How do you mix your saltwater?

[Darkxerox]

Figured I'd share what I've been doing for years with my nano tanks:

One funnel from a dishwasher plus a tiny pump (Sicce micra fits), and a regular 5 gallon jug. Fill with RODI, drop in the pump, pop on the funnel, and add salt a 0.5 to 1 cup at a time (~2.5 cups total).

Lets you store sealed for awhile if needed. I gravity feed into my sump with a siphon in the jug sitting on a chair to save my back.

 

[Kensington Reefer]

If it ain’t broke
Don’t fix it!

But I would make larger batches

 

[Klems]

I use a white 5 gallon bucket with matching top for my 20g tank. Fill with water, add pump, heater and then salt. (Usually add a bit more salt just because it's easier to dilute down to 35 ppt than to add more salt to bring it up). Gives me a 25% wc for the 20g nano. For my 50g, I use a 18g Rubbermaid rectangular bin to mix my batch.

 

[Da_Neefer]

44g brute can filled with RODI, mag drive pump and heater. Another 44g brute next to it for just RODI.

 

[PizzaOven]

My water changing setup:

• 5 gallon bucket
• Scale to measure 810g of IO reef crystals (mixes to 35 ppt)
• Wavemaker
• Heater + Inkbird set to tank temperature

I usually let it mix overnight.

 

[rygh]

55G Brute with a powerhead in the bottom.
The big bonus: You can dump and entire full 50G bag of salt mix in at once.
No worries about components settling, no open bags turning solid from humidity.

 

[Generalstarpolyp]

Amazon 10 gallon buckets, power head, heater, submersible pump, refractometer, thermometer, syphons and a handful of 5 gallon buckets on hand.

 

[phatduckk]

My setup is both simple & complicated:

• 105g container
• Push a button and Apex things kick in to fill it with RODI
• Once full enough - push a another button to turn on heater & 2 Neptune WAVs that live in the container
• weigh out the salt
• dump it in (bought a giant funnel on amazon)
• go to sleep

 

[Vincerama2]

44g brute can filled with RODI, mag drive pump and heater. Another 44g brute next to it for just RODI.

This is exactly how I do it!

One 44 gallon brute and one entire bag of salt (I buy Instant Ocean in the 200g boxes, I think it's 4 bags per box, so 50g salt mix per bag, I mix with the 44 g of water. it's 200g per box if you mix to 1.023, but I like 1.026, so it's perfect to put one bag per 44 gallon brute, though of course the brute is never filled to the absolute brim).
I throw a mag 5 pump to the bottom of it, and stick a heater in there. It mixes at least overnight, with me occasionally moving the pump by lifting it by the cord.
I have a second 44 g brute and do a water change by siphoning out water/junk from the tank into the other brute until the levels are about matched. Then I take out the Mag5, stick a hose on it, then pump the new water into the tank until it's mostly empty. Then I dump the remaining un-pumpable water into a smaller bucket then dump that into the tank.

I do not store pre-mixed salt water, as I just don't have the space for it. The two brutes live on my driveway.

 

[Vincerama2]

55G Brute with a powerhead in the bottom.
The big bonus: You can dump and entire full 50G bag of salt mix in at once.
No worries about components settling, no open bags turning solid from humidity.

I had just finished typing up my procedure, which also included "one 44g brute can take one 50g bag of salt mix". As instant ocean mixes to 1.023, and I mix my salt 10 1.026 so the 50g bag into 44 g gives me about 1.026.

V

 

[rygh]

I had just finished typing up my procedure, which also included "one 44g brute can take one 50g bag of salt mix". As instant ocean mixes to 1.023, and I mix my salt 10 1.026 so the 50g bag into 44 g gives me about 1.026.

V

Yeah, the 55G is down a ways to get the right amount for IO.
(I also add Mg when I mix. Wish IO was better on that)

Another trick I did was add a float valve to the RODI input to the barrel, and through a bit of trial and error, adjusted it to the right height, so all I do is flip the main valve.
Zero measuring ever.

 

[IOnceWasLegend]

Artisanal small-batch saltwater mixed by hand using a Magic Bullet blender.

(On a serious note: submersible pump and heater in a 10 gallon Brute container. I recently acquired a mixing station, though, so - once that's done - it'll be two 30 gallon Brute cans plumbed together with an external mag pump doing the mixing.)

 

[BAYMAC]

Yeah, the 55G is down a ways to get the right amount for IO.
(I also add Mg when I mix. Wish IO was better on that)

Another trick I did was add a float valve to the RODI input to the barrel, and through a bit of trial and error, adjusted it to the right height, so all I do is flip the main valve.
Zero measuring ever.

This is how my system worked as well. RO topped off to the correct volume, I'd add IO and MAG and let it mix for a day.

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Bob parks the truck at curb in front of my house
I haul the 2” pool type hose up the 40 steps and put nozzle into 1st 500 gal reservoir
The remaining 250 goes into other 500 gallon reservoir
I then move water to 2 44 gal brute cans with heaters

 

[Darkxerox]

Bob parks the truck at curb in front of my house
I haul the 2” pool type hose up the 40 steps and put nozzle into 1st 500 gal reservoir
The remaining 250 goes into other 500 gallon reservoir
I then move water to 2 44 gal brute cans with heaters

I think we need a tank journal update, I'd like to see what you're cooking up with those kinds of water needs!

 

[Coral reefer]

I think we need a tank journal update, I'd like to see what you're cooking up with those kinds of water needs!

I bet he will let you make one for him

 

[Spsfreak1981]

I have a RODI basin connected to my 7 stage, then transfer the amount I want to change, mix to what I want..I have a certain cup to gallon ratio I start with..let it mix over night with heater, check salinity, make adjustments, then let it run one more night, then if it's ready , water change time

 

[Kensington Reefer]

I think we need a tank journal update, I'd like to see what you're cooking up with those kinds of water needs!

It will remain hearsay...
But you can PM me if you would like further verification
Best fishes and happy reefing

 

[musclebenz]

55 gal brute with power head for my saltwater mixing station