Calcium Carbonate

AquatiCreations

AquatiCreations

Registered something or another...
Feb 25, 2008
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Hey guys,

I goofed, and mixed 50 gallons worth of salt in about 5 gallons of water, the resulting reaction was calcium carbonate precipitation. I did add the rest of the water to the tank, and things are clearing as we speak. there is some remainder of the calcium carbonate in the bottom of the tank, in the form of little spots of white, so questions..1) Will the remaining calcium carbonate precipitation dissolve in the water? and 2) Would the integrity of the solution be compromised(unsuitable for fish and corals) from the reaction.

Thanks!
-Will add the salt the slow way next time :p: -

AC
 
Under normal conditions, calcium carbonate is not soluble in water.

The saltwater solution where all the calcium and carbonate precipitate came from would be very low in calcium and carbonate, of course. That water would have a very low alkalinity, but is probably not too much danger to fish unless it was a large water change. As for corals, by adding the water with very low calcium and alkalinity to your tank, you've just lowered the concentrations of those two parameters. The pH of the tank could be less stable. If you've given the tank an hour or more to mix since the water change, test your parameters and adjust them back towards normal slowly. Big changes are when problems occur. The easiest fix is likely to be another water change with properly mixed saltwater.
 
Thankfully, this a tank in it's beginning stages, I had just bought that bag of salt mix today, but never thought twice about the proper way to mix the solution, I would like to turn this tank reef, and striving for the proper environment for such(not a good start, I know) The most I can change the water at the moment, is 10/55g(all the salt I have on hand) I am taking two of my smaller tanks down too, which are fish only(little to no mineral depletion?) Could this water possibly serve as a buffer?
 
I also neglected to mention that the amount of the supposed precipitant is at around 2-3 tablespoons in the form of a light powder substance resting at the bottom of the tank, I have no way of testing the calcium or carbonate levels at the moment as I don't have test kits specifically for those two water parameters, the salt's Brand is instant ocean. From an educated guess do you think that the calcium levels may have dropped low enough to inhibit coral growth/development?
 
If the tank is still cycling, I don't see any reason for concern. If near the end of cycling and you're getting ready to add something other than soft corals, you'll definitely want to check the calcium and alkalinity levels first. The levels could very easily be low enough now to inhibit coral growth (I'd call < 300 ppm Ca, < 7 dKH growth inhibitive, although many corals will still survive at these levels). It's really hard to say without testing.

If you add the water from your fish only tanks, it could help those levels if the levels in those tanks are good. It probably hasn't had much depleted in terms of calcium or alkalinity (unless you have good coralline growth in those tanks), but it'll also depend on what SpG you've kept those tanks at (calcium and alkalinity levels would be lower if you've been mixing sw for those tanks to 1.021 - 1.024 compared to reef levels at SpG levels of 1.025 - 1.026). However, you could be adding quite a bit of nutrients (nitrates and/or phosphates) to your new reef tank by adding water from those other tanks.
 
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