Buckets for RO/DI and saltwater mixing

[burningmime]

I bought a cheapo RO/DI system (LiquiaGen 4 stage) and so far it seems OK. However I'm worried about contaminants in the buckets I use for mixing the water.

 

* Can I just use a cheap paint mixing bucket from the hardware store?

* I rinsed the bucket a few times with tapwater, then sprayed the sides down with a bit of RO/DI; is this OK?

* I noticed some dust and a few cat hairs floating on top. Is this a bad batch? I don't think it's possible to have a bucket of water in my apartment without cat hair getting inside.

* Do I need to use a different bucket for mixing saltwater than for storing the RO/DI water? Or is it OK to just rinse it out after every use?

* How long can I keep the mixed saltwater, if I keep a powerhead running?

* Is a 69GPH powerhead (Rico 50) fine for a 5 gallon bucket?

 

I don't have a TDS meter, so all I can do is test before/after mixing for ammonia/nitrate/nitrite/salinity/whatever.

 

I feel like I'm going to all this trouble to get pure water, then just letting it get contaminated by/in the bucket.

[j.falk]

I get dachshund and wife hair in my aquarium water all the time...doesn't hurt anything.

 

A new and unused plastic container is best.  I use a 20 gallon Rubbermaid garbage can as my mixing barrel.  For carrying water and changing, I used a $3.00 cleaning bucket from Walmart.

 

You can store saltwater for weeks at a time if need be.  You don't even need to run a powerhead while doing so...just mix your water up and once it's to the right salinity, put a lid on it and store it.  When you are ready to use it, run the powerhead for oxygen and a heater to get the temp to the correct number for a few hours before using and it's ready to go.

[DSA65PRO]

My Aquariums are in the basement, so I use Grey Rubbermaid Brute Containers. Don't pay extra for a white one, they let light in and will grow stuff. I have the Brute Dollies which quarter twist onto the bottom of the Brute to lock it into place. Just roll the Container over to the Aquarium and pump the water in with a Rio 800 pump. BTW I have a small intank power filter, with charcoal in to take care of any aerosols that may end up in my Saltwater mix. Also I took a plastic yard stick, measured five gallons, marked the yard stick at the five gallon level, continued five gallons at a time, marking the yard stick. This way I have an idea on how much salt to add. For buckets, I bought my Salt in Buckets till I had enough, of them. 

[j.falk]

51 minutes ago, DSA65PRO said:

Also I took a plastic yard stick, measured five gallons, marked the yard stick at the five gallon level, continued five gallons at a time, marking the yard stick. This way I have an idea on how much salt to add. 

I like that!  That's a smart idea.  I'll have to give that a go.

[Clown79]

You should use a lid to prevent contamination, even chemicals in the air can cause issues.

 

You can store saltwater for weeks, if its certain brands like instant ocean.

 

There are salt brands that can only be stored for 5 - 7 days before precipitation starts.

 

I use buckets from the LFS. Some plastic isn't necessarily safe, there is certain rating that is best to use

 

http://www.3reef.com/threads/reef-safe-plastics-leaching-myths-facts.57828/

[Humblefish]

I only use Brute plastic trash cans and food grade buckets. It will say somewhere on the bucket that it is made from HDPE plastic.

[mcarroll]

Any plastic bucket that's clean or never been used should be fine for mixing saltwater.

 

If you're planning to store RODI or saltwater rather than just mixing and using it immediately, then it would be worth making sure you have a clean HDPE container. 

 

(You might already have HDPE since it's one of the most common materials.)

 

Food grade buckets can be had for free from many restaurants, fast food places or bakeries as they get ingredients like pickles and frosting by the bucket.

 

Buckets at the hardware store should be fine (HDPE) but are thinner plastic.

 

Most folks will end up buying salt mix in a bucket -- save the bucket when you do as these are usually the same high-grade HDPE plastic as the restaurant buckets and they come with a good lid.

 

What you would be best off avoiding is anything plastic that was meant for outside usage.  These will have more checmicals mixed into the plastic that something NOT expected to be in the sun.

 

Another thing to be aware of that I didn't see in that good-but-loooooong plastic guide linked above (coulda missed it tho as long as that was) is old/worn plastic.

 

If the plastic appears to be rough or possibly breaking down or if it was in the sun for a long time, you should just recycle it, as this plastic is much more likely to leach anything that was added due to the carbon matrix breaking down.

 

Can't mix water in it too well (though I've done it), but you might want to consider one of these 5 gallon carboys for your RODI water:

 

There are many styles with different shapes and different fittings (usualy which all cost more) and this is by far the best one for us. 

 

The handle is WAY better than a bucket handle since it fits the hand better and makes carrying 40+ pounds of water a lot easier.  You have many cool options for emptying the container, including the spigot where you can attach a hose for gravity draining.  Plus it's graduated on one short side and one long side, so you can always tell how much water you have or how much you've dispensed.  $15, so it's pricey compared to a bucket.  But $15 over the course of the hobby isn't squat.  🙂 Very nice to have, but not a necessity.

[Clown79]

14 hours ago, mcarroll said:

Any plastic bucket that's clean or never been used should be fine for mixing saltwater.

 

If you're planning to store RODI or saltwater rather than just mixing and using it immediately, then it would be worth making sure you have a clean HDPE container. 

 

(You might already have HDPE since it's one of the most common materials.)

 

Food grade buckets can be had for free from many restaurants, fast food places or bakeries as they get ingredients like pickles and frosting by the bucket.

 

Buckets at the hardware store should be fine (HDPE) but are thinner plastic.

 

Most folks will end up buying salt mix in a bucket -- save the bucket when you do as these are usually the same high-grade HDPE plastic as the restaurant buckets and they come with a good lid.

 

What you would be best off avoiding is anything plastic that was meant for outside usage.  These will have more checmicals mixed into the plastic that something NOT expected to be in the sun.

 

Another thing to be aware of that I didn't see in that good-but-loooooong plastic guide linked above (coulda missed it tho as long as that was) is old/worn plastic.

 

If the plastic appears to be rough or possibly breaking down or if it was in the sun for a long time, you should just recycle it, as this plastic is much more likely to leach anything that was added due to the carbon matrix breaking down.

 

Can't mix water in it too well (though I've done it), but you might want to consider one of these 5 gallon carboys for your RODI water:

 

There are many styles with different shapes and different fittings (usualy which all cost more) and this is by far the best one for us. 

 

The handle is WAY better than a bucket handle since it fits the hand better and makes carrying 40+ pounds of water a lot easier.  You have many cool options for emptying the container, including the spigot where you can attach a hose for gravity draining.  Plus it's graduated on one short side and one long side, so you can always tell how much water you have or how much you've dispensed.  $15, so it's pricey compared to a bucket.  But $15 over the course of the hobby isn't squat.  🙂 Very nice to have, but not a necessity.

As a word of caution, be careful when using the buckets salt is shipped in. They are pretty thin and I learned the hard way.

 

I saved one(perfectly good shape) used it for removing water from 1 tank for a transfer and 2 mins later it was all pouring out. I couldn't even find the hair line crack but it was there.

[mcarroll]

What brand?   

 

IO, and Reef Crystals definitely come in quality heavy-duty buckets.  (The salt would either leak out or gain moisture and cake up if there was a crack of any size.)

 

 

Seems like maybe the key is this:

4 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

shipped

The delivery guy can break anything.  ANYTHING.
 

Simple solution!   Buy salt local. 

 

Or buy it by the box instead of the bucket  if you can't support a local business.

[Clown79]

7 minutes ago, mcarroll said:

What brand?   

 

IO, and Reef Crystals definitely come in quality heavy-duty buckets.  (The salt would either leak out or gain moisture and cake up if there was a crack of any size.)

 

 

Seems like maybe the key is this:

The delivery guy can break anything.  ANYTHING.
 

Simple solution!   Buy salt local. 

 

Or buy it by the box instead of the bucket  if you can't support a local business.

Its red sea salt. Which is wrapped in plastic bags so no moisture ever got to it.

 

The water leaked out in between the seam of where the plastic meets- definitely not due to damage

[mcarroll]

That makes some sense.....

 

Between the domestic shipping/breaking company being involved...

 

And apparently the use of thinner plastic buckets plus a cheap plastic liner (indicating they've actually accounted for the likelihood for breakage and employed a solution) to get lower shipping weight/lower shipping costs in getting their product here to N. America....

 

At minimum the presence of two major shipping (breaking!) events is a great way to break something heavy and fragile like a salt bucket.  😆

 

For the record, we saved and used every bucket we ever had at the store where I worked.....hundreds and hundreds of buckets over the years, maybe thousands.  Not a single one broken, but all were IO or Tropic Marin products.   

 

However, TM uses thin buckets with a liner too, so I think your broken bucket was exceptional and related specifically to domestic shipping (and breaking).  😉 

 

Not a bad idea to leak test your buckets before trusting them anyway I guess!  🙂   

 

Same is done routinely for used tanks, so why not for used buckets?

[mcarroll]

(A seam is a likely failure point btw.)

[burningmime]

Wow, mcarrol, that's a whole lot more information than anyone should ever have to know about buckets :-) . But thanks for all the details.