Salt : Water Ratio
- Thread starter bimm3rb0y
- Start date
flower
Well-Known Member
When you are mixing your saltwater..Start with RO (reverse osmoses) water. If you warm the water it will mix better..A power head to churn things helps allot.
Look on your salt mix instructions, it will tell you how much salt per gallon.
Start there... after it has mixed and dissolved test the water for SG. It should be close...it really helps to keep track of how much water is in the mixing tub.
Unless you have an auto top off unit (ATO), I would not set my SG at 1.026...because when your water level drops from evaporation the SG is higher. 1.026 is the highest it should ever be (according to my book). The natural ocean is 1.026
Without an ATO, try to get your SG at between 1.024/1.025 so it can climb with evaporation and not be too high.
If you have an ATO, go ahead and set your SG at 1.026 it will always stay where it should.
Take note: water evaporates, the salt does not. never top off with saltwater...Always top off with fresh RO water...mix new saltwater for water changes only. What saltwater you remove, you replace with the same.
posiden
Active Member
Originally Posted by bimm3rb0y
http:///forum/post/3172128
Whats the proper ratio for salt to water mix to keep the salinity to 1.026?
This depends on what salt you are using. Some salt mixes are more "dry" then others, therefore needing less salt per gallon of water to acheive the same gravity.
By the way, you referenced a gravity reading not salinity. I know people will know what you are asking but, there is a difference in salinity and gravity.
http:///forum/post/3172128
Whats the proper ratio for salt to water mix to keep the salinity to 1.026?
This depends on what salt you are using. Some salt mixes are more "dry" then others, therefore needing less salt per gallon of water to acheive the same gravity.
By the way, you referenced a gravity reading not salinity. I know people will know what you are asking but, there is a difference in salinity and gravity.
flower
Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by Posiden
http:///forum/post/3172146
This depends on what salt you are using. Some salt mixes are more "dry" then others, therefore needing less salt per gallon of water to acheive the same gravity.
By the way, you referenced a gravity reading not salinity. I know people will know what you are asking but, there is a difference in salinity and gravity.
It won't matter what brand of salt....the instructions will tell you how much per gallon to use. I measure my SG in my fish tank, and match it to the new mixed saltwater...when the numbers are the same..it's good to go.
That is how I do it, and so that is what I wrote.
http:///forum/post/3172146
This depends on what salt you are using. Some salt mixes are more "dry" then others, therefore needing less salt per gallon of water to acheive the same gravity.
By the way, you referenced a gravity reading not salinity. I know people will know what you are asking but, there is a difference in salinity and gravity.
It won't matter what brand of salt....the instructions will tell you how much per gallon to use. I measure my SG in my fish tank, and match it to the new mixed saltwater...when the numbers are the same..it's good to go.
That is how I do it, and so that is what I wrote.
flower
Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by bimm3rb0y
http:///forum/post/3172151
Nice, that really clears it all up. Thank you.
I get the feeling you didn't get your answer. I was hoping not to confuse you.
Some people use a refractometer..Very precise…
I use a hydrometer..It is marked with SG numbers..1.026 is the highest reading for the ocean..But unless you have an auto top off unit, you have to create some wiggle room so the SG can rise a bit without going too high.
The reason why is that water is going to evaporate, you will have to add fresh water to keep the water level in the tank the same level all the time. The water evaporates but the salt just stays in the tank..So the SG goes up when the water level drops from evaporation.
My salt mix instructions on the back says to use 1/2 cup per gallon. So for 30g of water for a water change on my tank, I start with 15 cups of salt mix.
I warm my water with a heater, and use a small power head to churn the water and make it all the same temp...then I add my salt mix according to the instructions. This usually gets me close to the SG number of about 1.023/1.024 then I add a little more salt and let it mix for an hour…then I check it again. I keep doing this until I have the reading I am looking for. I then let the new mixed water churn for 24 hours before use.
For a water change I want the hydrometer SG number in my tank, to match the SG number of the new mixed saltwater.
If you are still confused ..keep asking until you understand. We have done this so long it is hard to remember how hard it was for us in the beginning when we didn't know what SG (Specific Gravity )was.
posiden
Active Member
Originally Posted by bimm3rb0y
http:///forum/post/3172128
Whats the proper ratio for salt to water mix to keep the salinity to 1.026?
Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3172149
It won't matter what brand of salt....the instructions will tell you how much per gallon to use. I measure my SG in my fish tank, and match it to the new mixed saltwater...when the numbers are the same..it's good to go.
That is how I do it, and so that is what I wrote.
You are right about the bag of salt telling you how much to use, which will get the user close to what they want. Most salt manufactures suggest a 1.024 for the gravity. However some like a higher gravity reading which will require more salt per gallon of water.
It does matter on brand. My new Brightwell salt uses much less salt per gallon then my Seachem or Reef Crystals ever did to acheive the same gravity.
The OPs question, which I quoted was what is the proper ratio of salt to water. The amount does differ from brand to brand giving different ratios.
http:///forum/post/3172128
Whats the proper ratio for salt to water mix to keep the salinity to 1.026?
Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3172149
It won't matter what brand of salt....the instructions will tell you how much per gallon to use. I measure my SG in my fish tank, and match it to the new mixed saltwater...when the numbers are the same..it's good to go.
That is how I do it, and so that is what I wrote.
You are right about the bag of salt telling you how much to use, which will get the user close to what they want. Most salt manufactures suggest a 1.024 for the gravity. However some like a higher gravity reading which will require more salt per gallon of water.
It does matter on brand. My new Brightwell salt uses much less salt per gallon then my Seachem or Reef Crystals ever did to acheive the same gravity.
The OPs question, which I quoted was what is the proper ratio of salt to water. The amount does differ from brand to brand giving different ratios.