pre mixed saltwater

[pandora32]

How long does premixed saltwater stay good? Do the elements in the water start to breakdown after awhile or does it stay good?

 

[Peppie]

I have kept it in my mixing barrel, heated, and circulating for well over 30 days before I have used it. No ill effects. Could be much longer I would think.

 

[sedrostyle]

I think as long as your container is clean. And circulation I'm pretty sure forever? Minus evaporation

 

[pandora32]

Thanks guys. I was thinking of keeping it in a water drum with heat and circulation. That way i dont need to sit and wait a couple days waiting for it to mix.

 

[james734]

Head on down to Home Depot and pick up a Rubbermaid Brute trash can, the gray ones with a lid. You can even pick up some caster wheels on a plastic piece that will attach to the bottom for moving around if required. It's what I use and it's nice knowing I have approx: 40 gals ready to when I need it. Just be careful with the heater as I have melted a hole in the bottom and sprung a leak. I now float the heater from a chunk of styrofoam. I also placed an old Korilla 6 that was noisy in there for water circulation.

 

[kpiotrowski]

food grade vinegar barrels are available in many areas for around $25. I always have 55g heated and circualted and have went over 6 months. (hey, when you tank is so deviod of nutrients that you have trouble keeping your macro's alive, you don't change water)( and yeh I'm bragging a bit here as many have to change water to keep nutrients down)

 

[mfinn]

Thanks guys. I was thinking of keeping it in a water drum with heat and circulation. That way i dont need to sit and wait a couple days waiting for it to mix.

You do not need to wait a couple days.
I mix my water up early on Sunday mornings and use it Sunday afternoon.

 

[pandora32]

I wait that long because my ro water is stored outside in 5g buckets. Cold as heck. Bring it inside, dump it in a brute can, turn the pumps on, heater on, add salt...wait. After the water gets up to temp, usually most of a day, i let it mix real good with the lid proped open to let the gasses escape. Of im doin something wrong, let me know.

 

[mfinn]

What gases?

I wouldn't say you are doing anything wrong.
I just mentioned what I do because it has worked for me for several decades.
I've always tried to find the simplest method for most anything I do, especially with my tanks.

I do use mag 9.5's in my mixing barrels so it does mix very well pretty fast.

 

[kpiotrowski]

I had a natural salt mix take a few days to disolve once and then still clouded my tank a few more. I would be ok with using salt mix same day for say 5% water changes otherwise I too would idealy give it 3 days for ph to stabilze and everything to disolve into solution. I currently use kent reef salt mix and I swear my sg goes up over the course of three days indicating to me at least that not all minerals are disovled, and its not evaporation!

 

[pandora32]

This is what i read about mixing.

Reef Keeping Salt Water and Mixing Saltwater | Successful Reef Keeping

 

[mfinn]

I just pointed out the way I have been doing it for a very long time.
If those are the steps you feel comfortable doing, then by all means, continue.

In the link, it mentions letting excess CO2 bleed off.
Do you have excess CO2 in your water?

 

[pandora32]

I dont believe so. It was just something i read. This kinda got off topic i think. My primary question was how long water stays good because i was thinking about setting up a spot for premixed sw. How long have you been in the hobby? You said decades.

 

[mfinn]

Yes, it did go off topic and I apologise for that.
My first saltwater tank was setup in the summer of 1985.
A 35 gallon flat back hex.

 

[pandora32]

1985, i bet stuff has changed in the hobby alot. I was 7!! No need to apologize. Just read through your 240g build...BEAUTIFULLY done is all i can say. My tank is sps lps softies. Been thinking bout going softies only. Like the movement. Did you ever get your button polyps taken care of? Hahaha, now look whos getting off topic!

 

[mfinn]

No, still got them all over.
Technology has really changed the hobby.

 

[kpiotrowski]

I just pointed out the way I have been doing it for a very long time.
If those are the steps you feel comfortable doing, then by all means, continue.

In the link, it mentions letting excess CO2 bleed off.
Do you have excess CO2 in your water?

The excess Co2 is there by nature of the water being deionized and having no exposure to air while traveling through all the pipes to get you house. its like why you don't aerate a bag of fish that just got shipped to you. drives off Co2 increaseing ph making amonnia more deadly to the fish.

 

[mercenary-grunt]

off topic...ish just saying thats when I was born.

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2.

 

[iroll253]

I believe you are supposed to aerate the salt water with a pump for at least 24 hrs before adding the mix to your tank. As far as storing salt water, it depends on your salt. I know regular instant ocean is good forever kept without heat and a pump (aeration) in a dark food grade container, so you can just heat, test salinity and do the W/C. How ever instant ocean reef crystals has negative effects storing for more than 2 weeks. There is an extensive thread about which salts are good to store RC.

 

[kpiotrowski]

I believe you are supposed to aerate the salt water with a pump for at least 24 hrs before adding the mix to your tank. As far as storing salt water, it depends on your salt. I know regular instant ocean is good forever kept without heat and a pump (aeration) in a dark food grade container, so you can just heat, test salinity and do the W/C. How ever instant ocean reef crystals has negative effects storing for more than 2 weeks. There is an extensive thread about which salts are good to store RC.

are you saying "storing" as in not heated, non cirulated? I have trouble beliving that salt mix goes bad due to the fact that it doesn't go bad in our tanks. I would not store it stagnant...and I guess if it was stored very cool it could host differnt types of organisms that don't normaly live in 75 to 80dg water. for me, keeping 55g of heated and circulated salt water is no problem considering the investments in our tanks. its cheapper that an addition 55 gal tank cuz it just heat and one pump instead of light, skimmer, flow pumps etc.