Salt Water Mixing Tank Calcification or ???

jm23

jm23

Active member
Quick question, because google search comes up with all other answers besides what I am looking for. In the Brute trashcan I mix my saltwater in, there is a hard film on the sides and bottom. When I pour new water in to mix, pieces of this film flake off into the water. Is this just minerals or calcification happening? Should I clean the trashcan out or just let it mix with in with the new batch of water?
 
It's probably just deposits from the last batch. I assume you don't get every drop out, so it's what's left behind after evaporation. Most likely too caustic for any type of biological/bacterial growth, so it shouldn't be a problem. When your salt is mixed, are the flakes still floating around?
 
i think you guys are gamblers using the brutes, in the first place,
They are made from recycled trash and potential for leakage.
ive seen all kinds of slimes etc on them over the years, and the flaking if used for kalk
 
LemontReefer said:
i think you guys are gamblers using the brutes, in the first place,
They are made from recycled trash and potential for leakage.
ive seen all kinds of slimes etc on them over the years, and the flaking if used for kalk
Click to expand...

What do you use
How can it hurt if the water is only in there for a day
Using it to store water yea maybe
I only use mine to make my salt mix
Then I rinse it out and put it away
 
Hey Jason , no foul intents i just use like 10 or 20 gallon tanks, or buy used ones online cheap depending on the size.
for mixing no doubt totally fine...I just see some people storing their ro top off/ or kalk mix and it sits for years and gets all kinds of funky. glass just doesnt seem to slime over time.
 
I was just curious as to what you use that's all
Yea I don't store anything in mine
I also use a 10 gallon tank to store ro water
And a 5 gallon homedepot bucket to keep extra mixed SW which I use weekly for phyto and rotifer cultures

I did not think your post was any bad intent at all in any way
 
I keep 33g of SW mixed in my basement at all times:

MixingStation.jpg
 
my logic still hold puffer :) in my eyes you gambled and won

No doubt many a successful aquarist has used the brutes but its still gambling that the trash can from the local home supply store isn't gonna leach phosphates. They make them from recycled waste. AKA source unknown recycled lowest grade cheap bulk, in a hobby that most strive for "lab grade" everything else.. My logic is the next batch of trash cans are not gonna be exact trash duplicates. Is there an advantage of brute over glass?
 
I have a feeling my trashcans I have not Brutes some other home depot cheap crapola is leaching phosphates too which I had a hannah phosphate checker thing to test my RO and salt mix
 
When I did my research on them awhile ago, I believe the commercial brutes are food grade. I also would never not have ro/di water on hand in case of an emergency. My ro/di brute is always full and my saltwater brute is always at least 1/4 full. So rinsing them out and storing them doesn't work for me. Good discussion though.
 
Food grade has zero to do with it. plenty of things that are food grade will wipe out your system. any metals, copper, zinc, etc
Plenty of people use the brutes , puffer perfect example has incredible corals and fish a picture is worth a thousand words, its very common... I just don't trust the sourcing of recyclables enough to put it into my reef tank, 10 years ago I used them, and I dont suggest changing them out, maybe perhaps hit it with a PO4 test , if its zero its gonna be fine don't panic but would suggest using an aquarium as a storage or mixing device in liew of the brutes to those buying new stuff or building onto their setups. .
 
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