Mixing salts

I'm starting to run low on salt,but not ready to make an order yet (I like to hold off and save up till I have a big enough order to make free shipping ).

But my question is-I have about 1/3 of a bucket of coral pro salt and about 1/3 of an older bucket of instant ocean.Can I mix these two together dry in the same bucket to hold me off from ordering for a bit?Or will the difference in the parameters mess up or shock my tank?

Luckily I only have softies and lps and I do have 2part to keep cal and alk inline till I do order,but just wanted to double check with the veterans thoughts on this first.TIA

 

Im nt sure I would mix them dry but after you reconstitue the SW adding either to the tank should not effect it too much since the majority of the water in the tank would still be old water from the original salt. It takes many waterchanges for the makeup of the tank water to be consistant to the fresh batch of SW when switching salts and people do it all the time

 

Why mix them? Just use one up, then the next, and order a new batch when the time comes. The parameters will not be affected much

 

Don't know if I would mix them dry. Not all companies use the same chemical compounds to make up the elements, and while I'm not a chemist, I would be concerned about a bad reaction, possibly poisoning your tank.

OTOH, I have mixed salts in the same batch of make-up water by allowing brand A to fully mix before adjusting the SG with brand X with no problems.

 

Thanks Pgh,i'm well versed on switching salt brands through wc's,but my concern is if these two would mix dry well and I should have also mentioned that the other reason for the question was that I wanted the empty bucket,lol.

Actually when it comes to mag/alk/cal and tons of other trace element,there is a huge difference between the two salts and it will affect my parameters.I keep the "big 3" at sps levels even though I only keep softies and lps and I don't want to shock anything by a sudden drop in mag,cal or alk.

Mr.B,you always seem to be able to decipher my jibberish,

That is my concern as well and I agree,I think i'm just gonna ditch the IO to be on the safe side and I'll just pick up a small box of reef crystals locally to hold me till I make my order.Thanks for the assist!

 

Do you mean you're gonna buy a bag of IO reef crystals, or coral pro?

If IO reef crystals, just get a bag off me when ya come to pick up the fuge next week, I just got a 200g box today

 

I have mixed different brands of salt dry with no ill effects. If I remember right it was the same as you have.

 

I don't think you will have any problems mixing salts wet or dry. Just make sure your salinity is right before putting it into the tank. If you're worried about a chemical reaction, don't be.

 

Sorry guys,I didn't catch that this thread went past again,but i've already dumped the IO for grass killer on my gravel driveway,lol.Mr.Bills response gave me enough food for thought to not try it.Plus,i needed that dang bucket,lol.

But no,i'll just get some reef cystals (the best I can get without ordering)and use that when my coral pro runs out to hold me until I can place my dry goods order.My wife has really put a cap on my tank fundage

 

Don, I have a bag sitting here that will be a TON cheaper than your LFS, no worries bro!

See