Mixing Sea Salt W/ Water

[sic0198]

Could someone tell me how to mix sea salt with the aquarium water?


Do I mix it when the qater is in the tank?

 

[BigC]

Hi,
If the tank is bare and is newly set up then you can mix your first batch in the tank itself (using mfg instructions) to attain the correct specific gravity at the temperature you've set. For waterchanges I use cheap weighing scales and measure out enough salt to change 12ltrs of water (sg 1.026 at 80'F) For me it comes in around 500g or just under 1lb of salt to achieve this.
Regards
BigC

 

[rabbut]

Unless the tank is literally a glass box, without liverock and preferably without any substrate, you realy don't want to mix salt in the tank. Fish don't like sudden changes in salinity (which will happen if you re-fill after a waterchange with Fresh RO and then add the salt, or add the salt and then the RO), and adding fresh RO to a tank that is empty of water, but contains liverock, will kill it

At work, I use 80g Water butts, adding 5 fishfood (trade pack size) tubs worth of salt and filling direct from the RO unit outlet. The salt disolves into the RO as the vat fills, and an airstone at the bottom keeps the undisolved salt in the watercolunm untill it's all in. From empty, mixing takes about 4-8 hours depending on salt brand. At home, I'd probibly use a Water carrier, and a similar method Wait for all the salt to have left the bottom, and for the water in the vat to be clear, and then you can take your salinity measurement to check enough salt went in If the salinity isn't right, add more salt. Always add less salt than you think you need. Adding more is easier than taking some out

HTH
Rabbut