mixing my salt water.

[buddy08]

Whats the best way to go about doing so? Is it okay to mix the water in my DT that currently is empty? (no sand, rock, etc. etc.) Would it be alright to drop the heater and powerheads into the DT and mix? and do i need to let the water sit before putting my live rock and sand in it?

 

[Bifferwine]

It is fine to mix the water in your tank. You are exactly right -- add powerheads and a heater, and let it mix for at least 24 hours. Then you are free to add your rock and sand.

 

[buddy08]

my rock has been in styrofoam containers since yesterday, the newspaper is still wet and the rock is still purple covered in coraline algae, is it alright biffer till tomorrow?

 

[dcantucson]

It will be fine as long as it stays very damp or preferably wet.

 

[buddy08]

ugh my ro/di unit takes soooo long!

 

[Bifferwine]

How many gallons per day is your unit? How long does it take to make 5 gallons? You may have to get a booster if you have low water pressure in your house.

 

[buddy08]

Its a typhoon iii 75GPD 5 stage ro/di, from the looks of it, probably 3 to 4 gallons an hour. I have it hooked to my sink faucet in the kitchen

 

[buddy08]

biffer, how soon can i add my sand and liverock into the tank? i know its good to let the saltwater cure for 24 hours but im beginning to worry about my liverock. Its been 12 hours so far, salinity levels are ranging in 1.024 - 1.025 but im not sure how accurate the hydrometer is. refractometer should arrive in mail anyday now :\

Main question is, would it hurt anything to put the sand and live rock in now or within the next few hours so that i can see how much more water i need to make to top it all off since my ro/di unit takes so long and saltwater takes a while to cure.