salt weight vs mixed gallons

swissgaurd

swissgaurd

Member
ive being mixing saltwater for 25 yrs now
and this past couple years ive been weighing my salt when mixing
well today got myself a new bucket and thought to myself ive never weighed a new bucket or have I actually
kept a log to see if what is marked on the bucket is actually true.
according to my calculations I should have done 11 water changes
has anyone actually kept a log of how much salt is mixed per bucket. at 1.025

vic
 
reefer gladness

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
Not exactly but I do weigh my salt to measure it out for water changes. I use 25.6 ounces of salt per 5 gallons of water to consistently mix at 1.024. That worked for me using Red Sea's Coral Pro and the same since I switched over to Tropic Marin Pro Reef.
 
swissgaurd

swissgaurd

Member
reefer gladness said:
Not exactly but I do weigh my salt to measure it out for water changes. I use 25.6 ounces of salt per 5 gallons of water to consistently mix at 1.024. That worked for me using Red Sea's Coral Pro and the same since I switched over to Tropic Marin Pro Reef.
Click to expand...

how many waterchanges do you think you got with redsea with a 175 gallon bucket.
you should have done 35 waterchanges approx.

vic
 
reefer gladness

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
Unfortunately I can't really say. I've dipped into the same buckets of salt to fill my quarantine tank a few times so I've lost track.

Here's the mixing instructions that come with the RS coral pro salt. http://www.redseafish.com/uploadimages/user%20manuals/10116%20Coral%20Pro%20Salt%20manual%20a2012%204P.pdf

To mix at 1.025 the instructions say 1.6 lbs of salt per 5 gallons which works out to 25.6 ounces. I might be a little off in reading my refractometer (somewhere between 1.024 and 1.025) but it's been close enough for me.
 
R

R1junkie

Member
I have never weighed my salt I just follow the instructions on the reef crystals which is half a cup per gallon. It is usually pretty close to 1.025.
 
swissgaurd

swissgaurd

Member
my last bucket of RSCP worked out to have an extra 300 grams.
ive started a log now to see how many waterchanges I get out of this bucket

vic
 
swissgaurd

swissgaurd

Member
well so far im not impressed ive done 6 waterchanges at 16 gallons a piece which works out to 96 gallons of water made I may only get one more.
the bucket says 175 gallons
 
swissgaurd

swissgaurd

Member
my bucket weighed 49.6lbs
bucket says 1.6 lbs /5 gals at 1.025
now my math sucks
if I got 49.6 lbs how much saltwater should I get out of a bucket at 1.025?
 
D

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Here is the thing about trying to weigh salt. Given the slightest opportunity, salt will absorb a lot of water. So your not usually going to get it "just right".

What I do is to leave some space in the container, and mix the water a bit high, say 1.028. After it's dissolved and 24 hours has past, I use RO/DI water to dilute it to 1.025. This way you get it right every time. Since everything is already dissolved, you need to wait only a few minutes time before you use it.
 
swissgaurd

swissgaurd

Member
so I just finished measuring the rest of salt in the bucket
I will have a total of 126 gallons which is 477 litres at 1.025
wow im a little upset over this measurement.
im gonna ask kev from redsea chime in.
this is my favorite saltmix

vic
 
kyle4201

kyle4201

Active Member
DaveK said:
Here is the thing about trying to weigh salt. Given the slightest opportunity, salt will absorb a lot of water. So your not usually going to get it "just right".

What I do is to leave some space in the container, and mix the water a bit high, say 1.028. After it's dissolved and 24 hours has past, I use RO/DI water to dilute it to 1.025. This way you get it right every time. Since everything is already dissolved, you need to wait only a few minutes time before you use it.
Click to expand...
exactly what I do. :)
 
RedSeaKev

RedSeaKev

RS Sponsor
Ok folks, it is important to look at the salinity as well as the weight, as has already been pointed out been pointed out salt is highly Hygroscopic and as Red Sea salts are one of the driest available to aquarists it is important to ensure any packaging is used to keep salt as dry as possible, moisture absorption can skew the results if weight is used alone.

It is also important to ensure accurate salinity measurement, there are some very poor refractometers available these days that really do need checking frequently against a calibration solution and not simply zero checked.

All these things can cause inaccuracies when it comes to calculating salt usage.

Yes, it is a good idea to check the weight of a bucket when first purchased, once opened there are then many factors that can skew the resultant checks.

Information on average weights of our Red Sea and Coral Pro salt can be found on our website, please remember the higher the salinity the more salt that has been used.

If you do unfortunately experience any weight related anomalies then please contact your dedicated Red Sea customer care department contact details again can be found on our website.
 
swissgaurd

swissgaurd

Member
thanks for the reply kevin
im about to buy a new bucket I have rechecked my calibration again I do use a solution for calibration.
thanks again
vic
 
swissgaurd

swissgaurd

Member
got a new salt measurement today
I just finished mixing a bucket of reef crystals,i really wasn't surprised at my findings.
I was able to get 120 gallons mixed at 1.025.
so its actually better than coral pro which gave me 126 gallons at a higher price.

since ive began using 2 salts ill have a measurement on the regular redsea in a month,lets see what happens.

vic
 
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