instant ocean?

[keperman01]

for the past 4-5 months i have been buying my water for 65 cents p/g and i noticed that you can mix you own for 50 bucks which makes 200 gallons, i never tried for fear i would kill my fish. How hard is this to make, can you use your tap water or will the cholrine kill the fish ....how does this work?...thanks for your help!!
adam

 

[thomas712]

Ah 65 cents per gallon?, do you mean saltwater already mixed?
Most of us mix our own saltwater, as long as you have a hydrometer or better a refractometer, RO water, heater, power head and some salt like instant ocean your good to go.
99% of the time there is no problem mixing it, just let it mix for a couple of days, and aeriate it the last few hours, bring to temp and match salinity with the main tank and your good to go.
The only warning that I would give you is to test your saltwater mix the first batch out of the bag, box, or bucket to make sure that nothing is way off. for instance if you see that your mix is cloudy after a day of mixing in your container then it may not be safe to use.
Thomas

 

[calvindo]

mixing salt is easy as, mixing lemonade. you should start mixing your own. I never trust anyones water... especially the lfs water. I'm sure they use the cheapest salt out there and dont take good care in mixing. IMO, of course....

 

[jon.316]

MIXING SALT IS DEFINITELY THE BEST WAY TO GO. I'VE STARTED A 55 GALLON AND A 155 GALLON WITH INSTANT OCEAN (MY PERSONAL FAV) AND IT WORKS GREAT. I SIPHON MY OLD WATER RIGHT OUT AND PUMP IN PREMIXED, AIRRATED AND HEATED SALTWATER INTO MY TANK. AND YES I USED WATER STRAIGHT FROM TAP EVEN THOUGH SOME PEOPLE DONT LIKE TO DO THAT. ONCE YOUR TANK IS ESTABLISHED AND YOUR FISH ARE STRONG, THE BACTERIAL IN YOUR TANK SHOULD NEUTRALIZE YOUR WATER!

 

[tiencvu]

Oh boy, if you are in this hobby and don't know how to mix the saltwater then it is such a waste of experience. It is easy as A.B.C. You should try it once and don't be afraid...
I would not trust anyone even the LFS to mix my water.
It is such a fun thing to do. Give it a try and tell us how you like it.
Good luck

 

[keperman01]

well alrighty i will have to try this , seems like a peice of cake. "as long as you have a hydrometer or better a refractometer, RO water" Tom..... first all thanks for all the help that you have gave me in many threads.....and second what is a hydrometer, refractometer, and RO water.
right now i have about ten snails and ten crabs my dad brought back from florida, the snails are as large as about 5/8 of an inch in diameter....is this a big enough clean up crew for my tank.....it just sucks buying them here b/c zebra and snails are 3 dollars each....well thanks for your help again

 

[thomas712]

A hydrometer measures salinity, some measure salinity and specific gravity. I used to use a swing arm style hydrometer to meausere the salt levels in my aquarium and my water change water. I switched to a refractometer which measure both salinity and specific gravity of sea water and is much more accurate, also much more expensive. Doesn't have to be too expensive mine only cost me $50.00 and is automatic temp control.
An ATC refractometer is the way to go if you are using hypo salinity on fish, a plastic or even glass hydrometer can be to far off for exact measurements.
Look for a post "using a refractometer" look for the post by Broomer for a very detailed explination on what one does and how to use one.
RO or RO/DI water is the the water of choice for most of us. Reverse Osmosis De Ionized water, specially filtered water that takes out the heavy metals and impurities and makes it much safer than tap water. No need for dechloinizers or any additives. Many local stores like Miejers or Walmart carry RO vending machines. I get it for 29 cents per gallon.
Any of that help?
Thomas

 

[trigger reid]

you should get a reverses osmosis system because htat water is the best to go with, um its not hard to mix water you just fill up watever you are puting the saltwater in almost to the top with purified water from you reverse osmosis set then leave some left in the tub of purified water becasue then if you put to much salt in you can put some water into it to lower the level, like the last post its almost as easy as mixing lemonade