Thinking about a saltwater tank...

[Bearchumjs]

Okay, cool, thanks! My light was shipped however it is in California according to the tracking so I don't expect it to be here anytime soon lol. I believe my LFS sells feather dusters for 7 dollars so I may end up picking up one sometime.

Yeah, they don't care about the lights. I have a couple that are growing in my HOB filter! Lol!

 

[okapizebra]

Oh wow, lol!

 

[okapizebra]

Is there a possibility of me doing too big of a water change? Say I'm in the mood for 30%, that'll be okay, right?

Also, what happens if I mix too much saltwater? Will it be okay sitting there for a week in a closed bucket? Maybe if I go and stir it once a day? I would just rather mix too much water for my changes than not enough because it's hard to measure how much I siphon out.

 

[Bearchumjs]

Is there a possibility of me doing too big of a water change? Say I'm in the mood for 30%, that'll be okay, right?

Also, what happens if I mix too much saltwater? Will it be okay sitting there for a week in a closed bucket? Maybe if I go and stir it once a day? I would just rather mix too much water for my changes than not enough because it's hard to measure how much I siphon out.

30% isn't too big. You could do 50% if you wanted to.

I think it would be ok to keep if you stirred it everyday.

 

[okapizebra]

Okay, because I was planning on making 4 gallons to do a 3 gallon change just incase I take out more than I thought... And I don't want to just throw away the extra but save it for the following week's water change.

 

[Bearchumjs]

Okay, because I was planning on making 4 gallons to do a 3 gallon change just incase I take out more than I thought... And I don't want to just throw away the extra but save it for the following week's water change.

I've done that before. I had 1/2 gallon extra once. I just put it in a gallon jug and shook it a little each day before I finally needed to use it.

 

[okapizebra]

Okay, sounds good then. Thanks!

 

[okapizebra]

Mixed salt water for the first time today.

Does the mixed water need to stay in a bucket with a top over it? Just realized out of my 3 5 gal buckets only one has a lid and that's the one holding the salt mix. For now I just put the water into 1 gal jugs but this probably won't be good because I know I'll have to add more salt because the mix says 1/2 a cup per gal only makes the water 1.021... but when I used my hydrometer after mixing it all it would read is 1.030 no matter if I got all the bubbles out or not...

 

[okapizebra]

Do I need to wear gloves once I get corals?

 

[Bearchumjs]

Do I need to wear gloves once I get corals?

Well- that's up to you. Lots of people don't, some people do. I figure- better safe than sorry! Zoas have a paly toxin. It could kill you. Lots of other corals can sting... I just don't want to take my chances.

 

[Bearchumjs]

Mixed salt water for the first time today.

Does the mixed water need to stay in a bucket with a top over it? Just realized out of my 3 5 gal buckets only one has a lid and that's the one holding the salt mix. For now I just put the water into 1 gal jugs but this probably won't be good because I know I'll have to add more salt because the mix says 1/2 a cup per gal only makes the water 1.021... but when I used my hydrometer after mixing it all it would read is 1.030 no matter if I got all the bubbles out or not...

If your salt is reading 1.030 then you shouldn't have to add more salt. You just need to add some more plain water. Your goal should be 1.024-1.025.

 

[okapizebra]

Does the salt measure off when it's first mixed? I'm afraid my hydrometer is trciking me... But i'll measure again and see where it's at.

I believe I will be investing in a pair of gloves then! It certainly isn't worth my death.

 

[Jess1ca]

Does the salt measure off when it's first mixed? I'm afraid my hydrometer is trciking me... But i'll measure again and see where it's at.

I believe I will be investing in a pair of gloves then! It certainly isn't worth my death.

I'm pretty new at saltwater but I was told to let the mix sit for 24-36 hours in a bucket (or in my case a large garbage can) with a powerhead. This insures that all the salt has been dissolved and then you should get a truer reading

 

[Bearchumjs]

I'm pretty new at saltwater but I was told to let the mix sit for 24-36 hours in a bucket (or in my case a large garbage can) with a powerhead. This insures that all the salt has been dissolved and then you should get a truer reading

Agreed. You don't have to have a power head as long as you stir it really good a few times a day. But waiting 24 hours and then testing again is the best bet at getting a proper reading.

Plus... The directions are more of a guide as to how much salt to add. I had to test a few times and add more salt or more RO before I got the right salinity. Now I buy the natural ocean water from petco. It makes it easier for me.

Also, make sure you rinse your hydrometer before and after each use. When you fill it up, bang it down on a hard surface so there are no air bubbles, and wait probably 2-5 minutes to let the arm settle. I try to keep my salinity at 1.025. That way if the hydrometer is slightly off I have a little wiggle room in the safe salinity zone.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Does the salt measure off when it's first mixed? I'm afraid my hydrometer is trciking me... But i'll measure again and see where it's at.

I believe I will be investing in a pair of gloves then! It certainly isn't worth my death.

I don't think it's that extreme. Yes zoas are toxic if you ingest them, or get them into a open cut. But with some ordinary hand washing there will be no issues. I have never used gloves as I want to feel what I am picking up and I think my fingers without gloves are gentler to the slime coats most corals have. We don't stock things like fire corals, so burns are uncommon.

 

[okapizebra]

So is it okay if I leave it in the bucket that doesn't have a lid? Maybe if I just cover it with something? I wasn't sure, that's why I put it into gallon jugs.

I was using petco water, but it just seems cheaper in the long run to get a salt mix. It certainly was easier using petco's water. I'll have to go and test my water again to see where it's at then adjust as needed.

I do always rinse my hydrometer. I use a crocheting tool to get the bubbles off of the arm... lol it has a little hook so it's good at scooping the bubbles off because it seems all the bubbles never come off when I bang it on the table and I end up spilling water everywhere lol. I usually aim for 1.025.

I picked up a pair of gloves today to be safe. My skin is pretty dry so it's not uncommon for me to have small cracks on my hands.

 

[Bearchumjs]

So is it okay if I leave it in the bucket that doesn't have a lid? Maybe if I just cover it with something? I wasn't sure, that's why I put it into gallon jugs.

I was using petco water, but it just seems cheaper in the long run to get a salt mix. It certainly was easier using petco's water. I'll have to go and test my water again to see where it's at then adjust as needed.

I do always rinse my hydrometer. I use a crocheting tool to get the bubbles off of the arm... lol it has a little hook so it's good at scooping the bubbles off because it seems all the bubbles never come off when I bang it on the table and I end up spilling water everywhere lol. I usually aim for 1.025.

I picked up a pair of gloves today to be safe. My skin is pretty dry so it's not uncommon for me to have small cracks on my hands.

I'd just cover the bucket with some plastic wrap to keep debris from falling into it. Some people have topless fish tanks. I imagine it will be fine.

I know what you are talking about! I crochet baby blankets. Lol!

I have a cat. So I get scratches sometimes. I also get dry skin in the winter.

 

[okapizebra]

Okay, sounds good. I just went and tested the water again, it was still at 1.030! So I added about a gallon of distilled water to get it down to 1.025. Apparently I added way too much salt! lol. So how do I know if it is mixed enough?? I'm afraid to do a WC until I know it is safe! Especially because I don't have a circulation pump in there. In a few hours it will have been 24 hours. I can hold off an do my PWC tomorrow if I should wait longer. I may start making my water on wednesdays so it's ready by friday.

They work great with the arm!! lol.

My hands crack a lot in the winter.

 

[Gregcoyote]

The important things are the temperature and salt concentration of the new water matches the tank water as best you can.

 

[Bearchumjs]

I imagine you can go ahead with the water change as scheduled.