Fast salt and water mixing

[pgrtgunner]

I learned a trick many moon ago.

When my tank is ready for a water change and I need it now type of thing.

I bought a paint mixer from Home Depot. They have them for one gallon or five gallon buckets.
They can be used with your drill motor. You can mix the water and salt very quickly.

 

[mikecc]

Cool. Got a video of your process?

 

[DaveK]

You can do that to get the initial salt mixed, but the water should still stand overnight to make sure everything is in solution.

If you have a major emergency, and you must make an immediate water change then ok, but for normal set up and maintenance you still need to wait so the time saved isn't that great.

 

[Mrsalt]

I do the same Dave, I mix up a day before but I have tbh some salts like Red Sea have to used straight away ( within a few hours) to stop precipitation of certain elements as they are super saturated. So it more dependant on the brand for timescales.

 

[Steve L]

Although all of the visible salt is gone the salt isn't truly mixed for a few hours. This is why freshly mixed saltwater looks a little cloudy for a while. I always wait at least 12 hours before adding it to my tank. SW that isn't mixed well also creates a ton of micro bubbles from the skimmer.

 

[pgrtgunner]

I learned a trick many moon ago.

When my tank is ready for a water change and I need it now type of thing.

I bought a paint mixer from Home Depot. They have them for one gallon or five gallon buckets.
They can be used with your drill motor. You can mix the water and salt very quickly.

When I had my predator tank, it took an hour to do a water change and I never lost a fish or a cleaning crew member. Now, I'm quite positive
salt blends with things that I cook on the stove pretty rapidly. If I had to wait 12 hours for salt to dissolve in my stew, I wouldn't be making stew but one time
a year. Now granted, you shouldn't dump un-dissolved salt on the corals, but waiting 12-24 hours when your tank is dying, you may as well start a bleach cleaning, because all will be DEAD!!

Along with the paint mixer, I have a thermometer and salinity/gravity meter, to make sure all is good. Try it, you'll like it.

 

[EllisJuan]

I do weekly 10% water changes religiously. As soon as I am done with the change, I make the next batch and let it sit heated and mixing for the next weekly change. This way I always have enough salt water on hand to do a 20% change incase of an emergency.

 

[Oxylebius]

It all depends on the brand of salt if you can use it right away or have to wait 12-24 hrs. As long as the pH, specific gravity, and temp are right, you can use it. Test it to find out. It really comes down to the pH, it doesn't necessarily set right away and can be caustic if it isn't right.

 

[Mischko]

It's a good idea, no doubt, but I wouldn't do a water change before I had rest the water and salt for at least 48 hours or more. Producers claim you can disolve the salt in water and then instantly use it. It's a bit different using salt in a stew than using salt mixed with additives like Ca and Mg and other things. Chemical reactions will take longer to settle than in a stew with pure salt ;-) And you heat your stew and heat helps to speed-up chemical reactions.
If you do water changes weekly it's a good idea to set up the next batch of water/salt and let it rest until the next week and so on. A little pump is sure enough to keep the water moving and mixing. An always good idea is to have a spare skimmer pump/pump from a broken skimmer in the tank/barrel you mix your water/salt in. It will mix the water/salt properly and constantly mix the water with oxygen. If you can, let the water 'mature' as long as you can.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Here a good :read:

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...7-how-make-safe-water-change-marine-fish.html

Small extract from Lee Brich's advise...

Mix the salt according to the salt manufacturer's directions (as to how long to mix).

one example of this is Red Sea Coral Pro Salt - Red Sea says... you can use it in 2-4 hours

I do believe the the salt manufacturer's know their own salt the best.

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/red-sea/82442-mixing-red-sea-coral-pro-salt.html

Technical Notes:
1. Coral Pro was specially designed for enhancing the calcification process in all corals. It contains elevated levels of the foundation elements (calcium, magnesium and the carbonate alkalinity components) and is recommend to be mixed to a salinity of 35ppt. The combination of high levels of foundation elements and salinity makes the elements close to their natural saturation levels in seawater enhancing the possibility of precipitation.
2. The raw materials used in the latest formula of Coral Pro dissolve much quicker than in the past and even if the seawater is not to be used immediately, it should not be mixed for much longer than required to dissolve the salt. In fact Coral Pro salt has gone from being one of the slowest salts to dissolve, to one of the fastest, particularly when taking into account the levels of the foundation elements for the accelerated growth of SPS corals.
3. Due to the thermodynamics of the dissolving process of the salt formula, water that is significantly cooler or warmer than the recommended 20oC/68oF will slow down the mixing process. Warmer water is a contributory factor to causing precipitation of the foundation elements making the water cloudy.
4. Mixing the salt with high agitation at the water surface increases the amount of CO2 that evaporates from the water causing an increase in both pH and alkalinity that enhances the chance of precipitation.
5. The built in inaccuracies of home measuring tools (weighing the salt, volume of water and quality of hydrometer/refractometer) may lead to a salinity of 1-2 ppt more than desired, increasing the chances of precipitation.
6. Due to excessive vibration during shipping and the different particle sizes and weights of the various elements in the salt, sometimes the mix can lose some of its homogeneity. This can lead for example to higher calcium levels at the top of the bucket which can cause precipitation (cloudiness) on mixing. Dry mixing the contents of a bucket will restore the original homogeneity.

Mixing instructions:

Mixing Instructions:
1. Use RO water that is at ambient in the UK a temperature of approximately 20OC/68OF is optimum .
2. Accurately weight the salt and measure the volume of water according to the salinity you wish to achieve.
3. Pour the salt gradually into the water. Do not pour water onto the salt.
4. Mix vigorously (without aeration) for approximately 0.5 - 2 hours, until all of the salt is dissolved and pH has stabilized to 8.2 – 8.4” - DO NOT mix for more than 4 hours.
5. When mixed, raise the temperature and add to the aquarium. (Not absolutely necessary for a small water change)


Any further questions feel free to ask, I should point out that it is highly recommended to dry mix any brand of slat as they can all suffer from possible stratification.

Check out the latest video on mixing Red Sea Coral Pro salt Coral Pro Salt - Mixing guide for quick and easy water changes - YouTube

 

[BigAl07]

Glenn I'm thankful you took the time to add those Coral Pro instructions. I've been doing it wrong for a couple of years now. I mix mine under the following conditions (against the manufacturers instructions)

A) already at tank temp (The heater is in the container as the water is coming from the RO/DI )
B) Under great agitation because I use a fairly large powerhead
C) I let it sit for a min of 24hrs before using it

One thing I can't understand is if you don't pre-heat the water to tank temps it would be difficult to get water to tank temps AFTER the salt is added and within 4 hours. My water is usually around 56 degrees and if I don't heat as it's added from the RO/DI it can take several hours to go from 56 to 78. I do agree that you get better mixing if done at cooler than tank temps but I don't know how I can meet all of the above criteria with my current set-up if I'm doing more than a 5g water change.

Good information above

 

[Snelly40]

I think this post should include a warning, gunner im sure it worked for you and great that you never lost a fish, however just because the salt seems mixed quickly, it is not.... salt on the stove is in water that is very very hot therefor it fully mixes more quickly. Our water is much cooler and therefor takes longer and as mentioned above, its not just the mixing that is important, having the water aerated and the ph in proper balance is also key and there is no way to fully achieve this other than time....

 

[pgrtgunner]

I feel like yawls' whipping boy. You guys are defiantly out of my league. I am your normal retired guy who likes fish
and their tanks, to make them as happy as I can. I just thought I would throw out to you folks an easier way to do a water change.
Evidently that was my mistake. From now on, I'll just read and not write. It's like who can use the bigger words to impress.

You can cook your salt mixture any way you want to. I'll be playing golf while the rest of you are mixing your salt. I wish I could figure out
how to download pics of my HAPPY tank with me mixing my salt in less than 2 hours. I don't dump the mixture in when I think it's dissolved.

1. I make sure the temperature is the same as the tank.
2. The salinity is correct as the tank.
3. The PH is the same as the tank.

It is all completed in a 5g Home Depot bucket.

 

[Steve L]

I feel like yawls' whipping boy. You guys are defiantly out of my league. I am your normal retired guy who likes fish
and their tanks, to make them as happy as I can. I just thought I would throw out to you folks an easier way to do a water change.
Evidently that was my mistake. From now on, I'll just read and not write. It's like who can use the bigger words to impress.

You can cook your salt mixture any way you want to. I'll be playing golf while the rest of you are mixing your salt. I wish I could figure out
how to download pics of my HAPPY tank with me mixing my salt in less than 2 hours. I don't dump the mixture in when I think it's dissolved.

1. I make sure the temperature is the same as the tank.
2. The salinity is correct as the tank.
3. The PH is the same as the tank.

It is all completed in a 5g Home Depot bucket.

Whipping boy? All people are doing is telling you how they do it. Don't take it personally that everybody doesn't agree with you. I see that you made another post today about an algae problem. Perhaps it has something to do with your water or salinity.

That's the great thing about this hobby, we're all free to maintain our tanks how we see fit. What works for some doesn't always work for everybody. Even in your food it takes salt several hours to completely dilute. That's why sometimes you can make a fresh batch of soup one evening then put the leftovers in the fridge, and it will taste a little saltier the next day. If you have an accurate method for checking your specific gravity it will read low a couple hours after mixing then normal a few hours later as the salt continues mixing in the freshwater.

 

[Choff]

The OP did say in a "need it now" type situation.

I also wonder if the paint mixer is creating so much aeration from the rapid cavitation that it is balancing the pH more rapidly? He said he tests the pH.

One concern I have is after a few uses that thing is going to rust at some point and start it leeching into your fresh mix. At least the one I own would add it's painted metal. Maybe an aluminum one would be safer if they make them.

Personally, I toss a powerhead in mine, go play golf have a few beers, grab dinner and then do the WC.

...stupid auto correct

 

[Jerv]

So after reading all this I have a question. When mixing your water it is not good to use to big of a pump because alot of surface movement can cause a release of carbon dioxide from the water and raise the ph

 

[reefer gladness]

One concern I have is after a few uses that thing is going to rust at some point and start it leeching into your fresh mix. At least the one I own would add it's painted metal. Maybe an aluminum one would be safer if they make them.

Don't want to be quoted on this as an absolute but isn't iron oxide (rust) very similar in make up to the ferric oxide used in GFO reactors? I've heard of people who've had rusty nails in their tanks for years with no adverse affects on the nearby corals. In small quantities it may even be a benefit to the system by removing phosphates and providing a trace amount of iron.

Considering all the nasty things I've read about human interaction with aluminum and lord knows what they put in paints these days... good 'ol iron oxide might not be so bad.