have color not seen since first purchased.

 

[ThatGuy]

Well my parameters are back to normal(see below) but the water still looks cloudy. Any idea's as to what it is. Could it be from the corals dieing off?


Nitrates-0
Calcium-420
pH-7.8
Ammonia-0
Alk-9
Salinity-1.023
Phos-0

 

[mynd]

Can we see the problem? Please use a camera and post it at 800x600 or somewhere in that area. Would love to help but need a peek...

 

[Sunny]

Run some carbon and a UV will also help clear up water.

 

[ThatGuy]

View attachment 4884 Can we see the problem? Please use a camera and post it at 800x600 or somewhere in that area. Would love to help but need a peek...

Run some carbon and a UV will also help clear up water.

I just put a carbon reactor yesterday so its only been on maybe alittle over a day.