mixing instant ocean 1st time

jbeck

jbeck

Member
Im mixing up my SW for my initial filling of my 75g today! Is 1/2cup/gallon what i should start with?? The water is only at 60degrees so I dont know how i can measure specific gravity. What specific gravity should i have at 60 to be correct at 78-79??? I will heat it once its in the tank, for now i just want to get it in the tank as i have buckets all over the house. Been making RO/DI all night. Also once in the tank with some power heads, should i adjust them to aerate it with the small bubbles??
 
mersonly1

mersonly1

Member
yep use an air stone..as ro/di takes o2 outa the water..dont forget some oso prep to replace the trace elements ya lost thru filtration.....
 
jbeck

jbeck

Member
instant ocean is supposed to have the trace elements in it. I still dont know how much to put in or what specific gravity to shoot for at 58-60deg
 
jbeck

jbeck

Member
Ok mostly full. I have 2 powerheads aerating it and the heater in now. I pumped the sw on to a glass plate and the unrinsed southdown did not fog too bad at all. Here is a pic. Im sure I will need to adjust salinity some once it comes to temp but i should be able to do it with the remaining couple inches of water.
 
beefcake

beefcake

Member
You pumped it in to your tank ? Im getting ready to fill my 90 gal and all I have are 5gal buckets. All I can figure is get on a stool and pour it in from the top one bucket at a time. Theres got to be a better way.
 
jonah

jonah

New Member
Power head with hose attached.:D
You could mix it in a new trash can too so you don't have to mix all those 5g batches.
 
noobie

noobie

Member
Is it bad to mix it in the tank when you fill it for the first time?
I planned on mixing it trash can just for water changes only.
 
jbeck

jbeck

Member
I was thinking the same thing at 1st but was told the only way to do that is if you add the sand 2nd. I wanted to put the sand down first then the water.
 
broomer5

broomer5

Active Member
Sounds as if you have a good handle on the process jbeck.
Mixing the salt and RO water outside the tank is my preferred method as well.
Once the tankwater gets to temperature - test the salinity.
You can adjust then.
What are you using for salinity testing ?
Swingarm hydrometer ?
Refractometer ?
What is your final tankwater temperature going to be ?
I'll use powerheads for water circulation - but I avoid using the air venturi's. I don't see a reason to introduces bubbles to the tank - anytime - even at start up.
 
jbeck

jbeck

Member
I just have a swingarm for now.. I know its not the most accurate but im not planning on having too sensitive creatures.
I have the temp up at 78now and salinity is 1.021 looks like my 1/2 a$$ guess og 1.017@60deg worked out ok!
I'll shut off the venturis tonight when i get home. Live Rock and Live sand goes in this weekend!
What do you recommend for temp and Salinity? Going to be mostly fish with a cleanup crew and perhaps a few low light corals and mushrooms. I only have 160watts of NO URI bulbs so im a bit limited in the coral dept.
 
broomer5

broomer5

Active Member
Your choice - but I like to keep my tank around 80 F
So a S.G. of 1.023 to 1.024 seems about right.
IMO - Swing-arm hydrometers are fine for most folks, if kept clean and checked/replaced now and then.
 
noobie

noobie

Member
Sorry jbeck for butting into your post again, but I just want to know for sure if this will work?
1. Fill 55gal. sith RO/DI water
2. Bring temperature to about 80 degrees
3. Put sand into tank and allow it to settle
4. Turn on both powerheads w/o venturis attached
5. Add appropriate amount of Instant Ocean and continue testing until S.G. level between 1.023-1.025
6. Allow tank to mix and aerate overnight
7. Add LR and cross my fingers that my new SW tank cycles fast
Does this look OK?
 
beefcake

beefcake

Member
Hmmm, what type/size of hose did you use to hook up to your powerhead ? I asked my friend to give me an old powerhead but he says there not meant to pump water, only to circulate it.
 
noobie

noobie

Member
I was told the same thing. Due to the "head pressure" the powerhead may not work properly or if it does work it won't be long till it quits working permanently.
Wait for a more qualified answer than mine, this is just a way for me to see if my opinion is correct.
 
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