[BBB]

I see some people keep salt mixed up all the time and do not just make it before they do a water change. This brings up a question for me.

Can you age your new salt mix too long before using it?

Thank you,
Jeff

 

[cath]

Jeff- I'd like to know that too. Since my tank is small, I just mix it up a few days before I plan to do a water change. But then, if I have an emergency, there is no SW made up and ready.

 

[MontanaRocknReefer]

Excellent question! I make mine up 24hrs before a water change!

I would think you could make up a large amount in a large rubbermaid container and make sure it is sealed properly and should last along time! Not sure of this but I imagine there are people who do this!

 

[tdwyatt]

Can you age your new salt mix too long before using it?

The biggest problem with mixing synthetic seawater is not storage, but that it hasn't had enough time when initially mixed to be able to fully develop the carbonate/bicarbonate buffering system, and for CO2 to contribute to this system at saturation. So long as the water is well-circulated, aereated, kept at aquaria temp and stored in an open non-reactive container (to maintain CO2 and O2 saturation with the atmosphere), there is little reason not to keep seawater in storage for periods of up to a week at a time. There may become an issue with microbiological growth after a week in a container where there are no filter feeders or other biological filtration processes occuring (speculation on my part, not a known fact). Biggest concern would be evaporation of surface water, as it would change the salinity of stored water. If you store it, check the salinity, temp, and pH and adjust any variations accordingly prior to using it in a system containing live creatures.

my experience and opinion only, your milage may vary

 

[thefatman]

this i did not know..

i mix my saltwater exactly 3.2 seconds before adding it to the tank

i pour salt and water into bucket, and stir, then dump in sump.

guess i better change my plan.

 

[Prismaco]

I leave 4 2gallon jugs ontop of my canopy to heat the water up, then I mix it about an hour before I add water....sounds like I will be changing my method also....


-Paul

 

[MontanaRocknReefer]

So Tom is 24 hours time lapse acceptable?

 

[tdwyatt]

...I mix my saltwater exactly 3.2 seconds before adding it to the tank...

OOpppsss!!!!

Most of the time premixing about 3 to 6 hours prior to use after a well-agitated mixing will be sufficient to both completely dissolve the salts and to allow for complete saturation by atmospheric gasses. I go personally with 24 hours, but that is because I'm lazy and my own method allows me to leave it in the mixing barrel after 5 minutes of agitation, then come back the next day and it is at the correct salinity and temp as well as the gas saturation, etc. I still test it, but it doesn't require adjustment.

btw, If you're REALLY in a hurry (like you have an emergency waterchange, etc), Craig Bingman did an evaluatioin of an emergency 5 min procedure at this web page on Animal Network. Although I personally prefer the 24 hr equilibration, in a pinch, this will work.

 

[Junkzoo]

this i did not know..

i mix my saltwater exactly 3.2 seconds before adding it to the tank

i pour salt and water into bucket, and stir, then dump in sump.

guess i better change my plan.

Yup Jay,as a fellow reefer that started out mixing 5 gallons at time innna bucket in the bathtub,,,,,
(see i can learn something)
that was 15-20 yrs ago,,,now it's 55g rubbermaids w/ PH 's and heater,,,,
IMO made up SW has a longer shelf life than just RO /DI sitting the bucket.
as my water is filling, i throw some salt in there just so it's not "Freshwater"
RO/DI CAN go "stale" i'm told,,,,
like Tom said,,,ya gotta let the mix,,,,mix.

 

[Junkzoo]

i go with the 24 hr theory (or a lil longer) now BTW.

 

[thefatman]

on that note jeff, what's a safe time frame for ro/di water sitting in jugs?

i buy my ro/di at the grocery store from a dispenser. i go through about 1/2 gallon a day for top off, but when igo, i will usually fill 10gallons, then they sit in the room, until they are needed (1/2 gal a day) so the last jug may sit for over two weeks in a jug with a lid, until it gets used. would this be bad?

and the way i have been doign the sw mix, again the water may sit for a week or two, then i dump them into a 5g bucket, mix in salt, and pour in sump. i've already gathered this is bad. but am i making it even worse by using two week old water?

 

[Junkzoo]

on that note jeff, what's a safe time frame for ro/di water sitting in jugs?

Jay, i was told a while back , that RO/DI water will go "bad" in time ,if not refrigerated,,,chlorine/chloramines are out now etc.
did make me wonder on that theory,,,cuz i have well water with none of that in there to begin with

i do have a supply of RO and DI water made up and most times , a two/three day supply,,
drinking /dog/bird ,FO tank RO
DI reef tank top off.
IMO ,if sealed , ro/di oughta be ok for use for a week ,
anyone else?

 

[Junkzoo]

Jay , also, it might sound like overkill, but do some detective work at where you get you water at,,,,the water is only as good as the condition on the filter,,,find out when it was changed,,,,
a TDS meter might be a good idea to use on that water if you want to go that far,,,,
IMO, i would tend to think that the store water might be a tad less in quality than the true hobbyist RO system,,,
just me,,,,
i can tell you a story about a water company many years ago the went up for sale,,,
the new owners checked out the well the water "came from",,,it was CAPPED off!(cobwebs and all!)
a LOT of water hose type filling devices in the bottling plant,,,,
"oh, that's to rinse out/off the bottles"
bottom line, this company had won "best tasting water" in the Chicago region for years,,,
only to run tap water thru a carbon filter,,,then sell it!

 

[Casey]

I would not store for more than about 3 days to much evaporation and micro slime growing on walls etc I have tried it .

 

[Junkzoo]

I would not store for more than about 3 days to much evaporation and micro slime growing on walls etc I have tried it .

Casey, sounds like high heat , and not sealed /covered,,,as to your conditions.
my stuff is in my basement,,,the top-off is in gallon milk jugs(2-3 day+ supply)
never a problem with anything long after these timelines

 

[RayPollett]

thefatman,

Boy that takes you a long time to pour that bucket in; 3.2 seconds. I do it in 2.9 seconds.

I still just use tap water and mix the salt with water as I need to pour it in the tank. So much overkill in this hobby.

Ray

 

[Reefer Addict]

I mix my salt the night before I need to use it and mix it up with an airstone and a heater. I take a reading the next morning to make sure that it's the right temp and salinity, then I do my water change...
I still only use tap water since it's pretty clean and I don't have an RO/DI unit yet.
I figure with this regimen it gives the salt a chance to mix in well and time for the airstone to oxygenate the water to some degree.
It appears we all have our different methods of mixing.

 

[tdwyatt]

So much overkill in this hobby...

Hmmm...

yeah, there is a degree of overkill in some things, on this one it can make the difference between surviving and thriving...

Most of the things folks new to the hobby consider overkill are the things that do not present themselves as problems immediately, the use of RO/DI is a great example. Although there are parts of the country where tap water has less than 20 PPM TDS, those areas are few and far between. Many municipalities use water softeners and additives that make the water OK for its initial use for top-off or ASW, but over time, these substances accumulate in the tank (only pure water evaporates off, leaving behind all the additives to accumulate in the water column). Even well water is subject to the vagaries of the local agricultural activity in terms of dissolved nitrates and phosphates in groundwater. This is one of the things that will make the difference between having a beautiful alga-free tank and a stinking morass of uncontrollable cyanobacterial mats: the number one reason folks leave the hobby.

Ray, don't take this as flaming, it is just my pointing out that there is much to consider when thinking of the many details associated with this hobby as "overkill."

 

[RayPollett]

tdwyatt,

Not a problem, I take it as another view in a hobby were there are many ways of doing it.

I just disagree. I've been keeping aquatic live for over 40 years now. I do it for a living. Some of my customers tanks have been running for years. Once initial algea from die off on live rock durring cycling; rare do I see algae problems. Never seen a death due to water change caused by salt being mixed then poured in to tank.

Ray