Specific gravity and saltwater storage?

[homersimpsonlikesfish]

My salt water is 1.024 (could also be 1.025). Is this okay? And I am storing extra saltwater in a Brute 20 gallon garbage bin with a lid. There is a pump circulating the water along with a heater. Is it okay to store the saltwater there for periods of time, and is it okay if my skin touches the water (I'm concerned that the bacteria from my hands and arms might pollute the water)?

 

[sc50964]

Sounds fine to me and certainly very careful with the skin question. Just make sure your hand is clean, dry, & free of anything.

 

[hoffmeyerz]

I keep my mixed water in a 50gal blue barrel for month+ at a time. I used to keep it circulating and heater on all the time but now I just turn the pump on to circulate the water the morning of a planned water change day. I'm lucky that this time of year I don't need the heater on other than to heat the rodi water up to temp for mixing.
I have not had or heard of any issues with long-term storage and I've had my hands in the water time to time. That environment isn't going to be sterile, just wash your hands like stated above if you need to get in there.
Mix it up and keep it ready, I like having a large volume of water always ready to go in case of an emergency.
Good luck!!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

IMO, if the new salt water is a type that contains no organics (no vitamins, chelators, probiotics, etc.) then it can be stored unheated and unstirred. That's how I stored normal IO.

 

[BeanAnimal]

IMO, if the new salt water is a type that contains no organics (no vitamins, chelators, probiotics, etc.) then it can be stored unheated and unstirred. That's how I stored normal IO.

I have 50 gallons of salt water that was mixed 2 or 3 years ago and stored in a loose lidded HDPE container. It is now being used as AWC water basically. No issues that I can see. I thought about running a small power head through a sock with chemipure… just in case, but don’t know What that would gain me.

There was a film on top after a few years, I think mostly fine dust. Who knows. It was at 30 ppt if I remember. I bumped it up o 36 ppt a few weeks back. I use about 1L a day.

 

[CasperOe]

I store 750 L (abt. 200 gallons) at a time (i am mixing one 25kg bucket of Tropic Marin Pro Reef) in a large water container at 1.025. I have one powerhead in the bin abt. 1/3 from the bottom kicking in for 15 minutes every six hours. Seems to work for me. I mix salt about once every two months or so.

I don't heat the water- it's heated to room temperature of about 20 degrees (C).

I check salinity when I check my tank as well using a Milwaukee refractometer.

 

[Uncle99]

I used to make a 100g once a month or so when I did weekly 10% water changes.

Now for 2 years, I only do water changes of 10% monthly.
So for me, not much value in storage.

Once a month I just make 20g in a brute, mix 2 hours, and deploy completely. With RODI on hand, it just takes a minute or two.

200g LPS and SPS dominant.