Mixing saltwater with sand bed

[Shilpan]

Well guys I screwed up. Got a 400L tank plus sump.

Leak tested it. Aquascaped. Added sand. Filled up with RODI water (that took days!!)

And I was about to mix my salt until I read that mixing with a sandbed causes problems because salt sits there. Damn it...

Any ideas? Don't wanna drain the entire tank and spend another 5 days filling RODI water in separate containers and mixing salt in them.

Could I mix it in the sump maybe??

 

[lmforbis]

You could drain into some large containers then mix and pump back

Personally I've mixed in the tank with sand. No problem if you go slow and If you have a lot of flow it will mix. This could be in the sump, should be plenty of flow there. It isn't like you are adding fish so slowly add the salt mix into an area with a lot of flow. When the specific gravity gets to around 1.018 stop and let things mix for a day or so then retest and continue slowly until you get where you want to be.

 

[Shilpan]

Awesome thanks for that!

 

[bang guy]

If it was dry sand to start then it's fine. It would have been better to mix the salt with the water before pouring it in because it mixes better but the way you're going to cycle you won't need the trace elements anyway.

 

[2quills]

I've done it before and it wasn't a problem if you aren't adding livestock right away. Just turn on your flow and give it a good 24 hours and take it slow.

Last time I set up my tank I just poured it right into the return chamber in the sump. Take it slow and do a few cups at a time until it devolves and u don't see any granuals floating around.

 

[Shilpan]

Ok thank you!