Does Salt mix go bad?

[ZapataInc]

I got two 200gal boxes of Instant Ocean Reef crystals from a fellow member that was getting out of the hobby. They were still sealed and unopened. I used it for my new 90 gal build and there were some leftover particulates that didnt get dissolved and when I turned on my skimmer it was going haywire and bubbling like crazy. I didnt think to much of it. But I made some more water for a water change for my 40gal and the little nano skimmer was overflowing this morning. So does salt go bad? FWIW the salt in the individual bags were semi hard and could be broken up easily by hand.

 

[ActiveAngel]

If properly sealed; it should be perfectly fine! Even if opened, there is chance for contamination. But if no contamination occurred, it should still be good as far as I know.

I’ve used maybe 200g worth of opened salt that was 10-20 years old that I picked up from members getting out. It was hard as rock, but dissolved fine. No problems in the reef.

You’ve by now noticed how all salt mixes have some amounts of undissolvable content. I’m not sure why your skimmers are acting crazy. Generally, if my skimmer is doing this, I trust it’s pulling some minor funk out of my water. I let it wet skim, and empty the cup repeatedly until it stops (just make sure your salinity doesn’t go out of range).

 

[jcook54]

I don't think it goes bad. I've left the lid off of more than one bucket of salt and had to break it into chunks so I could use it. Regarding the skimmer, sometimes my skimmer will go a little nuts after a water change too for some reason. I'm sure there's some sort of explanation behind it but it's never hurt anything and I've never bothered to figure it out.

 

[ZapataInc]

Ive only used Reef Crystals and ive never had an issue with getting everything dissolved. I have no clue what it is. Maybe it was this particular box. I havent tried the other box yet.