Do you need to keep water circulating in mixing station

[ReefWithCare]

Hi all,

Just mixed up 40Gs of saltwater in my second mixing chamber. Do I need to keep the pump running while the water is in the container or can I turn it off? It has been mixed for 24 hrs now and I know I will have water leftover. Wondering the same thing for my RO water side that currently has 25Gs in it.

 

[brandon429]

I don’t mix mine continually but I never ever seal the holding container it’s always vented to the air for continual exchange. They can go rotten if capped for myriad reasons as the system ages. I just did a wc using water sitting still for three weeks but was topped off right before use to .023

 

[ReefWithCare]

I don’t mix mine continually but I never ever seal the holding container it’s always vented to the air for continual exchange. They can go rotten if capped for myriad reasons as the system ages. I just did a wc using water sitting still for three weeks but was topped off right before use to .023

Thanks. It’s a Brute container with a lid. It can close but I wouldn’t say it’s completely sealed with a Brute. Both the RO and Salt container smell very fresh right now. I have circulated the RO water for about 5 days now. Salt container was mixed a day ago.

Fortunately with the way the station was built it’s actually fairly easy to take apart for cleaning once the containers are empty.

 

[McArcher]

You don’t need to circulate fresh RO water, but you should circulate the mixed salt water a few times a day minimum and for a few minutes before you use it.

 

[yacn]

I have (2) 32 gallon brute containers with lids on them. They both hold RO water and are used with ATO for evaporation in my sump until I decide to mix one or both of them into salt water for water changes. I have air stones in both containers and run them with an air pump 24/7 regardless. Not sure if it helps or not. I thought I read somewhere that it will help increase the PH.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If the salt mix does not contain organics (e.g., vitamins, etc.) then I would not stir it after the initial mixing.

 

[ReefWithCare]

If the salt mix does not contain organics (e.g., vitamins, etc.) then I would not stir it after the initial mixing.

It’s Live Aquaria salt. No organics that I’m aware of.

I was worried about salt creep in the salt container because my pump is powerful and splashed water a bit

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It’s Live Aquaria salt. No organics that I’m aware of.

I was worried about salt creep in the salt container because my pump is powerful and splashed water a bit

I'd just turn it off after mixing.

 

[Erica-Renee]

I mix 50 gallons at one time and keep it until next water change , Just in case of emergency . I also keep 50 gallons of ro water . Before water change i will turn pump on for 10-20 minutes before hand .. Never had a issue..

Mixing it constantly or prolonged causes a skim to build up on the top of the tank... For me anyway..

 

[eag]

I was worried about salt creep in the salt container because my pump is powerful and splashed water a bit

I'd just turn it off after mixing.

May I ask why? Is salt creep the only concern, or are there other issues? For example, if I wanted to keep the water at reef temp so it's ready to go on demand, I imagine I'd want it to be stirred?

 

[LeftyReefer]

I use LA salt too and I keep my SW mixing container always circulating... no issues thus far.

 

[eag]

I use LA salt too and I keep my SW mixing container always circulating... no issues thus far.

Awesome, that is good to know .. I am currently designing a mixing station so this is important information for me. Salt creep is the only potential issue I've identified thus far. I'm hoping to keep warm circulated SW on hand for about a month at a time.

 

[jda]

I mix mine up before I use it to get it to the right temperature and then also to get the right gas exchange and match the pH, if that even matters at all.

 

[Mikeltee]

If the salt mix does not contain organics (e.g., vitamins, etc.) then I would not stir it after the initial mixing.

Why? I've heated and ran a recirc pump 24x7 in my mixing station sometimes for months before using any. Is this bad? Maybe I should check the Alk and Ca next time. What about trace elements? I never even considered precipitation until now... 15 years in. Lol

The reason it's heated and ready is for random QT/hospital tank setups... that to be honest has never occurred. Lol

 

[Om84]

Not sure if anyone else has had this issue before but I’ve found if you use salt that has a lot of precipitates your mixing pump over some time can have all of that build up on the impeller and lead to its dysfunction. This is why I don’t run the mixing pump 24/7 and after initial mixing I let rodi water only purge the pump and clear it of debris. Once your saltwater has been mixed I don’t see why it needs to continue mixing. This may also depend on the recirculating pump you use but I ended up using a cheaper pump I found on Amazon.