trying salt mixing ?s

[chipcount]

so I decided to try mixing salt and bought a bucket of red sea coral pro. I mixed it in with RO water for over 24 hours with a powerhead but its still cloudy. The maxijet is caked with this white film (not bubbles)...

Is this right??? I am kind of hesitant to place it in my tank.
also the water is warm. I can tell just by touching the outside of bucket im mixing it in. I am assuming this is from the mixing and reactions.

How long do you guys let it sit before you put it in your tank?

[467echo]

The white film is just the salt residue, not a problem. Just put your hand in it and make sure all the salt is disolved. 24 hours should be fine and a few days is even better. The water is warm from just the pump running. In the summer my water is usually warmer than the tank water because I mix it in the garage for a whole week, but the chiller helps out when I put it in. If you do a wc every week you can just mix it all week then you will have your water ready to go when you do the next wc. It also helps when you have an emergency, you will always have water on hand to do a quick wc. And as always check your salinity.

[mazilla]

when I mixed, I did it moments before I used the water. it took about 5 minutes to mix all the salt up and about 5 minutes for it to clear up, then straight into the tank. There is no waiting period required.

[joemommaca]

I use Red Sea too and it only takes about 10 - 15 minutes to dissolve. You have to help it a bit with your hand to get the last bit that settles. If you added Kalk or the dKh buffer to the water, that will cause it to be cloudy and cause the white film you see. In any case, nothing to worry about.

[chipcount]

thank you for the info!
my tank is predominantly sps so should I shoot for the 1.026 range? I think with that concentration of salt the calcium is close to 490 but I am thinking thats kind of high. also since trace elements are already in the mixture does that mean that I should no longer dose with trace? Thanks

[mazilla]

As with any dosing, if you're going to do it, you need to be testing the water. You can do very well without testing your water, but you can do even better if you do. I don't test/dose, but I have seen enough tanks to tell the difference between most tanks like mine and the tanks of those who maintain all their levels with great care.

You will get back what you put in, it's up to you.