POLL! How you mix your Saltwater when you change it?

I am in the process of cycling a tank. since there is nothing in it I didnt have to worry about certain things like temperature, chlorine and ph
I was wondering what all your methods were and how they might vary. I plan on mixing about 10 gallons at a time since I have a 45 g tank. I have purchased a small Hamper for this. I figure Add the water. Mix your salt. dechlorinate the water, get the PH Correct then let it sit for how long with a heater to get to correct temp. Maybe i can set the can aside the tank when the water is ready. Then use 1 of my powerheads with some tubing from the hardware store. Maybe even a small sump pump used for pool covers could work as well. Just wondering what your methouds were and if I need to get myself a water Purifier or RO unit for a FOWLR tank . Fire Away!!!!

Dela

[jks1]

Hi Dela,
A RO wouldnt hurt but is not necessary for a FO tank. I usually mix my water in a trashcan and aerate and heat it for a day before adding it to my tank. If you want to use a PH i would suggest one with very little flow, i drip my water into my tank.

While your rock is cycling you should be aware of your temp, SG, PH, and ALK levels. Keeping these in the correct range will keep die-off to a minimum.

Keeping track of those are no problem as I have the necessary test kits. As far as dripping the water in that sounds like a great idea. do you just use a bucket with a siphon and a knot in the hose so it drips real slow?

dela :P

[dralarms]

I just mix mine up in a 5 gal bucket, make sure everything is correct, and run it in with the siphon hose. Am I doing something wrong?

[snapcrackler]

I do the same 2cents... I adjsut the salinity carefully but as far as temp goes I just match it by touch.

I mix in 5 gal buckets, coleman coolers, whatever happens to be nearby, drop a powerhead in there for 5-10 minutes, adjust it and go to town.

[alarmguy66]

same here, 5 gall bucket and a piece of 5/8 heater hose after mixing thoroughly

[drinkingbird]

Sounds like I may be doing to many extra steps I use RO water, adjust salinity, heat and aerate overnight. Next day I check temp & if the same, I fast drip in. Am I doing too much work or is this OK?

Am I doing too much work or is this OK?

I guess ( im still an apprentice here ) that this depends on your setup and how your tap water is. Many of us Have very hard water with a nice stable ph of like 7.2 but at the same time the water is so hard it is likely the culprit of all of our algae blooms. My friend, If we all had RO units and tons of elements to add i think we' would all do it. If you got a reef and have high light output i would say you have been diong your job well. If you have a fowlr tank or fo tank it might be slight overkill but a good practice nonetheless

dela

[BillyZ]

I use RO water, mix in the salt, heat and airate for at least 24 hours. After 24 hours if the temp and salinity are the same I then drain from my tanks as much as I have mixed new and use a PH to pump in the new water.

never had any algae bloom or other issues.

[HoopsGuru]

I think your practices are great drinkingbird. Much of the water we use, especially RO, is very low in oxygen. It is a good practice to aerate the water overnight regardless of the type of system and obviously matching salinity, PH, and temp are important. The only thing I see as a little much is the drip method, siphoning it right in should not create a problem.

[fishfreek]

I us a 30 gal trashcan. I fillit with RO water. Drop in a heater and powerhead. Let the water come up to tank temp (80F) and then I slowly sift in salt till I have added enough to get it to an approx SG of 1.025 I then let it sit for 24 hours and then check the SG. I then either add salt or add RO water to get the mix to where i want it.

I put a top over the salt at this point and leave it till im ready to use it. I leave the heater and powerhead in the trashcan utnil its empty and then i remove the items.

[two11devan]

I use a 5 gal bucket, fill it with my r/o water, drop in a PH to to mix up the water and then add salt until its close to the 1.025 mark....add a heater and let the water mix for 4-6 hrs; check the salinity and heat and adjust if needed. When the water is ready, I siphon 5 gal out of my tank and use the PH in the bucket to pump the new water in.....thats it

[RubixCube]

Slightly off topic but same idea. How long is water good for? Say if i mixed up a 5 gal bucket of water just for top offs and such, what would i need to do to keep it "fresh" ?

[jackdp]

I do 3 gallon water changes. Put store bought RO water into a 5 gallon bucket. Add the approximate amount of salt mix. I use a maxi-jet 600 to mix the water and a ebo jager heater to heat. I run the powerhead with the aerating feature to oxygenate the water. I let the water mix overnight and check salinity the next day and adjust as necessary. I usually let the water mix for at least 24 hours, then siphon the 3 gallons out of the tank and then add the freshly mixed SW in about 1-2 cup loads. I don't drip it in...no reason if the temp and salinity are close.

[two11devan]

Rubix cube, top off water for evaperation should not be salt water...The water evaporates and the salt stays, so all you need to do is add more water. Im not sure if you were talking about evaporation top offs or topping off after you acclimate a fish or something. As far as keeping slat water fresh, I think all you need to make sure is that doesn't sit for too long, it needs to be moved around by a PH. An airstone might also be needed, not sure though.

[Sam]

I have a 32G barrel that is automatically topped off from my RO/DI system. I have also calibrated the barrel so that I know where the water level is for 10 and 20 gallons out. When I need to do water changes (see my gallery) I shut off the DI feed valve, do my water changes and then turn the fill valve back on. Shutting it off will prevent dilution of my mix while I am doing the changes. Inside the tank, I have a submersible heater, a floating thermometer and a Maxijet powerhead going at all times (except when I so the changes, then I shut down the heater). Once the barrel is filled again and up to temp, I then add approximately the quantity (conservative) that I need and then test and adjust using a hydrometer. That water stays mixed in the barrel and agitated with the powerhead 24/7 for at least a week. There is no specific "shelf-life" for the mix, as long as you keep it agitated. I have my powerhead at the bottom of the barrel with the discharge pointing up so that there is good agitation and good oxygenation of the water. HTH 8)