Maintaining Salt Water for water changes..

[RoryJ]

How does everyone maintain their salt water for water changes?..I have a 30 gallon Brute that i will be mixing water in and was wondering what i should keep in can to keep is fresh and mixing?..

 

[TUSI]

if you keep a pump inside mixing / circulating snd keep the lid closed it will be good

 

[RoryJ]

if you keep a pump inside mixing / circulating snd keep the lid closed it will be good

Any suggestions on a pump?

 

[TUSI]

Any pump is good as long as it circulates it and mixes it. I used to use an eheim to mix it and pump it to my tank. Depending how far is your tank. I would size a pump based on that so the sand pump does everything, mix, circulate and pump to tank when you like to make a water change

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I like to store salt water unstirred and unheated. If it has no organics in it (vitamins, etc.) then it will be fine.

 

[TUSI]

I like to store salt water unstirred and unheated. If it has no organics in it (vitamins, etc.) then it will be fine.

So randy you are saying mix it and then store it for when you want to do a water change and it's fine for the water to be stale for s week or so ?

 

[cmcoker]

I have stored saltwater, covered and unstirred for several weeks. I usually just put a pump in it a little while before I do the water change, but on my smaller tanks sometimes it goes from the jug straight in to the tank..
I don't use an probiotic type salts though, or any other vitamins added. I've done this with Red Sea Blue Bucket, red sea pro, salinity, wtc

 

[GoVols]

If it has no organics in it (vitamins, etc.) then it will be fine.

+1

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So randy you are saying mix it and then store it for when you want to do a water change and it's fine for the water to be stale for s week or so ?

Yes. And "stale" has such a negative connotation. lol

It won't run out of oxygen. There's nothing to use it.

 

[GoVols]

Yes. And "stale" has such a negative connotation. lol

It won't run out of oxygen. There's nothing to use it.

I do my water changes every Friday night. Then mix up a new brew overnight. Turn off and put pumps on Sat. morning and store the (lol) "stale" water until the next water change.

I have let it store for weeks (to let it get real stale) and never saw any bad effects.

 

[TUSI]

You guys just saved me money cause I'm turning my pump off then. Let be "stale" lol thx

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I use Red Sea black bucket, until I run out and then switching to blue bucket...too much alk, but... I mix it up to 1.026 in 1g distilled water jugs for my nano and let it sit. I mix it by just shaking the jugs in about 5 minutes its all dissolved. Right before water change I'll just shake up the jugs, probably not even necessary, and dump it in.

 

[rcpalmer1]

This sounds good. For fathers day my wife and daughter helped me build my water station. I have a Brute that my RO fills. I have a valve that flows from the Brute to my mix tank. Then The mix tank has valves that go to my sumps. The plan has been to keep plain RO and mix it the morning I do my water change. My concern has been if I mixed more than I drained from my DT and the mix in the pipes. This is what I was hoping for but was not sure how it was going to turn out.

 

[gatekeeperdi]

How long would you recommend storing the saltwater in a tub for as a maximum please? Thanks, Di

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

How long would you recommend storing the saltwater in a tub for as a maximum please? Thanks, Di

For a mix with no organic matter in it (normal Instant Ocean has none but Reef Crystals has some), I don't see any time limit to the stability of the salt water (unheated). Years, certainly. If the alkalinity is OK (at least 7 dKH), the water is OK.

The bigger concern might be things leaching from the container, rather than the salt water itself having issues.

 

[gatekeeperdi]

For a mix with no organic matter in it (normal Instant Ocean has none but Reef Crystals has some), I don't see any time limit to the stability of the salt water (unheated). Years, certainly. If the alkalinity is OK (at least 7 dKH), the water is OK.

The bigger concern might be things leaching from the container, rather than the salt water itself having issues.

I use the Non Probiotic Aquaforest salt. Would that be ok for a month or 2 when made up if not heated without a pump in it? Thanks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I expect so, yes.

 

[siggy]

For a mix with no organic matter in it (normal Instant Ocean has none but Reef Crystals has some), I don't see any time limit to the stability of the salt water (unheated). Years, certainly. If the alkalinity is OK (at least 7 dKH), the water is OK.

The bigger concern might be things leaching from the container, rather than the salt water itself having issues.

I leave my powerhead and nylon hose in the RM bucket with leftover saltwater till next change, I have noticed a slippery film build up and that garden hose smell so now i clean more frequently, setting up a mixing sta. What are the maintenance needs
Tkx

This sounds good. For fathers day my wife and daughter helped me build my water station. I have a Brute that my RO fills. I have a valve that flows from the Brute to my mix tank. Then The mix tank has valves that go to my sumps. The plan has been to keep plain RO and mix it the morning I do my water change. My concern has been if I mixed more than I drained from my DT and the mix in the pipes. This is what I was hoping for but was not sure how it was going to turn out.

I use the Non Probiotic Aquaforest salt. Would that be ok for a month or 2 when made up if not heated without a pump in it? Thanks.

 

[Toomnymods]

I have a 165 gallon saltwater mixing polyethelene storage tank and have noticed that it has a slight brown slime growing on the inside of the tank after using it to store my saltwater for 5-6 months. I usually do a 35-45 gallon weekly waterchanges from this water and just add in more RO water and fresh Fritz RPM salt mix to bring it back up to 1.025. Just wondering what is this thin layer of brown slime?

 

[GoVols]

Just wondering what is this thin layer of brown slime?

ah...
aquaforest probiotic bacteria???