How Long Should I Mix Salt?

[gb530]

I mix my own saltwater at home in a 30 gallon container every month. I use a pump to mix it up and typically let it mix for 24 hours before doing the water change to my tank. Just curious at what people on RC think of the time period I should let the salt mix before adding to my tank. Is 24 hours too long? Would it be the same and could I get away with 4 hours? What chemically changes between say an hour of mixing and 24 hours?

Thanks

[Derbird]

I am no expert but I mix for a minimum of 24 hours. I have heard this lets the pH stablize and the CO2 to off gas. But that is just what I have been told

[rixster64]

hi, i mix my salt a week in advance and have a small circ pump running 24/7. in a 2ft cube tank in spare room, think it holds about 140litres, my water change is about 40- 50 litres a week, so all i do is take from the cube and replace with RO and salt the same day to mix for the following week, so in theory there's water in the cube maybe 2-3 weeks old. hope that is of some help

[fjpod]

I mix my saltwater in 3 gallon batches about a half hour before I use it. I mix with a heater and powerhead. I do weekly water changes in a 14 gallon biocube. I never see an ill effect when I add it, in fact the next day, some of the corals seem happier.

Really...salt dissolves in a few seconds. The other nutrients never really dissolve, they just float around.

[Ron Reefman]

I mix 25-40g in Brute trash cans and I've found little difference between saltwater that has mixed for 2 hours and saltwater that has mixed for 24-48 hours. I think the biggest issue is the just wait long enough for all the salt to have dissolved. Probably an hour or 2 is more than enough if you are mixing it well, I use some pretty big pumps and the water is really churnning in the trash cans.

[Steve Wright2]

I typically mix mine about 24 hours before doing the water change
just a habit really, rather than due to any concerns with using water mixed for less time than that
I have also left salt mix for 48 or even 72 hours prior to using simply due to being busy and thus not got around to the water change the day after mixing the salt

as long as its covered, and thus airborne contaminants kept out, I believe its fine to leave it as long as you need to before using it

I also agree that my salt is often fully dissolved within a couple of hours or so of adding to the water and would not hesitate to use it after 4 or 6 hours of mixing

Steve

[this is me]

I like to mix the salt a night before the water change.

[ssteal]

Seen little difference between an hour of mixing and a day.

[DiscusHeckel]

24 hours

[csauer52]

IMO I think it's safe to use when it's clear. When I used TMP this would be within an hour. Now that I'm using RC, it's 24 hours. Every salt mixes differently. Also depends on water temp, mixing pump turnover etc...

[gb530]

Thanks everyone. I started mixing my salt last night and will be doing my monthly water change today

[bertoni]

With a decent-sized pump, the water should be aerated in a few hours. The saltwater can be used as soon as it reaches a reasonable pH. Some salts mix up to an initial high pH, which can be an issue for larger water changes.

[Dapg8gt]

I too mix at least 24 hours or untill clear. I've used RC for years and now switched to aquavitro salinity (third bucket) I've noticed the longer I mix it past a day or so the lower the ALK gets. It's weird. Just checked it this morning and ALK was 5.7 from last weeks batch. I mix 55 gals at a time and this big of an alk drop is new to me.. That's a substantial drop for one week. I tried leaving the last months batch still (not constantly circulating) and it started to smell.. I think I'm gonna switch back to reef crystals LOL. anybody else experience this big of an alk drop in their salt mix? Figured I'd ask here instead of starting a thread.. Read some other threads before this one but no conclusions in the ones I read.

[bertoni]

How much does the alkalinity seem to drop? That's a bit strange.

[Dapg8gt]

It usually mixes to 7-8.5 DKH. After its mixing it will drop to usually in the 6's after a week or so. I've had some issues with the salt in general not mixing to what it says (lab certified) on the label. Calcium and alk are usually low. My tanks have responded well to it but not well enough to deal with dosing every time I have to use it.

I have thought by reading here that maybe I was over mixing it by having it circulating 24/7 but that didn't help after a week or two it started to smell stagnant.. So I cleaned the barrel (55 gal brute) thinking it was dirty.. Tried just mixing a few hours a day still had levels drop. I have mixed the salt thinking it settled out, added super slow, it does leave some white stuff on the container and pumps so possibly precipitation but from what I'm reading about the salt it's normal and I also got that with the reef crystals minus the parameter shifts..

So my thought is to just go back to reef crystals and do what I have done for years with no issues.

[bertoni]

Well, I'm not sure exactly what's happening, but I suspect the precipitation is happening fairly quickly after mixing, but the precipitate remains suspended for a while and confuses the test kits.

[Dapg8gt]

Ok so maybe add the salt slower so it doesn't precipitate as much. I've gone as slow as a cup a minute and it felt like forever LOL.. IDK what to do I still have about 100 gals of salt left.. Any suggestions on my process or any tips I should try?

It sucks too cause it is a top shelf salt and I get the 225 Gal bucket for $55 from a local store.. Cheapest I can find RC is $55 for a 200 gal box from dr foster and smith (just ordered one).. So I'm paying the same for less mix. Salinity is supposed to be a better salt on paper and my tanks like it but I am forced to go back to reef crystals due to this issue I'm having.. But reef crystals is a good salt also so I can't really complain.. Thanks for responding.

[Yedgy]

I use RSCP and follow their mixing instructions to the letter. I usually mix for 1 to 2 hours, and never for more than 4.

[Marcio T.D.]

I also use RSCP and I mix for 2 hours before WC.

[Tokyoyankee]

I mix for about 20-30 minutes or until clear. Never had a problem.

[tadeo47]

yeah and until clear, and also try to get in the habit on doing water changes every week. smaller water changes of around 10 to 15 percent are fine. That causes less stress on the inhabitants of the fish