help me clear the confusion about saltwater

neupane00 · 06/18/2009, 06:41 AM

i asked around a bit and everyone says dont use "stale" saltwater that is not being constantly moved by powerhead. is that true? what if i RO/DI water, do the salt mix, let it run with powerhead so salt is dissolved. Store it on container with lid.. and use it after weeks or a month? whats the harm? does the water go bad? if so, how are local fish store selling the saltwater in cartons and jars? they are "stale" for months and months.. are those all bad? I was planning to store well mixed saltwater for weeks.. and day before water change use powerhead and heater. is that a bad idea?

thegrun · 06/18/2009, 07:09 AM

I do not see a problem with letting salt water sit still for an extended period of time. Back in the "old" days, it was common practice to collect water out of the ocean and let it sit for a minimum of one month before using it. This month long period was intended to kill off any parasites present in the water. I maintained a tank for a couple of years using this method.

benr · 06/18/2009, 07:13 AM

Stored saltwater made from RO/DI should be fine. I think that the problem comes in when the water used to make up salt mix is high in organics and/or phosphate, will tend to grow stuff when exposed to light during storage.

Guygettnby · 06/18/2009, 07:14 AM

i always have 2 containers that are completely sealed filled with saltwater in case of emergency water changes. they never sit any longer then a month, but i have always done this and never once had a problem. biggest thing is you dont want to let RO/DI water that is not in a completely air tight sealed container sit for any lenght of time beacuse there is nothing left in the water to stop the parasites or bacteria from growing in it.

06/18/2009, 06:41 AM	#1
neupane00 Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: New Jersey, USA Posts: 265	help me clear the confusion about saltwater i asked around a bit and everyone says dont use "stale" saltwater that is not being constantly moved by powerhead. is that true? what if i RO/DI water, do the salt mix, let it run with powerhead so salt is dissolved. Store it on container with lid.. and use it after weeks or a month? whats the harm? does the water go bad? if so, how are local fish store selling the saltwater in cartons and jars? they are "stale" for months and months.. are those all bad? I was planning to store well mixed saltwater for weeks.. and day before water change use powerhead and heater. is that a bad idea?

06/18/2009, 07:09 AM	#2
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I do not see a problem with letting salt water sit still for an extended period of time. Back in the "old" days, it was common practice to collect water out of the ocean and let it sit for a minimum of one month before using it. This month long period was intended to kill off any parasites present in the water. I maintained a tank for a couple of years using this method.

06/18/2009, 07:13 AM	#3
benr Moved On Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Richmond VA Posts: 127	Stored saltwater made from RO/DI should be fine. I think that the problem comes in when the water used to make up salt mix is high in organics and/or phosphate, will tend to grow stuff when exposed to light during storage.

06/18/2009, 07:14 AM	#4
Guygettnby Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: FL Posts: 3,050	i always have 2 containers that are completely sealed filled with saltwater in case of emergency water changes. they never sit any longer then a month, but i have always done this and never once had a problem. biggest thing is you dont want to let RO/DI water that is not in a completely air tight sealed container sit for any lenght of time beacuse there is nothing left in the water to stop the parasites or bacteria from growing in it.