Is it better to mix your own SW

[SWnewby]

How hard is it to mix your own salt water, instead of buying premixed salt water? Because i've heard its hard from some people, and easy from others.

 

[dan81]

IMO it is more time consuming than difficult. Question is how do you want to spend your time? Going to the LFS, or mixing it yourself?

 

[redneckgearhead]

really depends on how big your tank is and how much you have to mix up, how far is your lfs.

 

[SWnewby]

like..20 or 30 mins, we have a 55 gallon tank

 

[redneckgearhead]

yea id mix it myself. but thats just me. give it a try, buy a small bag of salt and mix your own for a couple water changes and then buy your water and see wich is more convienent for you.

 

[JustOneMore20]

It isn't bad at all. I premix mine atleast a day before a water change. Just have the ro/di water ready and put in a powerhead and a heater...and then add the salt mix and there you go. Takes me about 5mins to set it up...then I just let it do its thing for a day or so. Its the water change part that I hate. That definitely takes too much time.

 

[thincat]

Mixing your own saltwater is easy. In the time that you spend driving to and from the LFS you can mix more then enough water to do a water change. All you need is a couple of 5g buckets, a refractor, a heater, a PH and RO/DI water with your choice of SW mix. I use IO salt.

 

[SWnewby]

Yeah i think i've decided just to mix it myself, i have a ton of time before i even set the tank up not to mention let it cycle through, to make mistakes with the water before i get it right, thank you guys!

 

[thincat]

Good luck and I am sure you will have allot of fun and satisfaction mixingl your own water.

 

[austinsdad]

There is no mistake to make. Either add more salt or fresh water to get it right. Add a powerhead and walk away. Check again after a few hours to ensure the right salinity reading.

 

[thincat]

austinsday makes a great point. After the salt is fully disolved then you will know the final salinity of the SW you are making. That's about the only thing you have to do to make sure your water is Okay. that and recheck the temp. to make sure that's okay too.