Storing Saltwater for Water Changes

[mmcguffi]

I was wondering if I could perhaps make up a batch of fresh saltwater and then store them in the gallon jugs I buy the water in (distilled). When it would come time to do a water change I would just drop a heater in the jug an hour or so before I do the change.

 

Would this have any ill effects on the stored water? Would the water have a shelf-life if I kept it in the plastic jugs?

 

thanks!

[cdr5y7]

i wouldn't store saltwater. i would store the ro water and then put salt/heater/powerhead in there for a while(more than an hour) then do your WC.

[paneubert]

Tons and tons and tons of people use garbage cans full of stored saltwater......there is nothing wrong with it as long as you keep things from being introduced that could foul the water. If you are closing the jugs then that is perfect. Just heat it back up and make sure it still measures the correct salinity.

[mmcguffi]

Tons and tons and tons of people use garbage cans full of stored saltwater......there is nothing wrong with it as long as you keep things from being introduced that could foul the water. If you are closing the jugs then that is perfect. Just heat it back up and make sure it still measures the correct salinity.

 

Awesome. Good to know. After my cycle Im going to be doing a 1 gal change once per week and that would be a huge PITA to make everytime!

[cdr5y7]

my bad for telling you wrong. i thought you had to have a powerhead in there along with the heater or wouldnt be the best. sorry.

[ChrisCT]

regular ole home depot bucket with the lid is all i use.

 

i also store my ro/di and make my salt mix the night before with an old maxi pump and 100w heater.

[mmcguffi]

my bad for telling you wrong. i thought you had to have a powerhead in there along with the heater or wouldnt be the best. sorry.

 

no worries!

[IrieReefer]

I believe it is good to have some sort of water movement at all times. I am not a scientist by any means but I have read a lot about the changes that go on while your water is mixing. This is the main reason you hear a lot of people waiting 24 to 48 hours for the salt to mix before adding it to the main tank. I don't believe the same could be achieved by standing water. I have no backing to this other than my opinion.

 

Mt question is almost the same.......After mixing for 24 to 48 hours, can i then let the mix settle and store it? That would make my life easier too.

[paneubert]

I believe it is good to have some sort of water movement at all times. I am not a scientist by any means but I have read a lot about the changes that go on while your water is mixing. This is the main reason you hear a lot of people waiting 24 to 48 hours for the salt to mix before adding it to the main tank. I don't believe the same could be achieved by standing water. I have no backing to this other than my opinion.

 

Mt question is almost the same.......After mixing for 24 to 48 hours, can i then let the mix settle and store it? That would make my life easier too.

 

I will say that a lot of the people I know who store it in large tubs do keep it moving and heated. They pretty much have a normal tank running in the dark....somewhat sealed.....in a garbage can

 

But I assume in smaller quantities, you could just shake the jug a lot to make sure anything that settled was back in the mix. Heat/shake it and then use it.

[danthenewreefman]

35g "rough-neck" rubbermade trashcan WITH wheels. wheels are critical!

 

edit : Walmart -- $15.00

[pumarjr]

I've tried storing saltwater, if you do not keep the water moving with a powerhead, it builds up a slime layer on the walls, that's just my experience. Maybe other have done it without any Ill effects, but that was my experience with trying to store saltwater, as long as you keep a powerhead in there it should be fine.

[brandon429]

once i stored saltwater capped for two weeks, took it out knowing it wasn't evaporated, did a water change on my one gallon pico that was 4 years old and nearly killed the whole thing. in 2 minutes, hundreds of tiny brittle stars, all the asterinas, all the live rock worms, had a mass migration up to the top of the tank and when I smelled the tank, it smelled like rotten eggs. Then I smelled the change container and it was rotten eggs. I had been using some other change water from that SAME batch that was kept open and used quicker, and nothing happened. Then I read a lot of online posts where people with stored up water, across containers, were reporting a rotten egg smell. Rather than try and trace the lineage of that evil, I just store my change water now -uncapped- and topoff as needed. That was the nearest I came to killing my tank just shy of a 3pm dosing run.

uncap em, or mix it up an hour in advance I always say just to be safe.

 

I cannot explain why that happens sometimes, and sometimes not. I am sure however that our containers are not sterile since they are prepared in a house; there is bacteria in the water as soon as its mixed, something has to constitute that scum layer mentioned above that wasn't there earlier, and its my suspect in the case. my posit is that whatever microbial life we import into changed water dies and degrades after a period of extended no oxygen status...

[Sac_State]

I believe it is good to have some sort of water movement at all times. I am not a scientist by any means but I have read a lot about the changes that go on while your water is mixing. This is the main reason you hear a lot of people waiting 24 to 48 hours for the salt to mix before adding it to the main tank.

 

Actually, the reason you're supposed to wait 24 to 48 hours after freshly mixing salt water from a mix is that freshly mixed salt water tends to be fairly caustic freshly mixed. It needs time for the buffers to kick in.

 

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_4/V4I...akeup_water.htm

 

I use two 68 gallon food-grade plastic storage containers. One filled with RODI water for top-off purposes, and one filled with mixed and ready to use saltwater. The containers that I use are the same types that are used in the food industry for things like pickles and olives. The are certified for food safety and designed not to leach contaminates. They also have air/water tight lids. As long as the lids are tight and the temperatures not extreme, the water should last indefinitely. In fact, most LFS (atleast in my area) utilize large water storage containers for both inhouse use, as well as for customers. It's just easier over the long term, and helps to ensure stability.

[mmcguffi]

Actually, the reason you're supposed to wait 24 to 48 hours after freshly mixing salt water from a mix is that freshly mixed salt water tends to be fairly caustic freshly mixed. It needs time for the buffers to kick in.

 

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_4/V4I...akeup_water.htm

 

I use two 68 gallon food-grade plastic storage containers. One filled with RODI water for top-off purposes, and one filled with mixed and ready to use saltwater. The containers that I use are the same types that are used in the food industry for things like pickles and olives. The are certified for food safety and designed not to leach contaminates. They also have air/water tight lids. As long as the lids are tight and the temperatures not extreme, the water should last indefinitely. In fact, most LFS (atleast in my area) utilize large water storage containers for both inhouse use, as well as for customers. It's just easier over the long term, and helps to ensure stability.

 

Good to here that you (and others including LFS) are storing your salt water. Make my life wayyy easier. I assume that the jugs you buy distilled water in are FDA approved and leach no contaminates either. At least I hope they dont for my own sake!

 

I guess Ill just have to keep my eye out for the slime/odor that some have mentioned. Doesnt really make sense to me though; if you make pure SW and store it in a proper container, it should have no carbon source for any kind of life to grow in it.

[Pickle010]

I store my water in 50g plastic rubber maid storage containers - I do keep a power head in the water.

 

I have stored water in the plastic containers with a screw on cap like you can buy at some LFS's and kept water stored for up to a month with no ill effects.

[brandon429]

you know that bottled water companies, the blue five gallon water bottle companies, will tell you not to store their water long term by re-pressing on the old caps right after you refill at a station>?

 

In two months, it tastes funny. in 8, its slight rotten egg, ask em. Thats because you are pressing air into the container full of mold, bacteria, and life undiscovered. when they pressed it, many variables were controlled and it can be stored a long time, first round.

people may be using their sealed water faster than two weeks. someone try that and do a 100% change with it and post back that would be sick testing. no circulation, just two weeks capped. uncapped it can sit there no prob w no circulation been doing it for a long time

 

I think capped with circulation is ok too but Id give it air breaks to keep it from going anoxic or anaerobic depending on how long the storage is for

 

I think however that care of the container matters too, I never rinsed mine. in 1000 changes it could be building up and faster-contaminating my stuff than someone with a new container. I have used the same blue water bottles for changes since 2003 there is some scum lol.