Mixing water

Chris kindley · Mar 5, 2016

I'm very close to setting up my tank. I don't have the ability to mix large amounts (90 gallons+) of salt water. Can I use my tank circulation to mix the salt. Nothing will be in the tank.

Greenstreet.1 · Mar 5, 2016

Yes you can

PaReeferJ · Mar 5, 2016

Chris kindley · Mar 5, 2016

Ok. When it's all mixed, I can still put sand in there right? Or should I make the sand bed before I put the salt in?

Dextereef · Mar 5, 2016

You can do it any way you like.

PaReeferJ · Mar 5, 2016

Either or. I have set up some tanks with sand in first and others with the sand in after water.

Kershaw · Mar 5, 2016

Just add salt slowly so it dose not clump upp.

Chris kindley · Mar 5, 2016

Will the fresh water kill my live sand?

Greenstreet.1 · Mar 5, 2016

I would mix the salt before adding sand make sure you have a heater in there don't just dump the salt in take your time

Chris kindley · Mar 5, 2016

Yeah I have a 500 watt fennix titanium heater. That'll definitely be in there

jamie callard · Mar 5, 2016

Salt first then rock sand last.

Use pvc and a funnal to get the sand on the bottom without a big cloud

Kershaw · Mar 5, 2016

From what I have been told. Live sand is not really live. it has something in that feeds the bacteria. Basically doing the same thing as a bacteria in a bottle. Even in a cycled tank if you don't feed the tank the bacteria can die. Some please correct me if j am wrong.

Greenstreet.1 · Mar 5, 2016

There are some small packets that come in the bag of sand but I don't remember what's in it but I do think it's bacteria.

jamie callard · Mar 5, 2016

Kershaw said:
From what I have been told. Live sand is not really live. it has something in that feeds the bacteria. Basically doing the same thing as a bacteria in a bottle. Even in a cycled tank if you don't feed the tank the bacteria can die. Some please correct me if j am wrong.

If it is live sand in bags you are correct but some ppl buy live sand from established tanks that would then have live things growing in it.
I started my tank with sand fr another tank so it was true live sand that way. Now when friends start tanks i tend to give them some of my sand and just replace what i give up.

Chris kindley · Mar 5, 2016

jamie callard said:
If it is live sand in bags you are correct but some ppl buy live sand from established tanks that would then have live things growing in it.
I started my tank with sand fr another tank so it was true live sand that way. Now when friends start tanks i tend to give them some of my sand and just replace what i give up.

This is "live" sand in bag. So, basically I wasted money paying extra for it when I could have gotten regular aragonite?

jamie callard · Mar 5, 2016

What you bought will cycle faster so not a complete waste. When doing bags of sand if not open yet see if you can return some. Buy the regular aragonite and place one bag of "live sand on the top it will all become live in the end. The bacteria in the live sand will help speed up your cycle so that is a good thing.

Chris kindley · Mar 5, 2016

That's what I did. 80 lbs of aragonite and 20 of live sand.

Kershaw · Mar 5, 2016

dont worrie about killing anything. During cycling

Danny N · Mar 5, 2016

Make sure you take into account the amount of water you will be displacing once you add your rock. In other words, don't fill your tank to the brim. You will have one heck of a mess once you start adding rock and sand.