how to ruin a bucket of salt

[Nano]

I had a bag get pretty solid on me, and my water was fine, maybe you got a bad batch to begin with?

[reefgirl189]

Yeah.. I've also forgot the lid on a bucket and used the hard salt anyway with no ill effects. Seems odd...

[ScubaSteve]

Rock solid, yes. I've had that happen a few times. Phosphates, no. Phosphates don't travel in humidity, so the moisture that made your salt hard didn't bring phosphates in. The phosphates would have had to have been there in the first place. The only other possibility is the moisture allowed bacteria to grow, which then died and broke down to produce Phosphates. But this is unlikely as the bacteria likely wouldn't grow in those conditions and they'd need a phosphate source to grow and survive anyways... So again the phosphate would have to be there in the first place.

I'm gonna say bad batch.

[lockrookie]

What I do t understand is my mixing container is cleaned and pump cleaned after every water change I use ro di water so the only explanation is the salt. I will test my theory with a new batch and new bucket of salt and tak pics of the bad batch. Later today

[paddyob]

Salt is fine. Hard, but fine.

Algae is non related. You should have no issues salt related.


Salt in bags gets hard regularily. With no bad effect. Lid off a bucket is essentially a bag.

Good luck.

[lockrookie]

this is what im looking at in my water

[paddyob]

Surface algae.

My 20g gets it due to lack of surface skimmer.

[lastlight]

That looks like my freshly mixed reef crystals not sure what the problem is?

[Realshow]

this is a very interesting theory. i also have started using an old bag of salt i have had for years . i had been using spoonfuls of salt this old salt in my freshwater tanks
however the saltwater tank was using instant ocean before but now i am using the old hard bag of coralife salt and my phosphates have shot off the chart.
coincidence? maybe.
im gonna mix up some of this salt and test it in the bucket.