How does one age their new saltwater?
- Thread starter gettanked
- Start date
- Location
- Ossining, NY
I am curious to hear what you mean "age"
House
House
- Location
- The Big City
I think since most of the people here use RO or RO/DI water people aren't aging the water like they use to do in the past, to get the chlorine out.
I have a 50 gal drum that I fill up as the week goes on, and when I'm ready to do water changes I take the water from the 50 gal drum. I then mix in salt, in the morning, and then do the water change in the afternoon or evening. Some times I will do the change sooner, once the salt is completely dissolve. As for daily top-offs, I just take from the 50 gal drum and put that directly into my tank. Some times I just take the water straight from my RO unit and use that for top-offs.
I have a 50 gal drum that I fill up as the week goes on, and when I'm ready to do water changes I take the water from the 50 gal drum. I then mix in salt, in the morning, and then do the water change in the afternoon or evening. Some times I will do the change sooner, once the salt is completely dissolve. As for daily top-offs, I just take from the 50 gal drum and put that directly into my tank. Some times I just take the water straight from my RO unit and use that for top-offs.
I like to share how I mix my saltwater to properly age it before use:
First I use a gray Rubber Made 32 gallon trash can, (if you use the cheaper thin walled trash cans you can and will leach chemicals into your water).
Inside the 32 gallon trash can is an inner ledge, I fill with R/O DI water to the top of inner ledge and that’s 25 gallons of water.
I use a 1200 Mag Drive water pump (A big water pump will act as a heater to heat the water, a heater might and can burn a hole in your trash can.) to stir the 25 gallons of water, I then open up 1-25 gallon bag of sea salt and dump the sea salt into the moving water and let it stir for 24 to 48 hours. If you start out with your R/O DI water temp. being at least 75 degrees, then you only have to mix your saltwater for 24 hours providing you are using an adequate water pump.
There is particularly one ingredient (Borate/Boron which is one in the same) is in a sea salt mix that does not readlly dissolve in cooler water.
The reason that I use such a big water pump is that you really need to agitate the water surface to expel the gases that are produce by the dissolving dry sea salt ingredients.
The reason that I let the water stir for 24 to 48 hours is that, that’s a lot of dry sea salt for any given amount of water you are making and you have to give it time to dissolve and inter mix 100%.
For those of you who mix their sea salt by hand or with an inadequate size water pump or power head and wait 10 minutes to a few hours and use this water to do a partial water change are doing your saltwater tank an unjust. (This is only my opinion)
Have you ever gotten some table salt in an open cut?
Well any un-dissolved salt crystal will burn you and this is just one of the things that you are doing to the live animals in your tank when you are not properly aging your saltwater.
This is how and why I age my new sea salt - Garry
First I use a gray Rubber Made 32 gallon trash can, (if you use the cheaper thin walled trash cans you can and will leach chemicals into your water).
Inside the 32 gallon trash can is an inner ledge, I fill with R/O DI water to the top of inner ledge and that’s 25 gallons of water.
I use a 1200 Mag Drive water pump (A big water pump will act as a heater to heat the water, a heater might and can burn a hole in your trash can.) to stir the 25 gallons of water, I then open up 1-25 gallon bag of sea salt and dump the sea salt into the moving water and let it stir for 24 to 48 hours. If you start out with your R/O DI water temp. being at least 75 degrees, then you only have to mix your saltwater for 24 hours providing you are using an adequate water pump.
There is particularly one ingredient (Borate/Boron which is one in the same) is in a sea salt mix that does not readlly dissolve in cooler water.
The reason that I use such a big water pump is that you really need to agitate the water surface to expel the gases that are produce by the dissolving dry sea salt ingredients.
The reason that I let the water stir for 24 to 48 hours is that, that’s a lot of dry sea salt for any given amount of water you are making and you have to give it time to dissolve and inter mix 100%.
For those of you who mix their sea salt by hand or with an inadequate size water pump or power head and wait 10 minutes to a few hours and use this water to do a partial water change are doing your saltwater tank an unjust. (This is only my opinion)
Have you ever gotten some table salt in an open cut?
Well any un-dissolved salt crystal will burn you and this is just one of the things that you are doing to the live animals in your tank when you are not properly aging your saltwater.
This is how and why I age my new sea salt - Garry
Froggie said:
Well, I guess I'm just one of the old timers that uses the aging phrase.
How much water volume and what size of a pump or power head are you using?
A good salt mix does not need a DKH buffer or Iodide/Iodine supplement.
Have you tested your levels of DKH and or Iodide/Iodine in your new batch of saltwater before adding? -Garry
I change roughly 2g every week (I have a 7g nano) and circulate the waterchange with a 210gph rated powerhead. I use a 150w heater.
Concerning Iodine and DKH buffer, I only does Lugol's becuase I find that my LPS corals slime less after the water change when I do so.
I don't test much of anything. I'm a very passive reefer. I guage my water levels based on my corals looks. I'm a very un-technical hobbyist and so far, everything has worked out well for me .
Concerning Iodine and DKH buffer, I only does Lugol's becuase I find that my LPS corals slime less after the water change when I do so.
I don't test much of anything. I'm a very passive reefer. I guage my water levels based on my corals looks. I'm a very un-technical hobbyist and so far, everything has worked out well for me .
Froggie,
Knowing what your water parameter is basic, knowing what water chemistry is, now that’s technical, but that’s just my opinion.
Does it not concern you that your LPS slime when you do a partial water change, that’s not normal at all for any coral?
When corals slim, molt, shrink-up or close-up it’s a defense mechanism which means that something is bothering and or irritating them, which causes stress to the corals which is not normal, and you say slimming happens with each water change.
I personally never saw a coral slime after a water change.
Has anyone else here at MR experience coral sliming when they do water changes?
Froggie you will sooner or later end up with a bigger tank, remember bad habits die hard, good habits last for ever. Just some FYI for you - Garry
Knowing what your water parameter is basic, knowing what water chemistry is, now that’s technical, but that’s just my opinion.
Does it not concern you that your LPS slime when you do a partial water change, that’s not normal at all for any coral?
When corals slim, molt, shrink-up or close-up it’s a defense mechanism which means that something is bothering and or irritating them, which causes stress to the corals which is not normal, and you say slimming happens with each water change.
I personally never saw a coral slime after a water change.
Has anyone else here at MR experience coral sliming when they do water changes?
Froggie you will sooner or later end up with a bigger tank, remember bad habits die hard, good habits last for ever. Just some FYI for you - Garry
Thx for the advicegettanked said:
I do have test kits, Saliferts and other complete "sets." However, I dont test much. I used to be very obsessive with my nitrate levels, alk, and calcium levels. It's not that I dont know water parameters, I choose not to rely on them and rather, guage my tank's health by my coral's health and growth.
THe only thing I test for every now and then is my pH level. The product I use Chemi-pure does a good job at keeping my pH in the 8.2 range. I test it every 3 or 4 months to know when to swap out the chemi-pure for a new one. I know my nitrates level are high when my I get some brown diatoms on my GSP mat. I know when my Alk levels are out of whack when my Xenias look funny. ETC.
Its only then that I test. I don't test on a schedule basis...I test when see signs of trouble. As a result of my "risky" methodologies, I keep mostly soft corals or rather, ones that are considered hardy.
Furthermore, I expose my corals when I do a water change which might cause them to slime up slightly.
Remember 2g water change is roughly 25-30% for me, so a my partial water change isn't so partial...it's actually a good chunk of total water volume.
With a 2000g system, 25g water change is nothing for your system. If I had a system of that size with all the investment I've put in (you're in the business of propagationg corals too), I would test more often...but right now, why worry myself? I let my reef do it's thing and I sit back and relax and take in the box of water in front of me
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I followed the instructions from another MR member whom I believed is an old timer too:tongue1: :tongue1: J/K J/K
I mixed RO/DI water in a trash can with a power head and then let it run til next day before I do WC. He said we should run the powerhead longer because the salt mix may not completely dissolved even though the water looks crystal clear.
I mixed RO/DI water in a trash can with a power head and then let it run til next day before I do WC. He said we should run the powerhead longer because the salt mix may not completely dissolved even though the water looks crystal clear.
- Location
- Forest Hills
i mix ro/di water in a 200g salt pail w/400g/hr ph. for about a 12 hr to a day.
i guess i should wait longer.
is there any particlar way to add the salt mix?
i guess i should wait longer.
is there any particlar way to add the salt mix?
I've always made sure that when making up replacement saltwater, to heavily aerate and attain proper temp. for a minimum of 48 hours. I too employ a strong powerhead, though I've recently upgraded to a larger brute can for my newer system which will require a larger more suffecient pump to get the deed done.
Good thread for newbies Gettanked, bravo.....
Good thread for newbies Gettanked, bravo.....
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