Depending upon the brand of artificial salt you are using will denote the measure of salt mix to be added to each gallon of water to make up the salt water. For example, with Instant Ocean, you may want to use 2.5 cups of artificial mix for each 5 gallons of water. Use your hydrometer or refractometer to check the salinity. However remember that temperature affects your readings and you should check with the water heated up to normal tank temperature. If your aquarium is going to have fish only the reading you want is between 1.021 - 1.025. If you are going for a mixed reef you could aim for 1.024-1.026. I think the average for sea water is 1.025 and that is what I usually aim for with my tank. FYI: most LFS stores run their tanks with lower salinity, especially for their fish only systems. The key with salinity is to maintain stability, whatever value to decide to go with, large fluctuations are bad and can cause stress on your livestock, fish, corals, etc.
Every mix is different so check on the bag, box, container to see what mixing regime they recommend.
I have not ran into any brand that I could not start our with 1/2 cup per gallon and then gradually add until I get to 1.025. I have found that once you open that 200 gallon bucket of salt that it slowly absorbs moisture from the air and increases in volume. In my experience, this is true even if you have the bag closed up tight. So, by the time you get to the bucket you need more cups of salt to make the same amount of water up to the desired Spg.
thanks for the heads up!
also i found a new fish store that just opened and its still going through being all set up but there mainly saltwater and they have 120 gallon reef tanks and stuff its a little gem! its hidden in the back of some office buidlings but i found it by the sign. the guy was beyond imformative and they had bio setup with fish in them it was great seeing how my tank could look someday. the prices are pretty great to. he told me 6$ a pound for fiji premium select rock too. he also told me he would sell me 10 red leg crabs for 15.00. he said he will hook me up. they got emerald crabs and really good looking juve clowns. im much more comfortable buying from there because there not huge and super expensive like the big stores around here. one of the big sotres had the bio cube 29g that i got for 398$ and the stand for another 200 and they also had the skimmer i got for 128$!
there priced so outragously high im lucky to find a store that is looking out for the consumer.
i cant wait to see how the store looks when its complete. by this weekend im hopeing to have the stand set up and get the salt and everything to get finally going.
now my next question is how often do i change water? once a week? how much do i take out of the tank?
now my next question is how often do i change water? once a week? how much do i take out of the tank?
Dang, there are many opinions on this one, a loaded question for sure !!! /grin.
Personally I do about a 20g water change on my 210g (tank+sump) of water once a week. almost 10%. HOWEVER, many people do 10% a month, 15% a month, 5% a week, some do not even do water changes but I cannot recommend this. I tried the last approach and 24 months later the tank crashed! I do not think there is a rule of thumb gospel but perhaps at least 10% a month would be a good start, if you have a higher bioload, you could exchange more. Folks with bio cubes I would suspect do more % water changes a week/month than those with larger systems. I am interested more replies to this question!
If you have animals that eat like hogs & crap just the same, then you have to use your noodle by taking a handful of wisdom, times that by the volume your keeping to come to a solution you can SEE that works. If all else fails...if you tank starts smelling like oldish water, change it even if your schedual say's its not due. Sometimes not always easy concidering we are around the tanks abit & become accustom. But ask a newbie that walks into your home & they will tell you straight away if its fresh sea smelling or not!
To give an example, the nano right beside me as i type this is changed 10lt every friday, with 24/7 RO top off on top of that, taking into account stocking list eddition & nutrient input, 30% will be needed weekly instead of usual 15%. Your animals tell you everything you need to know, its just merging you knowedge with your own sences to answer these type of questions
OK!
ill be most likely doing what carmie does with her cube. about 5 gallons a week.
is it possible to just pre mix the water in a 5 gallon bucket and just leave it sit until the day of?
im going to use distilled water until i can get a ro unit.ill be sure to post pics to.
right now i got the tank sitting on the ground with the argonite in it.
im thinking of getting the stand either tomarrow or the next day so by the weekend i can have the water mixed in.
I used to mix with a powerhead it in a 10 gallon Rubbermaid tote but now I use a Brute trashcan. Lots of people drop a heater in there too but I find that if I am mixing <10 gallons a 500 gph powerhead mixing over night heats the water up just right.
You need a powerhead to mix the salt up with the water. Otherwise it would not dissolve very well. You could mix it in a bucket or whatever but but those Totes only cost about $5 each. I think a 5 gallon bucket is only good for mixing maybe 3 gallons of water because it will slosh out over the sides.
so i definitly need one of these?
is the maxi jet good? i know a place that has these for pretty cheap. so i just put it in the tote and let it run?
how long do i let it run for?
I use a maxijet 1200 to mix up my salt, in a 50 gallon plastic barrel. There is a 300w heater in there to keep the water warm and gtg at a moments notice for my usual disasters! Maxijet's certainly take some abuse and keep on chugging, but they are not indestructable
Yes, toss it in the bucket, turn on, whoosh, away it goes mixing up your salt mix. You wouldn't need a 1200 pump for a single bucket, a bit of an overkill, and if the outlet jet ends up pointing up, you may end up with a face-full of semi-mixed saltwater! It should mix up the salt fairly fast, as for how long, you can determine that after your first few mixes and work out a time of how long to leave it on - 30 mins to an hour is a good start, but longer would be better!
Do you really need one, well, it certainly helps, unless you want to sit there for a few hours stiring it with your hand!
1) Make sure you have the correct amount of water prepared before adding the salt. In other words, don't add 2 cups of salt to a quart of water, then add the rest of the water later.
2) I heat my water to the proper temp before mixing. i find it mixes a bit quicker that way.
3) I prepare my water 24 - 48 hours in advance, unless it is needed for an emergency. I also "seed" my water with a cup of water from the display tank it will be going in. Overkill, I'm sure. But I tend to do large water changes (20-25% every 3 weeks) and this helps minimize any fish or coral shock.
4) Finally, and obviously, make sure the temp, salinity, and ph are the same for the new water and the tank water (unless you are trying to correct a problem with low/high ph or alter the salinity, in which cases make a ll changes gradually.)
Regular water changes are the most important key to long-term success in this hobby. As Veriann puts it so eloquently, your livestock will tell you all you need to know. I can tell just by looking at my corals if I need to do a water change. After adding (3) Bartlett's Anthias to my 240, I am beginning to see the first signs of some hair algae. Why, in a tank that has been set up for a year? Because I have had to increase my feeding regime, as Anthias require more frequent feedings. So i have upped my water change schedule to every 2 weeks until I see the problem subside. The key is to nip things in the bud BEFORE they become a problem. So much easier ...
__________________ 240 gallon Mixed Reef + 46 gallon Mixed Reef + 40 gallon coral prop tank - 180 gallon FOWLR = a little more time and money!
Well i bought the stand and got the tank all set up!
i got a whole load of distilled water from walmart and i got a 50 gallon bag of side walk salt. loljk! i got a 50 gallon bag of instand ocean it was a little over 10 dollars. i got a hydromete for the mean time until my refractometer comes from ebay. i did the garbage bag and bowl trick so i didnt get a sand storm. twater level is pretty high, kinda freaked me out but its not going to over flow or anything. once i start adding live rock i take it that i have to drain a little water out right? ill post some pics shortly.
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