Pre-Mixed salt water or mix salt myself?

[mr_X]

i would like to suggest purchasing a R.O.D.I. that is 75gpd or less. the larger ones (100gpd and up) waste a lot more water.
also, invest in a refractometer. a swing arm hydrometer is a very inaccurate product.
i would mix my own water as well. no hassle at all. the hassle comes in when you have to lug jugs back and forth from the lfs IMO.

 

[freppy16]

Wow thanks for all the great responses this is all super helpful. My questions have been answered thank you to everyone who posted a response

 

[rdnelson99]

Wow thanks for all the great responses this is all super helpful. My questions have been answered thank you to everyone who posted a response

I have found the threads were all the regulars "Argue" over the correct answer to be the most useful. There are no "right" answers but hearing everyone state there case helps me decide which is the better answer.

 

[carey]

You do top offs with regular unsalted water.

 

[rdnelson99]

A lot depends on your set up. If you have an open tank, most of your water lose will be due to evaporation. Evaporation will leave the salt behind and your salinity will start to rise. Therefore, frequent top offs with fresh water will help to keep the salinity stable.

If, however you have jumpers in your tank and therefore have a glass top as I do, most of your water loss is due to taking samples. In that case you are taking the salt with it and your salinity will not rise. Therefore, topping off with fresh would cause the salinity to drop.

This is why I believe you should check the salinity before you top off. If it is at the level you want it at, use water with the same salinity. If it is high, use fresh water to lower it back to where you want it. If it is low, use a higher concentration of salt water to raise it slowly. The key, is to keep the salinity as stable as possible. Just my opinion but I am sticking by it (unless you can convince me otherwise).

 

[slitherbomb]

A lot depends on your set up. If you have an open tank, most of your water lose will be due to evaporation. Evaporation will leave the salt behind and your salinity will start to rise. Therefore, frequent top offs with fresh water will help to keep the salinity stable.

If, however you have jumpers in your tank and therefore have a glass top as I do, most of your water loss is due to taking samples. In that case you are taking the salt with it and your salinity will not rise. Therefore, topping off with fresh would cause the salinity to drop.

This is why I believe you should check the salinity before you top off. If it is at the level you want it at, use water with the same salinity. If it is high, use fresh water to lower it back to where you want it. If it is low, use a higher concentration of salt water to raise it slowly. The key, is to keep the salinity as stable as possible. Just my opinion but I am sticking by it (unless you can convince me otherwise).

I don't think it's really your opinion. That's exactly what you're supposed to be doing lol

 

[rdnelson99]

I don't think it's really your opinion. That's exactly what you're supposed to be doing lol

LOL One thing I have learned in my (Too) many years, is there is rarely a good rule of thumb. You first have to understand the cause of things and then you can figure out how to correct it.

 

[ScottMo]

I would also vote to make your own ro/di water and mix your own. It'll cost you $65 for the machine and you can get a 200g box of salt for $47.

Carey, We followed the quick connector link hoping to find the RO machine for 65.00, Could you please post a link to the RO sys you recommend?
Thank you!

 

[rdnelson99]

Here is the one I bought. It is the same as Carey's but the 150 gal/day model instead of the 100 gal/day. $76.00

PureWaterClub.com

 

[carey]

Here is the $65 one. It's 100gpd.

eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

 

[lisa888]

Wow, that's so much cheaper than I thought they were. How many gallons do you get before you have to change the filter (membrane? whatever its called) and how much does that cost? Thanks

 

[carey]

It depends on the unit. On the one I linked it shows the useable life span of the different chambers. I also purchased a $15 TDS meter to test the ro/di water so that I know when it's time to replace them. The purewaterclub on ebay also sells the cartridges for all the units they sell. Some of the items even come with extras so you can have them on hand. Just check out that sellers other items listed and you can see.

 

[Reef-master003]

If your going for corals,mix it yourself