How to properly add sea salt to the water?

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I'm just started saltwater tank can you explain some kind of information and things I have to buy for the reef tank?

like substrate, hydrometer, refractometer brand and stuff, as of right now I only have 10 mollies in the bare bottom saltwater tank.

Another question; Do I need things like power head and wave maker to mix salt?

Sorry for asking a bit too much, I’m just getting started on saltwater things...
 
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I have heard of mollies being kept in brackish water but never full marine setups. I'm interested in seeing how it works out.
 
I bought the reef salt and it doesn’t say how much I have to add on the package, what I normally do is I pour the salt until the salinity is 32.

Is there any specific dosage or any spoon I can use to match the salinity?
Use a hydrometer to measure the salinity.

Make the water up in a large plastic container. Fill it with dechlorinated water and add some marine salt. Aerate the solution for 24 hours and measure the salinity. When the salinity (salt level) is correct, use that water for water changes.

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Yeah, I’m quite concerning about animal cruelty at this point.
Mollies are fine in sea water. If you have concerns, just use half strength sea water so they are in brackish water instead of full strength sea water.

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I'm just started saltwater tank can you explain some kind of information and things I have to buy for the reef tank?

like substrate, hydrometer, refractometer brand and stuff, as of right now I only have 10 mollies in the bare bottom saltwater tank.

Another question; Do I need things like power head and wave maker to mix salt?
Substrate can be anything from beach sand, aquarium gravel, shells, whatever you like. Normally marine tanks have beach sand or fine shells to help keep the pH high. If it's just for mollies, use whatever you like.

You don't need a hydrometer and a refractometer. Just get one or the other. The hydrometer is a lot cheaper than a refractometer.

The only tanks that need a wave maker are coral tanks. If you want a power head you can but mollies don't need it. Just an airstone or small power filter will provide plenty of water movement in the tank.
 
What I want is 20 gal reef tank with mollies (3 are now pregnant:S)

I just wanted to know the brand I should use, as of right now I have a plastic hydrometer that smells “grovity Hodromotor” on the package and as you know it’s a china stuff.
 
You need live sand in that tank. The stuff in bags that comes wet. That's what we used back when I was lookin after marine tanks. It is sold specifically for marine.

When we did water changes, we used buckets, added water and stirred in salt until it reached the right reading and dissolution, then poured it in. Then you just check the tank for salinity every week, because while water evaporates, salt doesn't.

Marine is a bit more work, but there are some neat critters you can have. Only reason I have not set up a marine tank is cost. Some of them fish are......spendy. They are good lookin tho.
 
I'm just started saltwater tank can you explain some kind of information and things I have to buy for the reef tank?

like substrate, hydrometer, refractometer brand and stuff, as of right now I only have 10 mollies in the bare bottom saltwater tank.

Another question; Do I need things like power head and wave maker to mix salt?

Sorry for asking a bit too much, I’m just getting started on saltwater things...
Sand
Many people will keep their tank bare. That's something useful if you are keeping certain corals. I personally like to have sand. I use a specific one I have found works great. It is Carib Sea Arag-Alive 20-Pound Fiji Pink Sand. I am not sure you can get it all over the world though.
There are a couple of things to talk about in regards to this marine substrate. First is the “alive” part. It has bacteria already in it. This reduces cycling time and makes for a much better start to a new tank. But this also means that the consumer has to be cautious when buying this. There is an expiration date on the package. The bacteria will eventually die off and this date is a measure of that. You will also notice that the bag has water in it. This is for the bacteria. If this water is gone do not buy the bag or send it back to Amazon if you already did. Sometimes this will happen if the bag gets punctured or it is a sign the bag is well beyond the expiration date.

The second thing to talk about is the word “pink” in the title. This sand isn’t really pink, like pink gravel in a freshwater tank. It has some light flakes of pinkish material in it. I personally wouldn’t even use that word to describe it. However, it isn’t pure white. There is even some gold colored flecks. For me, this fits my personal aesthetic really well. I’ve used it many times and love it.

Also, the size of the sand is such that it doesn’t hold onto detritus. It has that nice grain size where stuff doesn’t get trapped but there is enough surface area for bacteria to thrive in the sand bed. Also, if you enjoy infauna like worms or snails that dwell in the sand it is perfect. Also perfect for watchman goby and pistol shrimp.

A hydrometer and a refractometer

These are both used for the same thing - determining your salt level. I own both but I like to use the refractometer better as it is way more accurate. They used to be very expensive but no longer are. I am not sure exactly why they have dropped so much. I paid $85 for mine 20 years ago. You can get them now for half that or less that are still good quality.

A quick note on salt that sometimes gets overlooked - you top off your tank with fresh water not with salt water. Salt doesn't evaporate so as water leaves the tank your salt level will actually go up. If you were to top off with salt water you will continue this upward climb. Topping off with fresh keeps your level. I have an auto top off system that keeps my tank topped off.

You really do need a powerhead to mix the salt. I have a 35 gallon Brute trash can I put the water and salt in and drop in a pump. I then use that same pump to pump the water out of the can into the tank and I used that same pump to pump out the amount I want to change.

I know you just asked about a powerhead for mixing salt but it is a good time to mention them in general.

Powerhead

Yes, you need this. Your tank will need flow. The fish you have are going to be used to a certain current and they will be more healthy if you replicate it.

Wavemaker

No, you don't need this but you want it. I use a Vortech MP40 on my tank. It doesn't just make waves, it can do all sorts of water flow changes. Waves aren't really where it is at. There is a lot of info and a video about how much flow you need here: How Much Flow Do I Need? – Fish Tank Fan
 
All of these are the illegal coral in Thailand:
1. (Order) Gorgonacea
2. (Order) Antipatharia
3. (Order) Actinaria
4. (Order) Scleractinia and (Order) Stylasterina
5. (Genus) Milleporina
6. (Order) Helioporacea
7. (Order) Alcyonacea

Is there anything I can keep that is not in these orders?
Zoanthids? Corallimorpharia?

@Colin_T @Chad
 
zoanthids, corallimorpharia, acropora, leather corals, fungia/ heliofungia,
 
I think there are plenty of corals for you to choose from outside of those groups. You just need to decide now what kind of tank you want to have. Soft corals, Large Polyp Stony corals (LPS), small poly stony corals (SPS) or some mix. SPS tend to have some tremendous colors, but are hardest to keep and most expensive to buy and maintain. LPS can also have some great colorations and aren't as difficult to keep. Soft corals are the easiest and most forgiving with the exception of some species of zoathis and ricordia. Palythoa do exceptionally well, xenia, mushrooms, clove polyps, green star polyps, all do well for most people.
 
I really don’t know why so many things are illegal here!

I don’t think corals are that hard to grow right?
 
I don’t think corals are that hard to grow right?
They are. Some very hard. Nearly impossible in some cases. And it all depends. Some corals are good beginner corals like paly, zoa, and most mushroom corals. Soft corals are your best bet for starters. Even so, I recommend waiting until your tank is 6 months old before introducing them. If you want to try anemone wait a year. Even the easiest anemone (bubble tip) suffer if the water parameters aren't stable and right. New tanks (anything under a year) tend to fluctuate as they find a balance. They require the right water, the right flow, and the right lighting and some (the SPS) require constant testing and additives to keep them growing.
 
Corals need bright light, clean water and a temperature between 22-28C. If the temperature gets too high, the corals bleach. Hard corals (coral with a stony skeleton) are more prone to bleaching than soft corals, but they all bleach when stressed. You might have problems with corals in Thailand due to the heat.

Big anemones might eat the mollies in a small tank.
 
Thailand has coral reefs so often countries with reefs have strict laws concerning their importation and exportation. This is likely why you cannot obtain certain species. But that's okay, there are plenty you can get and enjoy. I really do recommend mushroom corals as a starter. They are colorful, hardy, and reproduce pretty quickly so you will end up with nice growth. This photo is from my tank. It has several types of mushroom, green star polyps, palythoa, zoanthus and two kinds of clove polyps.

DSCF0786.JPG
 
Thanks to @PheonixKingZ ’s “interested in sw thread”, I’m interested in saltwater again!

I went to so many local reef store and most of them are in the dark alleyway (because it’s illegal) and discovered that the live rocks are illegal too!

Apparently the only way to have live rock in the tank is a DIY live rocks, I need an opinion if this thing and ingredients and pvc primer from this video is safe for fish or not. Also what does “curing” means? @Chad @Colin_T



 
Curing the rock has two functions.
1. For dry rock to build up the bacteria
2. For live rock to give the die-off time to decay before placing it in your tank. When the rock is taken from the ocean, and transported across the country, there will be a certain amount of organisms that do not make the trip. If you were to put this into your tank it will cause spikes in ammonia and nitrates as well as phosphates.

Here is some more information on live rock: How to choose good live rock.
 

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