Moo.H Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I'm setting up my RO/DI soon and wanted to know the best way to store and mix water. I was thinking of getting a huge rubbermaid trash can and using that to collect the pure water, then getting something smaller to mix small amounts of saltwater in a few days prior to WC's. How are you guys storing/mixing your water? Link to comment
dtfleming Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 i use the 5gal buckets from home depot for mixing saltwater, the clear ones have gals marked on it. I use a 20gal rubber trash can for storing RO water. Just gotta watch the rubber trash cans though. Link to comment
Codeman Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I use 5 gal buckets for mixing saltwater and RO/DI for top-offs. I use an 18 Gal rubbermaid bin to store my RO water. Link to comment
StevieT Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Delivered in this Mixed in this Link to comment
imkevin20 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 same water as stevie t for me i keep it all stored in an 18 gal rubbermaid tub with a powerhead and heater on at all times and another pump hooked up to some pvc that reaches around the top of my tank so all i gotta do is just turn that pump on to get new fresh saltwater Link to comment
Codeman Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 same water as stevie t for mei keep it all stored in an 18 gal rubbermaid tub with a powerhead and heater on at all times and another pump hooked up to some pvc that reaches around the top of my tank so all i gotta do is just turn that pump on to get new fresh saltwater That's a neat idea! Link to comment
NanoReefNovice Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 10 gal cooler. Link to comment
krug1313 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 make sure your using a food grade rubber maid trash can such as the Brute Container to store your water. Other cans will leak the color etc in your water. Link to comment
psykobowler Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 I buy reef salt by the bucket and not per bag. I use them as storage containers since I only lift 5 gallons at a time. Buying big containers would be ideal but you still have to distribute the water so a large container with a valve or faucer on the bottom is ideal. I found out that using a 2 gallon bucket with a powerful powerhead like550gph will mix my water well within 5 to 10 minutes. I do not follow the overnight mixing with a powerhead rule. I add right away. I never experienced a tank crash or anything on five tanks. Lately I purchased a 40 breeder. Added water directly to the tank and salt and mixed with 3 powerheads. It took a full day to mix. I prefer mixing with a small bucket. Link to comment
Moo.H Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 is there a time limit to how long freshwater or saltwater should be stored in the containers??? I'm considering a small 30 gallon container for freshwater, and a small 10gallon+/- for saltwater. Would like to find a container with wheels or something. The distance from my wash room (where the ro/di is located) to the tank is about 50 feet...thats a lot of walking back and forth with water. Link to comment
imkevin20 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 That's a neat idea! Yeah it really makes things so easy, it pumps water back in pretty slow so its not a rush of difference to keep corals and the fish at ease All i do is siphon out and flick a switch done and done Link to comment
Moo.H Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 a few of you mentioned the rubber containers... what about the hard plastic ones? (the type from lowes) will these leech chems into the water??? I don't have a need for 2 huge containers.... Link to comment
NanoReefNovice Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 is there a time limit to how long freshwater or saltwater should be stored in the containers???I'm considering a small 30 gallon container for freshwater, and a small 10gallon+/- for saltwater. Would like to find a container with wheels or something. The distance from my wash room (where the ro/di is located) to the tank is about 50 feet...thats a lot of walking back and forth with water. Not a general rule to how long. You want to keep it dark, and aerated. If it smells bad then its gone bad. Link to comment
Moo.H Posted February 17, 2009 Author Share Posted February 17, 2009 kevin, how far are you pumping? What pump are you using. I've considered this in the past, but the larger pumps are flippin expensive. plus plumbing...yikes.. Link to comment
jejenkins Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 then gettingsomething smaller to mix small amounts of saltwater in a few days prior to WC's. How much to you need to do a WC? If it's 2 gallons or less, I love using the 2 gal culligan dispenser. Had a large opening on top (to drop heater and pump in) and the a spout to dispense. I suck 2 gal out then set the dispenser on the side of the tank and open it up. Works great for me, but if you are doing bigger WC the pump method is the only way to go. Horsing a 5 gallon bucket up and over the top of the tank, then trying to pour in without causing a sandstorm is a mess. When I used a pump to change, would just drop a cheap pump in the newly mixed SW container, bought some vinyl tubing from lowes that fit the output of the pump and plugged it in. Took a matter of seconds. Link to comment
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