adding salt

mtaswt · 10/07/2010, 10:25 AM

I have finally got my tank filled after what seemed like an eternity (156 gallon). It was worse than watching paint dry, or watching the grass grow, but it is FILLED!

Anyway I had previously installed my aquascaping (dry rock) and added all my sand before the "big fill", and so now I am going to start adding my salt!

Would it be advisable to add the salt to the return pump area to aid in mixing the salt into the tank, or should I just slowly add it the the DT?

Tanks for you help and suggestions

dmopar74 · 10/07/2010, 10:29 AM

With the rock and sand in already you shouldn't mixed the saltwater before adding it to the tank.

mtaswt · 10/07/2010, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmopar74

With the rock and sand in already you shouldn't mixed the saltwater before adding it to the tank.

The salt hasn't been added yet.....

kichimark · 10/07/2010, 10:42 AM

If there is no livestock there shouldn't be a problem. Once you have livestock you got to have the saltwater already made before added to the tank during waterchanges.

goober35 · 10/07/2010, 10:57 AM

You will need to mix your salt water in a bucket. The bucket should be new and never used for anything else. You will need a small power head like 100gph. Mix your salt with your ro/di water in the bucket and check the salinity. I let my water sit for a day after mixing and then do a water change.

dmopar74 · 10/07/2010, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtaswt

The salt hasn't been added yet.....

sorry i meant should've mixed it first.

i did what you are planning to do once, and got a very heavy layer of salt mix on top of the sand. it is very hard to get it to mix without disturbing the sand and getting it(sand) just about in everything imaginable. im talking days and a nice salt deposit on the glass about an inch up from the sand and in the sump.

trb · 10/08/2010, 01:39 PM

If you haven't added the salt yet, I thought of an idea this morning you might try.

Get a perfectly clean 5 gal bucket and submerge it in your tank. Put a pump with a hose on it to feed fresh water from the tank into the bucket. When you turn it on, it will circulate the water through the bucket and it will overflow back into the tank. Add the salt for 5 gal into the bucket and mix it up so all the salt dissolves. You can use a piece of PVC or something as a funnel to make sure the salt goes into the bucket and not all over the tank. Keep repeating this until your salt level is reached and you should minimize the salt residue in the tank, since only the dissolved salt in the water should flow out of the 5 gal bucket.

Good luck! Are you a member of MARSH here in Houston?

Dwyer · 10/08/2010, 02:04 PM

When I mixed my salt for the first time I mixed it in the sump then turned the pump on when all the salt had dissolved. I did 5 - 10 scoops at a time. That way I knew it wasn't just falling down and sitting on my sand. At that time I didn't have anything in the sump but a return and pump. I would keep circulation pumps in the tank running the whole time.

10/07/2010, 10:25 AM	#1
mtaswt Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 428	adding salt I have finally got my tank filled after what seemed like an eternity (156 gallon). It was worse than watching paint dry, or watching the grass grow, but it is FILLED! Anyway I had previously installed my aquascaping (dry rock) and added all my sand before the "big fill", and so now I am going to start adding my salt! Would it be advisable to add the salt to the return pump area to aid in mixing the salt into the tank, or should I just slowly add it the the DT? Tanks for you help and suggestions

10/07/2010, 10:57 AM	#5
goober35 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 167	You will need to mix your salt water in a bucket. The bucket should be new and never used for anything else. You will need a small power head like 100gph. Mix your salt with your ro/di water in the bucket and check the salinity. I let my water sit for a day after mixing and then do a water change. __________________ Best advice i ever got. "Dont sell something for what you think it is worth, sell it for what some one else is willing to pay for it." 29g BC

10/08/2010, 01:39 PM	#7
trb Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 234	If you haven't added the salt yet, I thought of an idea this morning you might try. Get a perfectly clean 5 gal bucket and submerge it in your tank. Put a pump with a hose on it to feed fresh water from the tank into the bucket. When you turn it on, it will circulate the water through the bucket and it will overflow back into the tank. Add the salt for 5 gal into the bucket and mix it up so all the salt dissolves. You can use a piece of PVC or something as a funnel to make sure the salt goes into the bucket and not all over the tank. Keep repeating this until your salt level is reached and you should minimize the salt residue in the tank, since only the dissolved salt in the water should flow out of the 5 gal bucket. Good luck! Are you a member of MARSH here in Houston? __________________ Thomas member of MARSHreef - the Marine and Reef Society of Houston. Current Tank Info: 60+ Gal top reef display + 29 gal non reef safe lower display + 29 gal sump

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10/07/2010, 10:29 AM	#2
dmopar74 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: WA Posts: 222	With the rock and sand in already you shouldn't mixed the saltwater before adding it to the tank.

10/07/2010, 10:42 AM	#4
kichimark Μολὼν λαβέ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: SFV, S. California Posts: 1,304	If there is no livestock there shouldn't be a problem. Once you have livestock you got to have the saltwater already made before added to the tank during waterchanges.

10/08/2010, 02:04 PM	#8
Dwyer Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Utah Posts: 59	When I mixed my salt for the first time I mixed it in the sump then turned the pump on when all the salt had dissolved. I did 5 - 10 scoops at a time. That way I knew it wasn't just falling down and sitting on my sand. At that time I didn't have anything in the sump but a return and pump. I would keep circulation pumps in the tank running the whole time.