Going To Add Water/Salt. Sanity Check

[layer3switchguy]

Folks,

I plan to fill my 55g tank with RO/DI this weekend and wanted a sanity check.

Since this is a new tank, I plan to simply add the salt to the water. My thoughts were to add about 75% water with appropriate amount of salt and let things settle for a day or so and then test for correct SG. Once this is done, I'll top off with appropriate amounts of freshwater, or add both more freshwater and salt. Would this process be ok?

Also, should I add the water directly into the tank or sump on initial fill? Should I put a powerhead into the tank to help dissolve the saltwater?

Oh, and how do I measure the appropriate fill level for the tank overall and what should be in the sump?

Thanks!
L3

[graveyardworm]

For the initial fill I would do straight water from the tap. Then check pumps and make certain there are no leaks. If everything checks okay then go ahead empty out the water and go with the plan as you describe.

Oh, and how do I measure the appropriate fill level for the tank overall and what should be in the sump?

The easiest way would be to fill the tank, and let it overflow to the sump until the sump is filled to where you want it. This will help ensure that if a pump fails or you lose power the sump wont spill over. You can double check this by getting everything running and turning of the return pump, and watch the sump to ensure it doesnt spillover.

[layer3switchguy]

Thanks! How do I know where I want the water level in the sump to be?

[graveyardworm]

Kinda depends on the sump I guess. Your going to have 2 levels One with everything running ( this will be lower ) and one with everything shut off ( this will be higher ). You need to find a balance between the two. When everything is running you want it to be high enough so the pumps in the sump arent sucking air, but low enough so that when everything is off it doesnt overflow the sump.