water change question

[scottytoohottie]

I have a 50 gallon sw and just started it, whats the good way to do water changes, i do not have an extra tank to mix the salt in, can i mix it in my tank with lr and soon to be getting fish , or do it how i have been in a 4 gallon bucket, little by little? thanks

 

[9g]

never mix salt and water in your display tank. get another container or use your method of 4 gallon bucket but when mixing them, its a good idea to let them mix for a good amount of time and airate them.

 

[Hara]

If this is the first thing in the tank, no sand, no rock, no fish etc..then feel free to mix it in the tank. Never do it afterwards though. Your post says "soon to be getting fish". I hope you mean soon as in a month or so, after the cycle is complete. Please read up on the fishless cycling method to get you started.

 

[smn723]

Since your talking about water changes...i.e. after setup of your tank...I would suggest getting a large rubbermaid container (20 gallons) and using it (and it being the sole purpose) for preparing salt water for water changes. Buy something add your ro/di water and salt and only use it for your water changes from then on. Get a heater and a powerhead to speed up the mixing and heating of the water. HTH

 

[roka64]

I keep a 32 G trash can with wheels constantly full of premixed water.

 

[Ziggy953]

Great advice! It makes life so much easier if you have a container (20+ gallons) dedicated to mixing your SW for PWCs. When I first started I had about 5 different buckets that I used and 5 gallons of water at a time is a pain in the everything! Walmart less then $10 and you will have something perfect for mixing your water up in! An extra power head and a heater as mentioned above is a great idea too! I have a set of pumps dedicated to mixing water and that is all they do.

I'd also like to echo what Hara said about reading up on fishless cycling and what and how to do it!

Welcome aboard!

 

[chase33]

I too have a 20g Rubbermaid used ti mix salt water. I mix the salt for about 24 hours before using it.

 

[Ziggy953]

It is always a good idea to allow your water to mix for at least 24 hours before using it. That allows the salt mix to disolve completely and for the PH and temp to stabelize.