time to aerate ?

[dmurphy]

Ok.. there seems to be quite a bit of variance on this topic. How long do you all aerate your saltwater for after mixing it before you consider it tank worthy ?

 

[clarkiiboi]

Me personally, you dont want to know. From what I have read, its a good 24 hours. HTH

 

[marting83]

I've never heard of this! Why areate? Explain this concept to me please! Geez, good thing I don't have fish in my tank yet!

 

[alti]

i always wait 24 hours unless its an emergency. it helps to stablize the ph and make sure the salt is completely mixed. i have done emergency water changes with water ive only let me for an hour or so, and i know that peoplewho sevice tanks just mix it and dump it in. i would recommend letiing it sit overnight just to be on the safe side. we invest so much time and money into our tanks and it is the least we can do to ensure proper water quality.

 

[broomer5]

It's equally as important to aerate the freshwater BEFORE you add the saltmix too.
Recipe for my tanks:
Aerate RO/DI water overnight with powerhead and heater.
Next day mix in salt with freshwater - check specific gravity / salinity.
Aerate this batch of saltwater overnight.
Next day - check specific gravity / salinity again ..... tweek with more salt or more freswater to get it where you want it. Check temperature.
Let run couple more hours.
One last hydrometer & temp check and then ....
Do the water change.

 

[dmurphy]

cool.. thanks for the recipe broomer5! Sounds like a failsafe method