mixing salt water for first time

dlauber

dlauber

Member
Im about to (hopefully, I dont know if my store even has it) buy 15 gallons of RO/DI water for for the first time
I need to know, should I just poor 10 gallons into my 10g tank, (the tank has nothing in it at all yet, and this will be my main tank) then add the salt and mix it with a power head, and a filter (the filter is the kind that comes with walmart tanks) without the filter pad in it?
I was wondering, because I was thinking since its a rectangle shaped tank, it might not mix right, or do I have to do it in a round bucket?
 
geridoc

geridoc

Well-Known Member
Mixing the salt for the first time in the DT is fine. Be sure to add salt to the water, not the other way around.
 
coral keeper

coral keeper

Active Member
You can poor 10 gallons into you 10g tank, then add the salt and mix it with a power head, and a filter without the filter pad in it. It will mix fine. Just make sure the power head(s) are pointing at the bottom of the tank so the salt wont be on the bottom.
 
dlauber

dlauber

Member
alright thanks...and can anyone give me a price range on how much it should cost to add the right amount of salt to 10 gallons?
That might be hard to answer, but any guess would be helpfull
 
dlauber

dlauber

Member
so 1gallon salt = 10gallon of salt water? or close to that?
how much would a big bucket like that cost?
and after I get the right salinity, is there anything else I must do before adding sand (dead) and live rock?
last question, how much GPH should the powerhead I get be for a 10 gallon tank?
 
coral keeper

coral keeper

Active Member
Originally Posted by Dlauber
so 1gallon salt = 10gallon of salt water? or close to that?
how much would a big bucket like that cost?
and after I get the right salinity, is there anything else I must do before adding sand (dead) and live rock?
No No No. 1 gallon of salt is WAY WAY too much salt for 10 gallons lol. I meant that you should get a 5 gallon bucket so it can last a long time so you wont have to go to the store a lot and get salt. So if you do 10% water changes a week on your tank the 5 gallon bucket should last you around a year.
 
reefkprz

reefkprz

Active Member
Originally Posted by Dlauber
alright thanks...and can anyone give me a price range on how much it should cost to add the right amount of salt to 10 gallons?
That might be hard to answer, but any guess would be helpfull
about $9 for a ten gallon mix of most salts, the larger amount you buy the less you pay per gallon of saltmix.
 
coral keeper

coral keeper

Active Member
Originally Posted by Dlauber
and after I get the right salinity, is there anything else I must do before adding sand (dead) and live rock?
last question, how much GPH should the powerhead I get be for a 10 gallon tank?
There is nothing els to do when you get the salinity to the right lvl except the right filtration and the equipment like heaters, pumps, lighting, fuge and/or a sump, ect. Are you going to have a fuge and/or a sump?
It matters what your going to have in the tank. Stonys, softy's, LPS?
 
coral keeper

coral keeper

Active Member
Originally Posted by reefkprZ
about $9 for a ten gallon mix of most salts, the larger amount you buy the less you pay per gallon of saltmix.
Yeah, thats why i said to get a large amount to save some money.
 
dlauber

dlauber

Member
turns out the closest pet store doesnt sell RO/DI water, nor does the grocery store next to it
I was just wondering if spring water was ok to use, im not sure of the brand, it mightve been deer park.
 
alix2.0

alix2.0

Active Member
if its distilled you shouldnt use it, as it can contain copper from the distilling tubes. just thought i let you know since at first "distilled" sounded really good to me.

not sure about spring water / deer park though.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I get a 165 gallon salt mix bucket for $40.
If you follow the directions on the Instant Ocean Sea Salt mix or the Seachem sea salt mix, I think it's going to be around half a cup of salt per gallon for a salinity of 1.024.
By the way, a ten gallon tank is going to be extremely hard to maintain and I do not recommend it. However, if you have done your homework and you know what you are getting yourself into, then I am sure that you can do it.
Good luck!
 
coral keeper

coral keeper

Active Member
Originally Posted by Dlauber
I have well water? Would that be ok to use, or is it still just as bad as any other tap water?
Its the same thing as tap water or even worse. Use RO/DI water.
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
Originally Posted by Dlauber
still no opinions on spring water?
You mean buying pallets of spring water? IMO it's just more economical to buy a RO/DI unit. Mine was less than $200 with everything shipped. The cost of driving to the store and the water adds up to a lot over time.
-Justin
 
dlauber

dlauber

Member
no, my store sells gallons of spring water for about 80cents a gallon, and I cant find any store in my area that sells RO/DI water
I havent been to walmart lately though so I cant say weather or not they do sell it
 
dlauber

dlauber

Member
Originally Posted by Dlauber
no, my store sells gallons of spring water for about 80cents a gallon, and I cant find any store in my area that sells RO/DI water
I havent been to walmart lately though so I cant say weather or not they do sell it

still need more opinions on spring water
I plan on getting started very soon, 2 or 3 days most likely. (still need to paint the back black)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top