mix your own ??

[batfire]

Hey all. First water change I bought premixed saltwater from the LFS for 1.50 a gal. !!!!!! cant make a habit of that ! What steps are recommended for mixing your own. I understand how to mix it and check the salinity. Does it need to be circulated for a period of time ??? I read that Instant Ocean claims to mix and use ????? Also depending on the temp. of the RO might have to add a heater ?? Guess if needed buying the extras would pay off in the long run.

[tmcpeek]

I have a
35 Gallon Rubbermaid Brute can
A maxijet 1200 powerhead
A fully submersible heater
A R/O D/I unit
I use oceanic salt.
I usually make up my water a day or 2 in advance and keep it circulating/ heated

Super easy once you figure out how much salt to add. I can get it right on now without having to adjust it later. Well worth the effort in my opinion. No lugging 5 gallon containers through the house anymore.

[lando]

Mixing your own at home will save you a lot of money. It is very easy. Get a bucket or rubbermaid tub depending on the amount you need to mix. Put in your salt and water and mix it up. Let it cirulate with a PH, a heater and an air-stone for at least 24hrs. Make sure SG and temp are the same as your main before doing the water change. It is just that easy. Good luck...Lando

[cmor1701d]

Generally mix it and wait 24 hours before use.
I mix up a 15-20 gallon batch using Oceanic salt. I use a rubbermaid container with a heater and a ph.
When I was still using IO I bought a food-grade industrial mixer that attaches to my electric drill and used that to mix the salt for a couple of minutes. Worked great.

[malkore]

all perfect advice. mix 24-48 hours in advance, use a powerhead or airstone, and bring it to the same temp as the tank water.

[klam]

And don't add any un-dissovled particles of salt to the tank.

[X the Outsider]

I pre-mix 24 hours in advance of a water change. I have a bucket in which I put in the water, and mix in salt. I have a small heater, and powerhead to keep it moving around. I used to use IO, but I'm going to try Oceanic to see how well that mixes.

[cmor1701d]

The Oceanic mixes very quickly. I started with Coralife (from the lfs with the tank), moved to IO as that was most people were/are using, switched to Oceanic when that came out and heard how easily it mixes (true). It is somewhat unbalanced though. I'm thinking of switching to Kent's based upon Steve's uses and posted balanced levels of that salt mix.