Mixing tank accumulation

[saltwaterwannabe]

Thought I would show a pic of the inside of my old mixing container. This is after a couple years of mixing about 30 gallons a week and using a variety of salts. Most of the time I used IO, I also used aqua forest for a short while. I’ve been using Fritz for a few months now and like the results. I do not know what salt caused this, but my new mixing vessel is a 240 tank, so I will be able to see in it easily enough to see if this accumulates again. I used to clean this brute out periodically but have not looked in it for a couple years. I probably should have cleaned this out a few times.

the r o storage was clean as a whistle so it is just the salt mix precipitating and causing the accumulation.

here is a pic, you can really see the accumulation if you zoom in.

 

[hzheng33]

my bet is the instant ocean.

i use LiveAquaria nowadays but some time last year i won a box of reef crystal and i decided to use it recently. LiveAquaria salt mixes fairly quickly and is very clean. i had only to clean my mixing station once a year. but just after 1 bag of RC, i noticed significant increase in the brown crud/accumulation.

i know RC is the culprit because i had to move my tank to the basement recently along with the mixing station. during the process, everything got a citric acid bath and clean as a whistle.

 

[Adam]

It comes from whatever chelating and anticaking agents some salt manufacturers use. I know it's common with the IO salt but don't know about how many others use something like that.

 

[enderg60]

Its impurities in the salt mix. I use TONS of reef crystals and its the worst about this so I end up with 1/8" of plaque on the mix tank walls after a few years.

I want to move to a better salt but the size and frequency of my water changes simply makes it cost too much to use any other salt.

Youre options are spend more on salt or add a canister filter to the mix tank.

 

[Bigpanda16]

Honestly I really like whatever additives reef crystals has, it doesn’t produce fine powdery smoke when you’re scooping and dumping it in to mix.

 

[picoreefguy]

Had the same issue using aquavitro salinity, would clean it with vinegar every now and then but gave up because it always came back and just started using a mesh filter bag on the end of the hose to collect any junk that got loose.

 

[gill]

I use reef crystals, and my mixing tub has this. Every 3-4 months I dump a cup of citric acid and a gallon of fresh water in the tub and let it eat away at the nasty stuff and scrub out afterwards.

 

[Dmac]

I also use reef crystals. I take a pressure washer to it when it bothers me, comes right off