Question on Mixing Saltwater?

N

nspiro88

Please bear with me here....I have never mixed saltwater before. After I get my mix and blend it with the water, is there anything else I need to do besides making sure everything is mixed well? Do I need to keep it circulating? Do I need to keep it heated? How much should I keep on hand at a time?
 
Keep it both aerated and heated if you're gearing up for a water change. If you're making it to just have on hand, neither is really important (assuming you aerate and heat it before you do a water change.)

I've got about 250g of tank, and I only keep about 10g on hand to replace water lost through skimming.
 
I would add salt to RODI (not TAP) water instead of adding water to the salt. Add powerheads and thermometer (set at 75 or temperature recommended by manufacturer) and let let it mix (cure) for at least 6 hours or overnight. Before doing water change or adding to tank, test water parameters and salinity. I use Instant Ocean and I have to dose Calcium to the water since Instant Ocean is known to have a lower calcium content in the salt.

I hope that didn't sound like I was talking like you were dumb, if it does I did not mean it that way. I am speaking from experience. My friend told me when he did his first water change, he did it with tap water. Just would want you to do that.
 
Heres a quick link of what you need. There are several different brands, but they pretty much do the same thing. Just make sure you can callibrate it.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewitem~idproduct~MD2101~productid~MD2101~channelid~FROOG~tab~2.html

David
 
Not to hijack... BUT, I'm curious... what's an acceptable pump for mixing say, 10g of saltwater? Is a Maxi Jet 900 or 1200 acceptable? Or does it need to be something bigger, like a Mag 3?
 
You can use a Refractometers / Hydrometer to check salinity. I got a Hydrometer when i first gone in the hobby and have upgraded to a refractometer (bought a used one on the board). If you choose to go with a hydrometer (cheaper, but do the job), make sure you get all the air bubbles off the needle or arm (that will cause inaccurate readings) I get the bubbles off by tapping it on the table (like when you put a cup of sprite on the table, all the bubbles rise to the top). Also I would take your water to a local fish store and have them test your salinity with a refractometer and then you test the same water with your hydrometer and you will know how off your hydrometer will be. I think the quality control of the hydrometer are not all that great. Since refractometers are more accurate, I brought my hydrometer to my local fish store and I discovered my readings were off from his. I was off by .001 I am speaking from experience. Refractometers are more expensive but a hydrometer will also get the job done too. It really depends on your expendable money on your hobby.

Here is a link to see all the options you can choose to check your salinity.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~thermometers_refractometers_hydrometers__index.html
 
@FranktheTank wrote:
Not to hijack... BUT said:
I use a rio 3100 to mix my salt (30 gallons) in a BRUTE trash can.

I put enough flow in it so that the pumps is rippling the top of the water surface when the pump is at the bottom of the container. I think as long as the top of the water is not calm, it's fine flow-wise.
Click to expand...
 
It's already been mentioned, but I wanted to reiterate the importance of the point. Add salt to water, NOT the other way around! If you add the water to the salt, the calcium will become super saturated and come out of solution, and you'll have a mess on your hands...
 
@Serk wrote:
It's already been mentioned said:
Can you elaborate on the effets of pouring water into salt? I am not arguing against it, but I am curious what exacty happens with the calcium.
Click to expand...
 
As you add water to the dry salt, you end up with a pool of supersaturated solution. If you've ever made rock sugar candy, you know what happens next. As you go past saturation, crystals start to form, which pull the solution out of the water.

So the end result is a salt solution with calcium precipitate (among others) on the bottom of the container.
 
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