Long Term Water Storage

[wagner7123]

I have been considering creating a water storage container for water changes. I perform 5 gallon water changes every two weeks. The plan is to have enough water mixed to cover me for a year. 150 gallons will cover all scheduled changes and there would be enough to compensate for some unanticipated use as well. I am in the military so when I deploy I would like to make the tank associated chores as minimal as possible for my wife. If she could just walk out to the garage open a tap and get 5 gallons when needed that would be super convenient. I've come up with this:
A 150-gallon tank would cost about $300 and the stand would be another $150. The cost for a Mag drive 5 for circulation is $80 and $200 for JBJ 800 watt true temp digital controller and heater. Total setup cost about $750.
I'll be getting out of the military in about 4 years. At that time I will be buying a more permanent home and I would like to plumb this system into my tank so all I would have to do is press a button and water would drain from the tank to the sewer and then pump in from the storage tank.

My concern is how long can I really store pre-mixed water? Will it deteriorate over time or start to grow algae or something? What other options do I have that would produce the same end user result?

Thanks for your help.

Matt

[martyumengan]

Hello Matt,

 

Pre-mixed artificial saltwater will store for an indefinite period of time even without aeration as long as the container is covered nicely and in a clean place away from sunlight, dust and heat. It will not grow algae unless exposed to light or if there are nutrients present in the water.

 

I even use clean and filtered NSW that had been stored for several months in 5gallon containers without any effects on my previous reef tank.

 

Just aerate the water before using.

 

HTH

Marty

[Osric]

I believe many people use large jugs or plastic bins to store their water. If you search here and elsewhere for saltwater mixing stations you can find some pretty sophisticated examples that store water in large reservoirs, for less money than you're thinking of.

 

Osric