Saltwater mixing

[leon1972]

Hey guys I know I need to let my water sit overnight because it is caustic freshly mixed. I was also told it is supposed to have a pump or mix the whole 24 hours. That I don't believe. I'm thinking it only REALLY needs to mix till all the salt is dissolved?

 

[kevdogg]

That is true that it only REALLY needs to mix until the salt is dissolved. But why worry about it? I drop my pumps and heaters in the 5gal buckets the day before I do water changes. If they run all night its just peace of mind that they will be heated and mixed well! Not to mention I've noticed that it can take 6+ hrs to get the salt to fully dissolve (water goes clear).

 

[leon1972]

Yeah, we'll, I'm mixing 3 buckets and have only one pump

 

[kevdogg]

your fine once the water goes clear, at least thats what I did until I found some more pumps at a garage sale. still working great!

 

[reefer82]

Hoe do you keep three buckets of water heated over night would u need 3 heaters lol i gotta be missing something. What about people with 100 gal tanks

 

[kevdogg]

Ive got 3 heaters and 3 pumps. soon going to be switching over to a 35 gallon drum thus eliminating the need for so many fixtures.

 

[leon1972]

I thought about buying av30 al trash can I would always keep filled actually. Too much a pain in the ass though. Lol

 

[kevdogg]

Thats what I'm going to do. I have a float attached to my RO line that shuts off the water when the can is full. Since I am changing so much water its going to be easier for me this way.

 

[leon1972]

Well I normally only chane over 6 gallon weekly. But I used to use tap water. Now that I got my ro (which of course I didnt buy till the worlds worst diatom outbreak) I am doing 10 gal a day water changes till outbreak is gone. Lol

 

[little_fish]

You really dont need to heat the water unless you are doing a huge change, but it is important to let the stuff sit over night with a pump.

 

[leon1972]

Why is the pump so important once it's mixed?

 

[little_fish]

because you need to get the water oxygenated, and just because it looks clear to your eye, the salt might still not be fully dissolved.

 

[Northstar24]

Why is the pump so important once it's mixed?

Because saltwater is incredibly caustic when freshly mixed. The best way to make it non caustic is to aerate it for 24 hours with a small utility pump. If a 5 gallon bucket is too small and you don't to buy multiple pumps, go spend $10 and buy a 20 gallon Rubbermaid

It's really not that complicated, and your fish and coral will thank you

 

[leon1972]

Well, I only need ten gallons and as bsurd as It sounds I can not find a 10 gallon bucket

 

[BL1]

You can get a 10 gallon rubbermaid container from walmart, or you could even get a 10 gallon fish tank from walmart for like 12 bucks.

 

[leon1972]

Closest Walmart isan hour away

 

[robbrouse]

What I would do is get a 15 gallon container and figure out the 10 gallon mark (empty one gallon jugs work for this). This way you have room for splash. if you used a a fish tank it will be filled to the brim and there would be spillage. Just my thoughts. I paid $5 for an 18 gallon tub (Wally World). I used it to clean my dead rock, but you would mix up 10 gallon or salt in it.