Thinking about making my own water

B

Brad Bessett

Premium Member
I know getting an RO/DI unit is a sound investment long term. Not to mention the haggle of taking jugs in to stores to get filled with RO and seawater.

But I don't want to invest in this if I have to keep going in for saltwater too, which leads to my question...

Is mixing your own saltwater (in your own RO water) as simple as buying a bucket of good salt (the kind with elements, etc.) and getting the measurements right?

I have a pile 5 gallon jugs and was thinking I'd fill with RO and then add the proper amount of salt, then test for salinity of course.
 
I mix up 40 gallons a week in a rubbermaid with a power head and heater, and then pump it in to the tank so no more luging water. Select the same salt the LFS uses and nothing should change. If they are adding additional elements they should tell you what they are adding.
 
Mixing in the 5g jugs might be a problem. You need to get a pump/powerhead inside to circulate the water. I suppose you could add your salt and shake but a brute or rubbermaid trashcan would be much easier. I do 25g in a brute trashcan as I need it.
 
I use the 5gal buckets from Lowes. Fill a couple up with water, add salt until I get to my desired salinity and then do a water change. Which salt to get is like asking a group of people what their favorite pizza is, they will all be different. Some like the cheap instant ocean salt and others will go with the stuff that costs twice as much. Personally I like Tropic Marin, Red Sea Coral Pro and Instant Ocean. Since I shop all over it does no good to know what each LFS uses.
 
My Mom has 2 small tanks and mixes SW in 2 gallon drinking containers. You just need a small power head. They run abt $6.00 on Amazon. Run the PH in tap water or RO to rinse and should last years.

Mixing your own is so much easier than those trips to the LFS and will pay for the expense of the equipment. Oh, and look for a Leak Frog or other water detector.
 
I purchase 200 gallon boxes of salt mix from PetSolutions which has 4 bags of salt. I mix saltwater in 5 gallon batches in a tall (7 gallon?) Kent Marine salt bucket. When I open a bag, I weigh it all out in 1 pound 10 ounce ziploc baggies so that when I need to mix a batch, I can grab a pre weighed bag. You need the taller bucket to mix a 5 gallon batch so that it doesn't slosh out while mixing. A 5 gallon bucket will be too short. Also, you might find that in order to achieve the specific gravity that you want, you may need a slightly different amount. I store the salt water in 5 gallon jugs, but prefer to keep at most 3 gallons in each jug so as to make it easier when pouring. 5 gallons can be very heavy, and difficult to pour without spilling sometimes.
 
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