H20 salt precipitation?

Fang

I think that the problem is the speed that people are adding the salt to the water.

If you have a low parameter salt it is easy to create a clear solution as non of the levels get close to the precipitation point.

As you get higher magnesium and also a high dKH which is balanced to the calcium like in H2Ocean then it is a very precise formulation and certain elements can become super saturated when added too fast.

 

What is happening is that perhaps a couple of percent of the calcium is precipitating out as calcium carbonate which is insoluble.

The amount will not be high but you will see it, especially in a glass tank but is a normal process and nothing to be too concerned about as it happens in the oceans however you cannot see it as it happens at interfaces where there is a seeding effect such as in the ocean floor.

 

Normally the level in the fresh salt is diluted by the water in the aquarium which has become lower in levels from the corals and this takes the balance away from the precipitation point whilst still maintaining the correct levels.

Over aeration in a room with high CO2 can also create an increased bicarbonate (dkH) level and so the reaction balances this out by production of calcium carbonate.

 

I hope you follow this and can pass it on to your customer

 

All the best

Stuart