expired salt?

Does salt expire or go bad due to age?

I just found a bag of Instant Ocean sea salt from about 4 years ago and the thought came to me to start mixing my own water instead of buying pre-mixed water at the LFS which is $4 for my 6 gallon jug.

The salt is still fine with no big clumps stuck together and no signs of dirt or debris, although the bag was a little opened so air could seep in. Is the salt still good for use?

Oh BTW, how long do you guys let the water sit for? I was planning on mixing the water tomorrow if the salt is good, in a 5 gallon bucket with a mj1200 and a heater.

Thanks in advance
-Henry

 

As long as moisture hasn't got to it and made it solid it will be OK.
I mix my own salt water and it sometimes sits a week to ten days with no problem, and I know of other hobbyists that let it sit longer. Now mind you, sitting in my case is with aeration with open ended airline.
I DO get some precipitation of calcium on the container sides the longer it sits.
With a power head, keep the flow pointing upwards to make the surface agitate more for best air/water exchange, and check the specific gravity or salinity before using because evaporation will occur and increase the s.g./salinity.

 

nice!
thanks for the info rayjay. k+ to you

 

let it sit for a min. of 24 hours....i never do any more then that, if its a real emergency like you need to do a water change right away, an hour min. but this is generally because the salt will burn corals and fish if not properly mixed all the way,

 

if there are hard chunks in there throw them away, the minerals won't dissolve right, but the rest is good.