Brine solution?

[cowgirluntamed]

Ok...so I'm going to be using zeolite and carbon to prefilter my well water for a couple of days before I do water changes. I know zeolite can be recharged with a brine solution a few times. I've Googled and you tubed and searched all over......but how do I make a brine solution??? I can't figure out how much salt to how much water. And most say you just leave it for 24 hours in this and then let it dry out? (Either in the sun or by baking?) Colin_T mentioned to just keep running the filter in this solution for 24 hours which I can do. So it could be around 5 gallons of water that I use. But how much salt so I need? Also, can this solution be reused as well or do I need to make it fresh every time?

Ps- for those of you following my last large thread...I'm still losing tetras. I haven't added salt yet as I wanted to do a water change. Had to order new filters to be able to prefilter the water though and they are here tomorrow.

 

[Colin_T]

Seawater has 35 grams of salt per litre. You will have to use the calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of the page for your funny American litres

You should be able to re-use the salt water a few times but you will have to monitor the water you are cleaning. Just do a test for ammonia and as long as the zeolite removes it you can keep using the salt water.

The cheapest way to buy salt is a bag of swimming pool salt, it costs about $5.00 for a 20kg bag. Keep it dry and off the ground so it doesn't sweat on the carpet.

It's possible the well water is causing the tetra and harlequin deaths.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Seawater has 35 grams of salt per litre. You will have to use the calculator/ converter in the "How To Tips" at the top of the page for your funny American litres

You should be able to re-use the salt water a few times but you will have to monitor the water you are cleaning. Just do a test for ammonia and as long as the zeolite removes it you can keep using the salt water.

The cheapest way to buy salt is a bag of swimming pool salt, it costs about $5.00 for a 20kg bag. Keep it dry and off the ground so it doesn't sweat on the carpet.

It's possible the well water is causing the tetra and harlequin deaths.

Thanks Colin. I'll go look up the conversion thing. Lol.

The other fish I've had for a while are perfectly fine in the water. Except for the bristlenose (which I ordered from aquabid), the rest are from Petsmart. The new cories, I THINK, are all fine. Dang things won't hold still or come out all at once to get a proper count. Lol. The harlequins just seem to die...no signs beforehand that I can tell. I only have 2 left. The glowlights usually swim funny for two or three days before they go. Right now all look ok.

I did put one down the other day as it wasnt swimming anymore or trying to get away from me. I looked close at it and I really didn't see the abdomen or muscles being white. It actually had its color mostly still. But I couldn't see anything else wrong. They just start swimming funny until it progresses enough to where they don't swim anymore. I almost wonder if it was paralyzed except for breathing but not a clue. That last one didn't even twitch when I picked it up with plant tweezers more than once. I had not done a water change either yet when the last two passed. So I don't know...I'm just about giving up on this load of fish.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

@Colin_T

So for some reason it wouldn't let me on the converter page. But there's lots of those on google. If I did it right...it will be almost a half a cup of salt per gallon. (I rounded some measurements up for ease of use).

Anyway, do I need to let the zeolite dry out after I do the brine solution on it?

 

[AbbeysDad]

I don't know about zeolite but I use API Nitra-Zorb in a now discontinued API Tap water filter (pictured here on the right) to filter out nitrates from my well water (I follow with an inline carbon filter)...

I'm not sure, but your recharge process could be similar.?

I recharge the resin with a brine solution. I use non-iodized table salt (although I could use aquarium salt). I mix 1-2 cups of salt in a gallon jug with warm water (It's not precise, just a real salty water). I drain the fresh water from the cartridge, then fill with the brine solution. I let it sit overnight, then drain and refill with fresh brine solution and seal it up. The filter sits this way until the next use when I fully flush with fresh water. I do not reuse any of the salt water as I consider it waste water.

Footnote: When I started using this DIY filter, my well water was 40-80ppm nitrates (a very deep red) so I only got 100 gallons or less before recharging. Now my well water nitrates are about 5-10ppm so I get 250+ gallons between recharges. I've been using the same resin now since Feb 2013!

 

[cowgirluntamed]

I don't know about zeolite but I use API Nitra-Zorb in a now discontinued API Tap water filter (pictured here on the right) to filter out nitrates from my well water (I follow with an inline carbon filter)...

I'm not sure, but your recharge process could be similar.?

I recharge the resin with a brine solution. I use non-iodized table salt (although I could use aquarium salt). I mix 1-2 cups of salt in a gallon jug with warm water (It's not precise, just a real salty water). I drain the fresh water from the cartridge, then fill with the brine solution. I let it sit overnight, then drain and refill with fresh brine solution and seal it up. The filter sits this way until the next use when I fully flush with fresh water. I do not reuse any of the salt water as I consider it waste water.

This is Marineland Ammonia Neutralizer which I believe is just zeolite. It will go in a mesh bag in an HOB filter to prefilter water in a trashcan before water changes. As far as I've read, the brine will release the ammonia from the zeolite. Is this what happens with the nitra-zorb? I could always have a gallon jug and do as you do but maybe pour the water into a bowl with a lid? It does seem quite a bit easier. Lol. I was just going to move the filter over to a smaller tub with brine(without the carbon), and let it wash through it for 24 hours. But if just letting it sit in a bowl would work just as well, I could definitely save water and electricity as well.

I also bought some rock salt to use, it was less expensive than the rest.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

So....turns out I don't have to use that much zeolite. Not sure on carbon....I need to order bigger bags for the filters though. Lol. At least for the carbon. I'm using Marineland bio wheel 150 filters. Only for the price...lol. and I used one before and knew they had a decent sized space for media.

Anyway, I only had 3 inch x 4 inch mesh bags. The zeolite actually had a formula to figure out how much to use. Ppm of ammonia x 0.009 = # of cups of zeolite per gallon.

Normally I have 0.25ppm and I believe there are around 30 gallons each in those cans. That would have put me at just over 3 teaspoons I think for each can. I did like...5 or 6 tablespoons....lol. I think I'm covered in case there is more ammonia than that. I did a bit more carbon though but not much.

Here are a couple of pictures of the setup. Since there is so much space I put the zeolite in the first part to make sure the water goes all goes through it. I also have tube extensions to make it go down further. I'm hoping this turns the water better. I don't know if even really need an airstone with this setup as the water is tumbling out higher up. Lol. Let me know what you think! I will do water tests Thursday to see how it does.

 

[AbbeysDad]

You have ammonia in your well water and not nitrates???

 

[Colin_T]

I would add an airstone to each bucket.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

You have ammonia in your well water and not nitrates???

I have like 0.25ppm of ammonia and 5 nitrates usually. Always been that way. It's never bothered the fish before but for some reason I was getting strange readings. So prefilter in the water is what I chose to do.

I would add an airstone to each bucket.

I will see what I can do. I bought more airline tubing so now I just have to find where I put it.....lol.

 

[NickAu]

Have you tried using plants to lower your ammonia and nitrites? It would mean you would have to prepare your water well in advance.

How about putting cycled media in the filter on the bucket?

Just thinking out loud sorry

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Have you tried using plants to lower your ammonia and nitrites? It would mean you would have to prepare your water well in advance.

How about putting cycled media in the filter on the bucket?

Just thinking out loud sorry

I think just a couple days in advance is about all I can do. I don't plan to run these full time. But if it works, then I can at least do my weekly water changes. Lol.

Cycled media isn't a bad idea....but maybe once my tanks are more stable and stocked more. Then we will see.

 

[seangee]

I got a 3 stage canister filter on Amazon and attached a hosepipe fitting as filtering 3 times takes the same time as filtering once. I also found some refillable cartridges so I can put any media in them.

I have activated carbon in stage 3, nitrate reducing resin in stage 2 and stage 1 is softening resin half the time and simple polyester the other half (so I don't need to muck about with fittings).

 

[cowgirluntamed]

I got a 3 stage canister filter on Amazon and attached a hosepipe fitting as filtering 3 times takes the same time as filtering once. I also found some refillable cartridges so I can put any media in them.

I have activated carbon in stage 3, nitrate reducing resin in stage 2 and stage 1 is softening resin half the time and simple polyester the other half (so I don't need to muck about with fittings).

I'm not sure what you mean by a hose pipe fitting? Are you prefiltering the water or is this in the tank? I'm prefiltering.

For the ammonia to be reduced it takes a couple of days at least to go through the zeolite to be absorbed. I can also put whatever I want in the mesh bag. And it's just water in a can, no big particles so don't need the mechanical filtration.

I have other filters on the tanks themselves of course.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I have like 0.25ppm of ammonia and 5 nitrates usually. Always been that way. It's never bothered the fish before but for some reason I was getting strange readings. So prefilter in the water is what I chose to do.

Given these numbers, I think I might just use Prime as the water conditioner and not bother with any pre-filtering....and as mentioned, if it's a planted tank (especially fast growing floating plants), the ammonia would also be taken care of. Prime would bind the ammonia (48~hours) rendering it harmless until the bio-filter (or plants) can process it.
Granted your source water would not be 'as good' as nitrate free water, but it's low enough so that if you were to increase the frequency/volume of weekly water changes (over what might be done with nitrate free water) it should be fine.