Shelf Life Of Seawater Mix

[wsboyette]

Does anyone out there happen to know what the shelf life is on an unopened bag of seawater mix ? I've had one lying around in a closet for maybe 15 years and am wondering if it would have deteriorated in all that time....

Thanks,
Wade

 

[little_fish]

I cant see why it would go bad. It might be a solid block form absorbing moisture, but the chemicals themselves should still be good. You might just have to break it into chunks and give extra time for it to dissolve

 

[Nanna]

Is the mix all stuck together and hard or is it still loose? I would threw it away if it's hard and compacted. Just my opinion.

 

[x19]

I the worry would be that if the individual components have separated over time. I'd say if you are going to use the whole thing in one go, or it still looks and feels like it was brand new you'd be fine. I know for example, the salt mix I have says not to stir it, because the ingredients could separate do to their different grain sizes.

 

[wsboyette]

Is the mix all stuck together and hard or is it still loose? I would threw it away if it's hard and compacted. Just my opinion.

It has not caked, so it does not seem to have absorbed much of any moisture if any at all. Doesn't seem to me that aging would harm the salt and sorts of minerals that are are in seawater mix, but don't know about the trace elements that are sure to be in it. Guess I had better find a contact link to the mfr. and make sure before I use it.

 

[Marines_Wife]

Ill be honest Im impressed you remember you have it after 15 yrs. I forget I have something if I dont look at it in 15 minutes

 

[wsboyette]

Ill be honest Im impressed you remember you have it after 15 yrs. I forget I have something if I dont look at it in 15 minutes

I had everything more or less ready to set back up all those years ago, with my original equipment & dead coral decorations - everything except new live rock. Now my test kits are - I'm sure - useless and have to be replaced, but everything else - plus a new Hamilton MH lighting system & power skimmer - is still here & ready to go .....

 

[Nanna]

Maybe mix up a gallon and see how it does. Is the water clear. what are the parameters, did it all dissolve? That would give you more info to tell the manufacturer.

 

[little_fish]

+1 Nanna


Also your lighting is going to need new bulbs. Also, so much has changed in 15 years, make sure you check out what has changed, some of your equipment might not be such a good idea anymore ie underground filters.

 

[wsboyette]

+1 Nanna


Also your lighting is going to need new bulbs. Also, so much has changed in 15 years, make sure you check out what has changed, some of your equipment might not be such a good idea anymore ie underground filters.

Think the MH bulbs are OK, I acquired the lighting system only a couple of years ago. Undergravel filters are nightmare nuisances that drive nitrate levels thru the roof - didn't take many months for me to get rid of mine back in the day. I will use a Berlin setup with a power skimmer and canister filter in a sump. As the tank has a rather narrow footprint and may not accommodate the recommended amount of LR, I had reluctantly considered using a trickle filter to assist with the bio filtration. But that would drive up the nitrates as well, so I am just going to try to get as much LR into the tank and sump as possible and monitor the water parameters closely until I see that the setup can handle the bio load. The recommended ratio for stocking LR is 1-2 lbs. / gallon for a reef; I am hoping that a FOWLR can get along fine on maybe 3/4 lbs / gallon or so.

 

[little_fish]

A FOWLR will do fine with 1-2 lbs per gallon as well because the stocking rules are the same.

 

[Northstar24]

I don't see why using the salt would be an issue. If you're really concerned about it, make up a gallon or so and run a full set of parameter tests on it to see where its at before putting it in a system with livestock

 

[wsboyette]

Just for everyone's information, I contacted the Instant Ocean people, and they affirmed that the shelf life of seawater mix is indefinite as long as it does not get caked up hard by moisture. Thanks for all your input !

Best Regards,
Wade