Reason for 24 hours settling of saltwater

[cmor1701d]

Blindskate,

You really got to relax and stop taking offense when you are asked a sinmple question. You said that "the koralia oxygenates water and while doing that it gives needed oxygen to bacteria "

I simply asked where you came by that information. I'll ask again. Where did you read or hear that a Koralia power head (in particular) "oxygenates water and while doing that it gives needed oxygen to bacteria" ?

Unless the ph is pointing at the surface (where the gas exchange takes place) it is not going to oxygentate the water regardless of the brand. Any ph that is rippling the water surface will help with the gas exchange.

[blindskate]

it is though, i have it up really high facing a corner, and it flows alot cuz its a big koralia for my small tank. anyways, a guy at work has been working salt forever and he has 4 in a big salt tank he has on display in the back of the fish department. he said it helps the flow of oxygen essentialy giving oxygen to the good bacteria in any tank. he didnt say a "koralia" in particular, it just happened to be the same one i bought (the ones he had in the display tank).

[blindskate]

...and i only took offense because it sounded offensive, like i was dumb, i may have just worded what he said wrong, but i was listening to him pretty intently. sorry =/

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

When you calibrated your refractometer, the temp of the calibration fluid (1.0264 NOT Ro @ 1.000) should have been room temperature (20c or 68f).. So testing room temperature water is not such a big deal.. ATC can handle a 10f difference. if you are testing a batch of cold water, put the 3 drops on the refractometer, and let it sit for 1 or 2 minutes, this will bring the temp up to room, and also allow the ATC mech. time to adjust to the difference in temperature. I believe this is also stated in the instructions.

It should be said, and I haven't seen it yet, salt concentration doesn't vary with temperature. The instruments error % does.

Aeration allows Co2 to be introduced to the water, not expelled, this brings down the PH of unusually high PH salt mixes.

Some good reading in general Mixing and Chemistry

[cmor1701d]

That article states "Aeration also pulls in oxygen, if the starting freshwater was deficient in oxygen."
Aeration at the sruface of the water is where the gas exchange takes place. Fish respiration uses oxygen and increases CO2. Photosythesis uses CO2 and increases oxygen. The balance is maintained by aerating the water surface allowing the exchange of gasses.

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Correct, it allows atmospheric gases to enter the water.. But to include the entire quote.

The overnight stirring will also help with aeration, which can be useful for some mixes that start with a high pH and need to pull in CO2 from the air to reach normal pH. After aeration, the pH is determined only by the alkalinity and the ambient carbon dioxide level in the air. It is not an attribute of the salt mix. More details on pH will be covered in a future article. Aeration also pulls in oxygen, if the starting freshwater was deficient in oxygen.

Increasing the Oxygen level has little to no bearing on the parameters of the water you are adding, unless you are doing a massive water change with completely depleted oxygen levels. Nothing would notice, and the air exchange in your tank should be able to assist in buffering. However if you pour in 50% water that is/has always been depleted in Co2, the PH could be high enough to cause some distress.

I agree, surface agitation is generally good (even in replacement water mixing), however, this discussion was more on the effects of using really fresh replacement water..

[Ziggy953]

Back to the topic at hand...

Unless you have a serious and immediate need to change water in your tank, allowing newly mixed SW to sit and mix for 24 or more hours should not be a big problem. All of the time and money I have invested into my tank warrents the minimum of 24 hours to avoid causing a problem. I have had to use SW that was just mixed in emergencies but it is a practice I avoid if I can.

I have a 660gph pump in my 32g (trash can) mixing container that runs the entire time I'm mixing my new SW. As soon as there is enough RO/DI water to cover the pump I turn it on. This does a few things it helps keep the water circulated and the heat the pump generates helps to bring the temp of the water up. I usually don't have to add a heater to my mixing container to get the temp to 78. I also keep the container covered until it is completely full and I am within a day of doing the PWC. 24 hours before I do my water change I remove the lid and let the pump agitate the surface. This has worked very well for me and my PH and temp are usually within a few digits of my main.

That is my $.02

[fishcrack]

Ziggy, I think you may have hit upon a solution to our problem at the end of this salt water mixing debate. First of all, I didn't know we should have been mixing or aerating our sw - we let it age and mix with a long wooden spoon. We are "low budget" and apparently slow learners too. But, we've been struggling with how to bring the 32 gallons container to temp. faster as we filter. Never thought of using the heat from a pump. DUH! We mix in a mud room off our laundry room that is quite cold in the winter. Ziggy's tip will come in handy. Thanks!

[cmor1701d]

Back when I was mixing sw in a 5 gallon bucket I found and used a tip to quickly mix and aerate a batch. I got a Nalgene stirrer from USPlastics. Conencted to a high speed drill this stirrer can mix and aearate a bucket in minutes.

[fishcrack]

Another great idea! The long wooden spoon works (and probably will tone the upper arms) but easier is always better. Thanks.