brown particles floating in my salt mix tank

[sansouci01]

I was going to do my weekly water change this evening and noticed that the water that I have mixed and ready to go in my 25 gallon mix container had tiny brown particles floating around in the water. I usually do my water changes during the day and never noticed the particles. I just happened to use a flashlight this evening to look in the container and saw these particles. I use I/O reef crystals. Anyone know what this could be or have had this problem before with reef crystals?

 

[Sniperhank]

Sounds like clay from it being collected. Shouldn't hurt anything. You can filter it out if you want.

 

[sansouci01]

Thanks sniperhank...You always have an answer lol

 

[Tmyboy]

I also had those brown particles every time I mixed up a fresh batch of saltwater using instant ocean. It drove me nuts! Switched to tropic Marin and it's always crystal clear now.


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[Animal-Chin]

I was speaking to a rep from a salt making company last week and he advised me that his company and some others use GFO to clean the salt of phospates before they sell it. This can result in some brown particles being left in your mixing bucket.

 

[Sniperhank]

Which one would that be? That is very interesting and I wonder how many do that.

 

[Animal-Chin]

Red Sea.

They have quite a process. Many salt makers mine it out of the ground. Red Sea pumps salt water out of the red sea into evaporation ponds (3 in the process) making brine that they clean. Someone asked if the brown residue in the buckets were from the ponds and he said that it was from the GFO they use in the cleaning process.

 

[melosu58]

Sound like it should be ok to use. I use oceanic and don't have that issue but Red Sea is a very reputable company.