How long can mixed water sit??

[reefobsessed]

I mixed some water last Friday & never got around to putting it in the tank. It has had a power head in there the entire time so the question how long can it sit before I need to throw it out. Is it safe to use...

[captivereefs]

go ahead and use it. I often have water sitting around for more than a month. THe key is to just have it mixing with a powerhead and you will be fine.

[jamal-188]

I usually try and mix up 30g at a time and it sits a few weeks as well. Don't see why it would cause a problem like Darin said.

[reefobsessed]

Thanks

[Mach]

Where do you guys store your water? I was planning on storing them in a rubbermaid tub. But was told that it wasnt a good idea from aquafx salesperson. They said that it needed to be stored in a food ready storage container. Such as a poland spring 5 gallon jug that gets delivered for home use drinking water. Any thoughts.

Anthony

[BBReef]

as long as you have some kind of lid on it to keep out dust and free floating objects, a rubbermaid should be fine.

[OhTheHumanity]

Where do you store the tub?

With a 2 and 3 year old I can't hardly store it in the house. Is the garage ok and just put a heater in a couple days before I do the change?

[OhTheHumanity]

Anyone? lol

[Biggen]

With a 2 and 3 year old I can't hardly store it in the house. Is the garage ok and just put a heater in a couple days before I do the change

The garage is fine. Just make sure you leave a heater and powerhead in there and you could store it there indefinitely.

[cmor1701d]

it needed to be stored in a food ready storage container

The 20 gallon rubbermaid grey containers that are sold at Lowes and Home Depot are food grade. Check the Rubbermaid web site.

[pipermurphy]

I was talking to a new guy at the LFS who told me it was unneccessary to keep mixed SW at the ready. He said that there are too amny drawbacks, ie Iodine is gone in 48 hrs, CA drops, etc. He told me that all you need to do is mix up enough for your waterchanges 24 hrs ahead of time. Does anyone agree?

[Brisc0]

I make up 40 gallons at a time and it sits for 2 - 6 weeks. I have never had any problems with that. I don't recommend the 24 hour "pre-brew" because if you make just enough water to do your water change, chances are you'll come up short and be hosed. I change 20G every 2 weeks, so I keep double what I need brewed at all times. That 20G change is never 20G on the dime and can range up to 30G depending on how vaccum happy I get.

[bizzybeas]

I thought if you stored water in a closed container the ph drops. I have been keeping a slight crack in the lids of mine. Should I keep them closed?

You can keep a tight lid on it if you wish, just be sure it is well aerated for a few hours prior to use to allow the ph to rise naturally. The main problem with leaving it open is possible contamination of airborn pollutants. I usually have 2x 5 gal buckets on the go "just in case" but I keep a PH and polyfilter in each to ensure the water does not become contaminated. A quick check and adjustment of the salinity and it will usually be good to go. Generally it's best to check ph, salinity, alk and temp prior to use.

Cheers
Steve