I would like to start making my own salt water. What do i need for equipment to do so? Any special chems to get mineral out of the tap water? Im also in a 3rd fl apt so i can only do small batches like in 5gal buckets.
Diy salt water
- Thread starter JFleur
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Blitheran
Well-Known Member
Things that you may or may not need, these will help you be better for success.
-RO/DI reverse osmosis to help remove impurites in the water
Make sure it has DI resign as only an RO won’t cut it
-salt, there are tons of salts out there. I have had success with reef crystals and coral pro salt, but everyone has a prefernce and opinion, it is gonna take trial and error.
-mixing bucket
-a simply powerhead to mix the saltwater and water
-a heater to bring the temperature up to the right level.
-RO/DI reverse osmosis to help remove impurites in the water
Make sure it has DI resign as only an RO won’t cut it
-salt, there are tons of salts out there. I have had success with reef crystals and coral pro salt, but everyone has a prefernce and opinion, it is gonna take trial and error.
-mixing bucket
-a simply powerhead to mix the saltwater and water
-a heater to bring the temperature up to the right level.
EW_Fish
Valuable Member
Pretty much spot on. Don't skip the RODI. Its also better to run the RODI longer rather then shorter times. If you have any room I would get a 32g Brute can. Use that as a fresh water storage and then use 5g buckets to mix your salt when ready to use. Or if you have an outdoor patio you could get one of those fancy rain barrels
Ok, so what im trying to do is not have to lump buckets of water up 3 flights of stairs, is there a way for me to make my own ro/di water? And then how much salt do i use to get a salinity of around 1.024ish?
philosophile
Active Member
Ro/Di systems are pretty common. You can install one under your sink and make water in your home. Personally I like the aquaticlife system as the cartridges are really easy to change, but BRS also has a system that is fairly easy to use as well. The salt you buy will tell you how much to add to the water, but you’ll want a hydrometer/refractometer to double check the salinity.
leedsrhinojohn
Active Member
A refractometer or salinity tester will be a much wiser investment, hydrometers are notoriously inaccurate
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Two Little Fishies AccuraSea1 in the 50 gallon box contains 10 pre-weighed packs that you can use to make 5 gallons of seawater. There's no need to measure anything- we've done it for you. OK, you do have to put the water in the bucket first, then add the contents of one pack, mix for about 5 minutes and it will be clear and ready to use.
leedsrhinojohn
Active Member
Once you have mixed your own salt water 2 or 3 times you will know exactly how long it takes to fill up your barrel, how much salt to mix to get your right level, how long to mix it so its ready, etc. it will become second nature to you. You can get some bags and fill the bags with exact amount of salt you need ready to just put in a barrel, no need to buy it already in a bag, what you save you can spend on that coral or fish you've always wanted
Unfortunately i have to mix each bucket before a water change, i don't have room for a barrel and im on the top floor of an apt building, i dont know how sturdy the floor is to hold that kind of weight... i only have a 32gal biocube
leedsrhinojohn
Active Member
So just put in bags the amount of salt you need to mix up enough saltwater you need for a water change, I didn't mean make a great barrel full, all you are doing is bagging the salt yourself rather than paying julian sprungs to do it for you, then what you save can be better spent on corals or fish.
You need to buy a small tub of salt (your choice of brand but buy what matches your parameters the closest) and a few bags to hold the salt in such as zip lock bags or similar, Compare that with the price of the pre bagged stuff, plus im sure you cannot pick which brand of salt you can have with the pre bagged stuff
You need to buy a small tub of salt (your choice of brand but buy what matches your parameters the closest) and a few bags to hold the salt in such as zip lock bags or similar, Compare that with the price of the pre bagged stuff, plus im sure you cannot pick which brand of salt you can have with the pre bagged stuff
leedsrhinojohn
Active Member
That salt is fine, in fact I think its quite popular, if you are happy with it and the parameters it mixes at then I see no reason to change it
leedsrhinojohn
Active Member
Glad to help mate
I leave in an apartment and own a biocube, have similar challenges as you.
I’ll recommend getting an aquatic life ro buddie and connect it to any of our faucet. Have 5g jug. The ro /di system will produce 5g within 2-4 hours (depending upon your water pressure). Reef crystal salt is perfect. Get an extra heater and pump to mix the water exactly at 1.026. For 5g it will be a two and 1/3rd cup , you can use the measuring cups to get the exact amount. Use a specific gravity meter for checking salinity . In tank salinity never goes down, it only goes up as salt can’t evaporate while water can, causing increase salt concentration. So you are supposed to use ato to add fresh water to keep the salinity down at expected level (1.026).
Ro buddie is pretty cheap at 65$. I use the old salt bucket for mixing station and I have two 5g jugs for emergency use.
I’ll recommend getting an aquatic life ro buddie and connect it to any of our faucet. Have 5g jug. The ro /di system will produce 5g within 2-4 hours (depending upon your water pressure). Reef crystal salt is perfect. Get an extra heater and pump to mix the water exactly at 1.026. For 5g it will be a two and 1/3rd cup , you can use the measuring cups to get the exact amount. Use a specific gravity meter for checking salinity . In tank salinity never goes down, it only goes up as salt can’t evaporate while water can, causing increase salt concentration. So you are supposed to use ato to add fresh water to keep the salinity down at expected level (1.026).
Ro buddie is pretty cheap at 65$. I use the old salt bucket for mixing station and I have two 5g jugs for emergency use.
