PH befuddlement

[SynDen]

I track it with an apex.

Made a few adjustments. One I moved the CO2 scrubber to outside the cabinet and closer to the window I keep cracked open next to the tank.

I also tested all the numbers in my last batch of kent salt I mixed up. Normally I just test the salinity on batch but since the numbers were all out of whack on my tank I figured I better check more. Fortunately I had only done one water change with this batch because when I tested it the ph was at 6, alk was so low it was unreadable and the calc was so high it was also unreadable. I know I have said it before but GOD I HATE KENT SALT, and I cant wait to use up the remaining bags I have so I can get on to a salt that is predictable in its numbers.

Needless to say I dumped the whole 55g drum of saltwater I had made and scrubbed out the drum. There was some crazy brown sludge in the bottom of it from this batch.
Mixed up a new batch and tested everything again. This batch tested with alc at 9, calc at 450 and ph at 8, so I did a small water change.

Big difference so far, all though almost to much so. The highs and lows have been much more predictable and no longer erratic and backwards from expected. Although now it is ranging from an 8.2 at night to an 8.4-8.7 during the day.

Things in the tank seem to be back to normal again even with the over the top ph level, but quite amazed at how much difference those two little things made. Not really concerned with the over the top ph level since everything seems to be doing fine, although a tad surprised by it.

 

[FinsUp]

It may not be directly related to this, but we had brown sludge in our water change barrel, too. Don't know what it was, but we didn't much like it. Switched to a 55gal tank instead, and it didn't come back.

 

[SynDen]

hmm interesting, especially since the 55g drum is use originally came from Mike. As I plan my big tank I am planning on re-doing my whole water change station with 2 75g tank drilled together, so we will see if that help. Although I suspect that it comes more from the Kent salt precipitating out when a batch of it when it is so out of whack.

 

[ayaws]

Several people have been telling me to get Kent reef crystals to replace my Salinity salt when it runs out (shortly.) What fresh hell is this??? Precipitating out? Sludge?

 

[sethsolomon]

Do not buy kent! You will be sad. Pickup fritz, tropic Marin, or Aquamedic salts.

 

[ayaws]

Ugh . Maybe I'll just go back to buying LFS salt water. Anyone want a lightly used child? He's mostly potty trained, sleeps well, and hasn't destroyed much of my house (yet.)

 

[SynDen]

Ya I would highly recommend against buying kent salt, and I personally will never buy it again. I bought 4 boxes of it sometime ago, and each box has for bags in it. Every single bag I have mixed, and I mix a whole bag at a time, has had drastically different numbers. Needless to say I will be switching to fritz or tropic marin as soon as I finish out the salt I do have. Although I almost want to just throw away the remaining bags I have but I hate to waste it so I will persevere trough and be happy to be done with it.

That batch I threw away, I suspect that because the alc was to low to be read and the calc to high to read, that this caused the salt to precipitate out much of the alc and the micro-nutrients which in turn became that sludge at the bottom of the drum. Many salts leave a bit of residue in the mixing tank in my experience, I think from their caking agents and impurities in the salts, but this time it was far worse then I had seen before.

 

[sethsolomon]

Sell the boxes on eBay? Or craigslist?

 

[SynDen]

I thought about it, but dont wish this horrible stuff on anybody, but I only have 2 bags left of it now so should be done with it soon. At least the newest batch I mixed had much more agreeable numbers. I will be testing everything on each of the remaining bags to ensure I dont get any more batches like the one I tossed.

 

[ayaws]

This is what I've been using.

I'll see about picking up some Tropic Marin shortly. Looks like a good option. I still need to build a good mixing station. I'm only doing 16g at a time (in my ace roto-mold) which aligns nicely with my weekly water change strategy. Drop in a cheap pump and run it for 2 days, test, then make the change.

 

[SynDen]

Salinity is a good salt, although a tad expensive, but I have used it in the past and had no complaints about it, other then its price. I think the tropic marin and fritz salts are good mid range alternatives. Also Instant Ocean also is a fairly popular one and I have yet to hear any real complaints about it as well.