Instant Ocean How much salt do i use?

[Deadlocked]

I bought 12 gallons of Rodi water. i put in 6 cups of instant ocean salt and the refractometer reads 1.018ppm. Ive had it mixing with a power head all day. The water is pretty cold though because I only have one heater thats in my tank atm. Should i add more salt? Should I wait longer for the salt to dissolve? Do I need to buy a heater for my salt water while its mixing? Any answers are appreciated. Thank you.

 

[prdubois]

put in a 1/4 cup more and mix well then retest

 

[Gtinnel]

Assuming this is for a water change it's typical to get the temp to the same as the tank, so I would buy a small heater for the bucket. Also you will need to add enough salt to match the salinity of your tank, although best to measure after it is the same temp because salinity will fluctuate some with temperature.

 

[Deadlocked]

Assuming this is for a water change it's typical to get the temp to the same as the tank, so I would buy a small heater for the bucket. Also you will need to add enough salt to match the salinity of your tank, although best to measure after it is the same temp because salinity will fluctuate some with temperature.

Theres no livestock in the tank yet. But I should probably get a heater for when there is livestock. What do you mean to match the salinity of my tank? Are you saying I didnt add enough? The bag says 1/2 cup per gallon.

 

[Joe31415]

As long as you have a way to measure the salinity, add salt and test. That's all I do. I dump a bunch of salt into my mixing bucket in the morning with a powerhead. When I get home from work I test it. If it's still low I add more salt. Too high, add more water. I've never measured how much salt I put in to how much water. Just adjust until the salinity is where you want it.

 

[Gtinnel]

Theres no livestock in the tank yet. But I should probably get a heater for when there is livestock. What do you mean to match the salinity of my tank? Are you saying I didnt add enough? The bag says 1/2 cup per gallon.

If there is no livestock then I'd just put the water in the tank. Let it warm up with the heater and then add enough salt to get to your desired salinity. Don't rely on the amount to add that is listed on the bag of salt.

 

[Deadlocked]

If there is no livestock then I'd just put the water in the tank. Let it warm up with the heater and then add enough salt to get to your desired salinity. Don't rely on the amount to add that is listed on the bag

If there is no livestock then I'd just put the water in the tank. Let it warm up with the heater and then add enough salt to get to your desired salinity. Don't rely on the amount to add that is listed on the bag of salt.

I was doing that until i realized the salt wasn't fully dissolving and was settling at the bottom of my sump which child create problems in the future.

 

[Gtinnel]

If it is settling at the bottom of the sump just use something temporary to stir it up in the sump, a powerhead would be easiest until it is dissolved. Or if you have your return pump turned on I can't image the salt won't dissolve fairly quickly. On the initial fill of the tank it really doesn't matter how or where you mix the salt in, as long as you mix the salt into the water and not add all of the salt and start adding water.
Any water (besides top off water) once the tank is running with inhabitants will need to be mixed before going into the tank, and heated if you're putting enough in to cause the tanks temperature to fluctuate.

 

[Deadlocked]

If it is settling at the bottom of the sump just use something temporary to stir it up in the sump, a powerhead would be easiest until it is dissolved. Or if you have your return pump turned on I can't image the salt won't dissolve fairly quickly. On the initial fill of the tank it really doesn't matter how or where you mix the salt in, as long as you mix the salt into the water and not add all of the salt and start adding water.
Any water (besides top off water) once the tank is running with inhabitants will need to be mixed before going into the tank, and heated if you're putting enough in to cause the tanks temperature to fluctuate.

It's a biocube. The sump is pretty tight. There's no room to get a power head in there. And i had to take the return pump out and there was salt around where the return pump was sitting as well as below the media rack.

 

[jtp7004ft]

Theres no livestock in the tank yet. But I should probably get a heater for when there is livestock. What do you mean to match the salinity of my tank? Are you saying I didnt add enough? The bag says 1/2 cup per gallon.

I start my mix in a bucket w/ powerhead one or two nights before I use it, add the heater when its up to temp and correct salinity its ready. The directions are just enough to make it saltwater, they don't know what salinity we are looking for.

 

[Poof No Eyebrows]

Generally not a good idea to add salt directly to the tank (although I have done it myself). I would mix a really salty 1 gallon batch and add a cup at a time until you reach the desired salinity. Make sure to let some time pass between adding and measuring.

 

[prdubois]

Theres no livestock in the tank yet. But I should probably get a heater for when there is livestock. What do you mean to match the salinity of my tank? Are you saying I didnt add enough? The bag says 1/2 cup per gallon.

1/2 per gallon will make it about 1.020
To get the salt to mix to 1.024-1.026 you will need to add a little more.
It is somewhere between 1/2 cup to 1 cup extra per 10 gallons.
Using reef crystals, To mix 50 gal I use a 50gal bag and then add 5 cups

 

[FishyFishFish]

I don't see why adding salt to a tank with no livestock in is an issue - I would definitely be happy doing that. I certainly would not add salt directly once there is any livestock in it or you risk killing it.

I would make sure that the heater and return pump is on and leave it for 24 hours. The salt should have dissolved by then. If there are undissolved solids at the bottom of the tank then I would wait before adding any more as the measured salinity will continue to rise as that salt dissolves.

The 1/2 cup per gallon is a guide. What is important is your measured salinity. I don't even accurately measure my salt, I just scoop some into my mixing bucket, measure and adjust.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

its about 2.75 cups per 5 gallon

 

[TCoach]

Here is a great site I was given for calculating salt values. Lots of good calculators there.

Target Salinity Calculator

Aquarium calculator; Create a water-change schedule that can be used to reach a target salinity.

www.hamzasreef.com

 

[Screwgunner]

. Have a green coffee cup i use two of them heaping for 5 gallons = 1.025

 

[Lukeluke]

Here is a great site I was given for calculating salt values. Lots of good calculators there.

Target Salinity Calculator

Aquarium calculator; Create a water-change schedule that can be used to reach a target salinity.

www.hamzasreef.com

I found this the other day. Super handy. Much recommend.

 

[Hank The Tank]

I have the perfect formula for instant ocean reef crystal to get 1.025. I use a kitchen scale. 5.4 ounces per gallon of water. Salinity on the mark every time. Measuring cups don’t always get the volume correct based on how pack and shelf life of the salt.

 

[vic5hands]

To get my 53 gallons of RODI water to 35 (1.025) I use 17.5 lbs of salt

 

[melonheadorion]

per 4 gallons, to get to 1.025 i end up using about 2 and 1/4 cups worth of that brand salt