Aging Water for a water change

[lawlessr]

I am going to start up a sw reef and i was wondering do i age my water before i do my pwc ,if so how long should i age it and should i mix my salt with it and can i leave it sitting in a drum ,should it be a closed drum or should it have contact with air dose the water have to be moved arround ?

 

[intimatecple]

Mix your salt at least 24 hours prior to PWC. Have a heater to get the water to the same temp as your tank. also have a power head to have water movement to also help with dissolving the salt. you can store the water this way as long as your drum is clean and chemical free. most people use a large plastic trash can. open drum , not closed

 

[melosu58]

24-48 hrs will be fine. I mix mine in 5 gallon buckets but the plastic trash can mentioned above will be great.

 

[goisles1]

I use 2 5gal HomeDepot buckets. They are half price right now

Only difference for me is that I HAVE to cover it. If I don't, Dog hair from my 2 Border Collies always seem to find their way into the pail.

 

[lawlessr]

Do i use any kind of cleaning liquit to clean out the bucket or do i just use water before i mix my tank water ?

 

[sqrle]

I went all out and bought an industrial 43 gallon gabage pail from home depot. I also bought the wheels for it so it is much easier to move around when I need to do the change or fill it up. Use a very mild vinegar solution to give it a rinse. Make sure to give it another rinse after that.

 

[melosu58]

Whatever you do dont use soap!!!

 

[sqrle]

One thing that I forgot, is if you are getting a plastic container of any sort to mix and store you water in. make sure that it has the NFS (it could be NSF, I cann't turn mine over right now, full of water) stamp on it. This is a food safety stamp to let you know that you can put food items in it without problems. So it won't leach stuff into whatever is in it. Normaly your standard rubbermaid totes don't have this. If you realy want to go this route, just go to your local restaurant supply store and see what they have. Any body can go to these places, I know, I am a chef. Or do what I did and get the big plastic garbage can with the wheels. The can is very hard to move with out the wheels when full of water.

 

[austinsdad]

My water doesn't sit in the container for more than 2 days at a time,so I'm guessing leaching problems won't be thee for me. Been using my rubber maid can on wheels for 5 years. I use a second on wheels also for the old water removed. Bacteria and stuff in the can of course. Use the same pump and hose also for each with a qwik rinse.

Maybe it's that a 155g tank is more forgiving than smaller tanks where an "issue" with contaminants could swing things. Dunno, but I've no issues with my Rubbermaid.

 

[thincat]

I always keep at least 5 gals ready at all times ever since I had one of my LED lights fall into my tank and had to make immediate water changes. Live and learn they say.....