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Water preparation equipment


Nstocks

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Hello,

 

I'm compiling a list of equipment for my first saltwater aquarium (total volume 200L) and would like to see the equipment, specifically container sizes for making RODI and saltwater.

 

I know that if I do 10% weekly water changes, I'll need a bucket of at least 25L for mixing the saltwater, however for top ups I'm not sure how much to store with storage space being an issue.

 

Is it preferable to make RODI the night before rather than store it for x amount of days/weeks? Would turning on the RODI unit less frequent prolong the life of the filters at all? (the 4stage RO unit is 50 gallons per day)

 

Are there any specific plastics I should avoid or would any heavy duty container be suitable?

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So perhaps make unto 100L RO water and then 24 hours before water changes move it to a smaller container and mix in the salt? Does the RO water need to be constantly heated/circulated? (I have a large section of my sump for top off water which should hold a week's worth of top offs - heated within the sump)

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You don't have to circulate the filtered freshwater. If it's possible, cover the container; however, keeping a week's worth of top off in a section of your sump should be fine.

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  • 1 month later...

To save the garage floor (wooden chipboard) from getting wet (a pond liner on the floor helps but is a slippery hazard), could I store the water storage bins (80litres) outside all the time? I can store them a few metres away from my tank (filling the tank through the window using a small pump) making water changes and the first fill so much easier than hauling several smaller buckets closer to the tank.

 

So keep one bucket full of RO water without heating or circulation. The second bucket will be used for mixing saltwater as needed, though I could potentially keep it heater/circulated constantly which is good for emergencies and far better than making small batches every week. The only downside is it's around 6C/43F right now so it will take a little longer to heat the water and although the storage bins /lids are very strong and secure, the plastic isn't insulating.

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It would be better to keep it covered in a climate controlled environment (kept out of the sun). You could use a non-slip epoxy coating on the wooden floor.

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When making new saltwater, what method do you use to determine how much water is in the bucket? I've been counting the litres using a measuring jug and then measure on the empty bucket the volumes of said amount of water. Is this the most common way of calculating the volume? Ideally a meter attached to the pump outlet (moving RODI water to saltwater mixing bin) would be much better but I've yet to find one and I'd expect they are very expensive. Also, how could I securely fasten the RODI line to my bucket without drilling a hole?

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porkchop-rob

I think that the vast majority of us eventually setup a mixing station of some sort or another. A lot of people (myself included) are using the grey brute trash cans to store RODI and Mixed saltwater.

 

There is no need to agitate or stir the RODI, but I do have a pump in my saltwater that comes on intermittently.

 

I use a float on the RODI bin to shut off the RO system when it gets full.

 

When It comes to measuring water in buckets, I don't. I just eyeball it and fill each bucket up to a level that I know I can carry the bucket without spilling it everywhere.

 

When I used to mix water 5 gallons at a time, I just mixed it a little light on salt and then added slowly to bring it to 1.025/1.026

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SchnauzerFace

When making new saltwater, what method do you use to determine how much water is in the bucket? I've been counting the litres using a measuring jug and then measure on the empty bucket the volumes of said amount of water.

 

I think the most common thing is to start by filling a 5 gallon bucket/jug of RODI and then dumping that into a plastic Brute trash can (or something similar). You could use a marker to mark the waterline, or better yet, make a visible scratch on the inside of the trash can -- not too deep of course! -- so you don't have to worry about the marker contaminating the water or rubbing off. Then add another 5 gallons and mark the water line, etc etc. That way you at least have pretty accurate markers of 5, 10, 15, and 20 gallons. if you find you usually mix up something in between, you could always do the same thing and then just mark your usual sweet spot.

 

Regarding an earlier question -- most salts can be mixed and left for a while. But I will caution that if you plan to use Red Sea Coral Pro salt that you need to follow their instructions closely. It needs to be mixed when the RODI water is around 70ish degrees F. and then only circulated for a short amount of time until the water is clear. I think the instructions say no longer than 4 hours, but it doesn't take anywhere near that long for the water to go clear. Then throw in a heater, bring the water up to temperature and do the change ASAP. I seem to remember Red Sea having some YouTube videos explaining the science behind mixing their salt, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

I'm really not familiar with the ins and outs of a ton of salts, but that's the only one I personally know to be a little temperamental if you mix it too long, mix it at the wrong starting temp, or let it sit for too long.

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I seem to remember Red Sea having some YouTube videos explaining the science behind mixing their salt, but I'm not 100% sure.

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I think that the vast majority of us eventually setup a mixing station of some sort or another. A lot of people (myself included) are using the grey brute trash cans to store RODI and Mixed saltwater.

 

There is no need to agitate or stir the RODI, but I do have a pump in my saltwater that comes on intermittently.

 

I use a float on the RODI bin to shut off the RO system when it gets full.

 

When It comes to measuring water in buckets, I don't. I just eyeball it and fill each bucket up to a level that I know I can carry the bucket without spilling it everywhere.

 

When I used to mix water 5 gallons at a time, I just mixed it a little light on salt and then added slowly to bring it to 1.025/1.026

I have a space in my garage that keeps two 80L bins and my plan was to keep on full of RODI and top that up weekly and the saltwater would be mixed once every 3 weeks. (25L weekly water changes are likely)

 

 

I actually eyeballed the water today to top up my cycled rock. I over estimated the salt and it was off the chart! (well refractometer!) so I'm adding more RODI.

 

 

I think the most common thing is to start by filling a 5 gallon bucket/jug of RODI and then dumping that into a plastic Brute trash can (or something similar). You could use a marker to mark the waterline, or better yet, make a visible scratch on the inside of the trash can -- not too deep of course! -- so you don't have to worry about the marker contaminating the water or rubbing off. Then add another 5 gallons and mark the water line, etc etc. That way you at least have pretty accurate markers of 5, 10, 15, and 20 gallons. if you find you usually mix up something in between, you could always do the same thing and then just mark your usual sweet spot.

 

Regarding an earlier question -- most salts can be mixed and left for a while. But I will caution that if you plan to use Red Sea Coral Pro salt that you need to follow their instructions closely. It needs to be mixed when the RODI water is around 70ish degrees F. and then only circulated for a short amount of time until the water is clear. I think the instructions say no longer than 4 hours, but it doesn't take anywhere near that long for the water to go clear. Then throw in a heater, bring the water up to temperature and do the change ASAP. I seem to remember Red Sea having some YouTube videos explaining the science behind mixing their salt, but I'm not 100% sure.

 

I'm really not familiar with the ins and outs of a ton of salts, but that's the only one I personally know to be a little temperamental if you mix it too long, mix it at the wrong starting temp, or let it sit for too long.

Right now I have two 80L bins but I do need a smaller container to transport around 25L from the garage to tank (that will be done on the perimeter of my house) I'll look at a smaller bucket with wheels/dolly so that I can pump the water from the brute bucket and simply wheel it to my window and pump the water in. Scratching the bin would probably work best - I used electrical tape but it obviously began to peel away.

 

 

 

I've seen this before but what I'm not sure about is how long the saltwater can be left in a storage bin. Would 3 weeks be too much if a small water pump came on for a short while a few times per week? (say 10 minutes 3 times a week?) I'd much rather fill my 80L bin and have that last 3 weeks than make smaller batches every week.

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I prefer making saltwater as needed, it's not that time consuming. Once it's fully dissolved and at an acceptable temperature, you can perform the water change. I just have lots of RO/DI water available so I can mix what I need.

 

However, if you really want to make extra saltwater, you could. SchnauzerFace was just saying that Coral Pro might not be a good salt mix to use in this particular application (but mixing extra should be alright with most other mixes).

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I think the only issue for me with mixing new saltwater each week is waiting for it to heat up. I made 10 litres to top off my bucket with cycled rocks and with 100W heater it takes a few hours. (granted the water is around 6C and won't take as long in the summer.)

 

Do you use a pump to move the new saltwater into the tank/sump or just pour it in? Depending on the container and sump/cabinet there isn't much room to pour it in and a pump will never get out all the water so there could be some waste there?

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I must admit, I often don't bother exactly matching the temperature when doing a 10% water change (not that I recommend doing the same), A pump is often less disruptive than pouring.

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AZDesertRat

When doing a change I try to get the temperature, pH and salinity as close to the display as possible. Sometimes that requires I bring the RO/DI water in the house from the garage the day before to let it warm or cool to room temperature before mixing in the salt. I do not mix the salt in until I am ready to use the water, usually no more than an hour ahead of time.

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When doing a change I try to get the temperature, pH and salinity as close to the display as possible. Sometimes that requires I bring the RO/DI water in the house from the garage the day before to let it warm or cool to room temperature before mixing in the salt. I do not mix the salt in until I am ready to use the water, usually no more than an hour ahead of time.

 

An hour is reasonable, my initial thoughts meant mixing the saltwater the night before so it sits for 24 hours... But this is literally 25 litres so probably not that big of an issue.

 

A pH probe is one tool I have yet to purchase. Wouldn't the pH of the tank always be different to that of new saltwater and how would you change it to get a closer match?

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You could buffer the water, but I wouldn't bother with pH (unless you are changing out more than 25% of the water). It should be pretty close without having to adjust it anyways.

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Would it be a bad idea to use a pump with long enough tubing to pump the water from the garage to the tank, but stop the water via a ball valve at the tank? (therefor restricting the pump completely until I go and turn it off a few minutes later).

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A pump with shutoff valve should work fine.

 

Even though it will completely restrict the flow? I don't want it exploding on me hahaha.

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jamescstein

Would it be a bad idea to use a pump with long enough tubing to pump the water from the garage to the tank, but stop the water via a ball valve at the tank? (therefor restricting the pump completely until I go and turn it off a few minutes later).

 

Only concern there will be the distance you are pumping the water. May find you don't get enough flow if your pump is too small.

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Only concern there will be the distance you are pumping the water. May find you don't get enough flow if your pump is too small.

 

I tested the setup with a Eheim compact+ 2000 at the lowest pressure (1000/lph) so I've ordered an inexpensive 1,600/lph submersible pump. I've found a garden hose + reel in our garage so I'm covered there too.

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That crossed my mind and I like how compact this is but I'm not sure it's any better than the garden hose: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-METRE-WATER-PUMP-LAY-FLAT-DISCHARGE-HOSE-20M-x-25MM-/141153354924?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item20dd6544ac

 

A food grade hose similar to above, 20 metres long will cost around £40... 20m plc tubing is around £30 so not very cheap.

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