RODI / Mixing Containers - General Questions

[Speedypete666]

Hello reefing community. After ~20 years I am finally getting back into the reefing game thanks to finally having the appropriate time/space/means/etc. to do things right. There will be a build thread in the coming weeks once my system arrives (LFS ordered me a tideline Crystal 50 Gal system) but until then I am looking to use this time to set up and iron out any kinks to my RODI setup.

Given the size of the system I will be running there will be no need for a large storage system and based on my previous experience and recent reading i will not need more that +/- 10-15 Gal on hands for general maintenance. That being my rational, I intended to go the tried and true Rubbermaid Brute container approach for storage with a myriad of smaller buckets for the rest of the regular and unexpected maintenance duties.

I have looked all over the forum but I can't find any intel on one thing. How is the community graduating their fill levels withing their Brute containers? Is there a water safe permanent marker I should be considering? Should I burn graduation lines in the wall of the container with a soldering iron? should I just spend some time verifying the water level against a yard stick and log this figures for future reference?

I appreciate all of the response I might receive. Looking forward to being part of the community again.

 

[mike550]

Hello reefing community. After ~20 years I am finally getting back into the reefing game thanks to finally having the appropriate time/space/means/etc. to do things right. There will be a build thread in the coming weeks once my system arrives (LFS ordered me a tideline Crystal 50 Gal system) but until then I am looking to use this time to set up and iron out any kinks to my RODI setup.

Given the size of the system I will be running there will be no need for a large storage system and based on my previous experience and recent reading i will not need more that +/- 10-15 Gal on hands for general maintenance. That being my rational, I intended to go the tried and true Rubbermaid Brute container approach for storage with a myriad of smaller buckets for the rest of the regular and unexpected maintenance duties.

I have looked all over the forum but I can't find any intel on one thing. How is the community graduating their fill levels withing their Brute containers? Is there a water safe permanent marker I should be considering? Should I burn graduation lines in the wall of the container with a soldering iron? should I just spend some time verifying the water level against a yard stick and log this figures for future reference?

I appreciate all of the response I might receive. Looking forward to being part of the community again.

Welcome back!

To answer your question, I’m using a 35G Brute which lets me mix 20-25G without worrying about the container being too full. I ended up filling a 5G jug and then using that as a guide for marking increments on my container. Went the traditional route of making marks with a permanent marker. Mine are on the outside however since I use the XP Aqua Flood Guardian to control the fill so I can make specific volumes of water without tending to it.

 

[Timfish]

Water is a universal solvent so expect any paint or ink to fade in time. I've used a pipe/stick with marks, paint pens and permanant markers with moderate success.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello reefing community. After ~20 years I am finally getting back into the reefing game thanks to finally having the appropriate time/space/means/etc. to do things right. There will be a build thread in the coming weeks once my system arrives (LFS ordered me a tideline Crystal 50 Gal system) but until then I am looking to use this time to set up and iron out any kinks to my RODI setup.

Given the size of the system I will be running there will be no need for a large storage system and based on my previous experience and recent reading i will not need more that +/- 10-15 Gal on hands for general maintenance. That being my rational, I intended to go the tried and true Rubbermaid Brute container approach for storage with a myriad of smaller buckets for the rest of the regular and unexpected maintenance duties.

I have looked all over the forum but I can't find any intel on one thing. How is the community graduating their fill levels withing their Brute containers? Is there a water safe permanent marker I should be considering? Should I burn graduation lines in the wall of the container with a soldering iron? should I just spend some time verifying the water level against a yard stick and log this figures for future reference?

I appreciate all of the response I might receive. Looking forward to being part of the community again.

I use float switch via breaker box with shutoff. Previously I manually added 5 gal pails of RO and physically knew what volume i had

 

[Speedypete666]

All thanks for the responses. I will run with these suggestions and glad to hear that there are multiple approaches to this silly yet common requirement in the hobby. I just looked into the XP Aqua Flood Guardian and I probably order one of those asap. Cheap insurance for sure as my RODI setup might end up in a carpeted basement.

I love how much has changed in 20 years! So much more equipment out there to make things safer and easier!!