Salt to water formula
- Thread starter b0gart
- Start date
saltymist
Member
It will depend on the salt manufacturer. One of them (I think Instant Ocean) makes it kind of simple, and just instructs to add 1/2 cup per 1 gallon of water, so for a 5 gallon bucket, that would be 2.5cups of salt mix.
Other manufacturers like RedSea, dont give a cup amount, instead they instruct something like 1.4lbs per xx gallons (dont have the bag handy as Im at work), and still others just say mix in enough till you get a SG level of 1.021 to 1.024
Personally Ive now tried three different salts in the past 8 months, Instant Ocean, RedSea and now some other salt that my LFS recommended as being the quickest to disolve. And so far, I've used the simple method on each, and used basically 2.5cups per 5 gallons that I make up, and my SG is usually 1.021 to 1.022 for each batch.
So in short, it seems that the 1/2 cup rule seems to work, at least it has for the three salts that I've tried.
Other manufacturers like RedSea, dont give a cup amount, instead they instruct something like 1.4lbs per xx gallons (dont have the bag handy as Im at work), and still others just say mix in enough till you get a SG level of 1.021 to 1.024
Personally Ive now tried three different salts in the past 8 months, Instant Ocean, RedSea and now some other salt that my LFS recommended as being the quickest to disolve. And so far, I've used the simple method on each, and used basically 2.5cups per 5 gallons that I make up, and my SG is usually 1.021 to 1.022 for each batch.
So in short, it seems that the 1/2 cup rule seems to work, at least it has for the three salts that I've tried.
robchuck
Active Member
I've been doing this long enough where I can pour the salt directly into the fresh RO/DI, and use a fairly educated guess as to how much salt is needed. I usually get within .001-.002 from my target SG after the initial salt pouring using this method, and either add more salt or more RO/DI to bring the SG to my target level. I use a calibrated refractometer and let the salt dissolve for about 30 minutes before making additional adjustments. I then let the newly-mixed saltwater sit for 24 hours with a heater and powerhead before using it on my tank. This method was learned from years of adding Instant Ocean to water via measuring cups, and figured I could guess how much salt to add without using measuring cups.
bang guy
Moderator
Originally posted by RobChuck
I use a calibrated refractometer
I just thought I'd mention, Refractometers measure Salinity, not Specific Gravity. That's what makes them so much better. If your refractometer has a Specific Gravity scale then it can only be accurate at one specific temperature.
The Salinity scale will be very accurate though. Just go for a Salinity of 35ppt and then you don't have to do any temperature conversions.
robchuck
Active Member
Bang,
Thanks for the info, I was not aware of that. I have an ATC refractometer and thought that because the SG scale references the same reading as the salinity scale on my refractometer (the reading is in the middle and the SG scale is on the left with the salinity scale on the right), there would be no difference in which scale to read.
Thanks for the info, I was not aware of that. I have an ATC refractometer and thought that because the SG scale references the same reading as the salinity scale on my refractometer (the reading is in the middle and the SG scale is on the left with the salinity scale on the right), there would be no difference in which scale to read.
beamer
Member
There's a number of refractometers to buy out there. I have only had mine for about a month and love it. Mine is made by Sybon. They say that they are the leader in salinity refrac. I believe I bought mine through Premium Aquatics for $58. You can get them for more or for less. I personally wouldn't go with the cheapest one. I've been told that paying the extra for a light on it is a waste of money but then that would just be a personal preference thing. I decided to choose one with out the light. That gives me more money to buy other things for my tank that I want.:happy:
Cindy
Cindy
debbie
Active Member
Hi, make sure you don't over do the salt. Use a refractometer like they said. When I first started doing my changes on my 10 gal nano tank I over did it once and killed my two snails wap.
Now when I do my changes, I remove the same amount of water each time and have a certain spoon I use to add my salt to the water to dissolve before replacing the water. My reading is always the same now.
Just add a bit at a time if you are unsure and make a note of how much you put in each time when you did your water changes.
Good luck to you, this is such a fun hobby :jumping:
Now when I do my changes, I remove the same amount of water each time and have a certain spoon I use to add my salt to the water to dissolve before replacing the water. My reading is always the same now.
Just add a bit at a time if you are unsure and make a note of how much you put in each time when you did your water changes.
Good luck to you, this is such a fun hobby :jumping:
beamer
Member
Congratulations! You made a very smart decision in purchasing your refractometer. You won't regret it.
I did not have to calibrate mine. It comes with a little kit of purified water and an instrument to calibrate it with. I put a few drops of the water on the refractometer looked up at the light and the blue line fell right at "0". I check it from time to time using my ro water. Due to my bad chemistry I've had to do lots and lots of water changes and therefore having to make up a lot of salt water and I've not had to calibrate it yet. When making my salt water (Oceanic) I use all of the salt required except for the last cup or two to be sure that I don't add too much. Sometimes I wind up having to put in more salt than is required. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe I just wind up losing my count. For 40 gl I put in 20 cups of salt. Just play with it a while and you'll get the hang of using the instrument and knowing about how much more salt to add. If you can mark your container to exactly 10gl etc it will make it easier for you when you measure out your salt.
Have fun!
Cindy
I did not have to calibrate mine. It comes with a little kit of purified water and an instrument to calibrate it with. I put a few drops of the water on the refractometer looked up at the light and the blue line fell right at "0". I check it from time to time using my ro water. Due to my bad chemistry I've had to do lots and lots of water changes and therefore having to make up a lot of salt water and I've not had to calibrate it yet. When making my salt water (Oceanic) I use all of the salt required except for the last cup or two to be sure that I don't add too much. Sometimes I wind up having to put in more salt than is required. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe I just wind up losing my count. For 40 gl I put in 20 cups of salt. Just play with it a while and you'll get the hang of using the instrument and knowing about how much more salt to add. If you can mark your container to exactly 10gl etc it will make it easier for you when you measure out your salt.
Have fun!
Cindy