What do you use to hold salt water

[jnguyen4007]

I'm planning on buying RO/DI water from LFS and get the sea salt wherever it's on sale. What do you guys use to mix and store your salt water?

 

James

[90OcReef]

44Gallon Brute Rubbermaid Trashcan partnered with it's dolly. You can find them at home depot, the combination cost is approx $100.

[funnyguy911]

how big is your set up, I run nano tanks so I just got ten gallon plastic drums and store them under the sink one to store ro di water and one for saltwater mix. I also have a 30 gallon brute I am might be getting rid of soon my wife threw a fit it was taking up space in here office "kitchen".

[jnguyen4007]

how big is your set up, I run nano tanks so I just got ten gallon plastic drums and store them under the sink one to store ro di water and one for saltwater mix. I also have a 30 gallon brute I am might be getting rid of soon my wife threw a fit it was taking up space in here office "kitchen".

 

I'm only running a 30 gal tank. I have another question. If I buy a 30 gal container, how can I tell up to what point is the amount of water I put into it is actually 30 gal and not 28 or 32 or something like that if the container doesn't have a measurement marker on it? This is the problem I have with my 55 gal container that I used to store aging water for my tropical fish. There is not a measurement marker on it so I can tell how much water was used or left inside in the container. The best that I can do so far is guess.

 

James

[scott711]

big trashcan.

[lletellier]

I sent you a pm about the water, as far as where to put it get a big grey brute trashcan and don't use it for anything else. why do you need to know how much water is in the trashcan??

[jnguyen4007]

I sent you a pm about the water, as far as where to put it get a big grey brute trashcan and don't use it for anything else. why do you need to know how much water is in the trashcan??

 

Don't I need to know how much water is in it so I know what measurement requires to mix the sea salt?

 

James

[djcerna]

I use a large plastic trashcan for my RO water supply (also used for top off) and have a smaller separate one for mixing salt. The smaller one was filled with a 5 gal bucket and I made marks to show the amount of saltwater to be made. I check all final S.G. after 24 hours of mixing before making a waterchange.

[Rascal]

Don't I need to know how much water is in it so I know what measurement requires to mix the sea salt?

 

James

 

You will need to check it with a refractometer anyway and match it to your tank water. I use a 28 gallon rubbermaid container with a powerhead circulating the water.

[YBeNormal]

44Gallon Brute Rubbermaid Trashcan partnered with it's dolly. You can find them at home depot, the combination cost is approx $100.

 

I think HD quit carrying the wheel base for the Brute containers. I checked the local stores this weekend and even their web site and there were none to be found. They still carry the Brute trash cans though and Lowes carries both the trash can and wheel base.

 

IRT the original question, I use two Brute trash cans. One is for RO/DI and the other is for mixing SW.

[jason the filter freak]

I just keep mine in a lidded ten gallon tank with a power head to mix the stuff

[dandy7200]

Don't I need to know how much water is in it so I know what measurement requires to mix the sea salt?

 

James

 

 

Me think story pole. Basically take a stick or rod or piece of 1/2 pvc pipe and put it in the can. Add 5 gallons and make a mark. Add 5 more gallons and make a mark. etc. Stick story pole in your bucket at anytime and measure the water. Story pole also doubles as a handy mixing pole

[jnguyen4007]

Me think story pole. Basically take a stick or rod or piece of 1/2 pvc pipe and put it in the can. Add 5 gallons and make a mark. Add 5 more gallons and make a mark. etc. Stick story pole in your bucket at anytime and measure the water. Story pole also doubles as a handy mixing pole

 

That is a great idea. Thanks for the tip. Here's a dumb question, how do I know if the amount of water I initially add is 5 gal? Do I try to find a 5 gal container or bucket that have a 5 gal marker on it and use that as the inital point of reference?

 

James

[90OcReef]

Fill a 5-gallon bucket to the top & dump it in.

 

-Jess

[Sugar Magnolia]

If you really want to be precise, use a gallon jug of water (Walmart distilled - 69 cents) and a 5 gallon bucket. Dump in your gallon of water, then fill the gallon jug 4 more times, dump it into the 5 gallon bucket, then mark your 5 gallon line on the bucket. It's about and inch or so below the lip of the 5 gallon bucket. (Walmart sells the 5 gallon buckets with lids in the paint dept)

 

Salt ratio for Instant Ocean is 1/2 cup per gallon of RO/DI water. Get yourself a refractometer to test your mixed saltwater to be sure you are mixed to the right SG.

 

For future reference:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

Edited May 16, 2007 by Sugar Magnolia

[jnguyen4007]

If you really want to be precise, use a gallon jug of water (Walmart distilled - 69 cents) and a 5 gallon bucket. Dump in your gallon of water, then fill the gallon jug 4 more times, dump it into the 5 gallon bucket, then mark your 5 gallon line on the bucket. It's about and inch or so below the lip of the 5 gallon bucket. (Walmart sells the 5 gallon buckets with lids in the paint dept)

 

Salt ratio for Instant Ocean is 1/2 cup per gallon of RO/DI water. Get yourself a refractometer to test your mixed saltwater to be sure you are mixed to the right SG.

 

For future reference:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

 

Definitely on the refractometer. I've ordered one. Thank you for the advice. I will do that.

 

James

[lanman]

Definitely on the refractometer. I've ordered one. Thank you for the advice. I will do that.

 

James

Absolutely - might as well start out with one. My Seven-Seas turned out to be WAY low when I got a refractometer. (I call it my mass spectrometer to impress people). The Seven-Seas was reading .005 too low. Which means when I thought my water was 1.025, it was 1.030. I've been slowly bringing both tanks down with water changes containing 1.022 mix. Both (well, the 45 is empty and in the back yard, but the frag tank and sump/refugium are still a separate system) are now down to 1.027. And my new tank is 1.026. You would be hard-pressed to convince me that over-salinity isn't what was killing some of my zoa's, because once I got the salt down, they started prospering again.

 

bob

[YBeNormal]

 

That is a great idea. Thanks for the tip. Here's a dumb question, how do I know if the amount of water I initially add is 5 gal? Do I try to find a 5 gal container or bucket that have a 5 gal marker on it and use that as the inital point of reference?

 

James

 

James,

 

Lowes sells a 5-gallon opaque bucket that has gallon markings on the side. It's only a few bucks and they also sell lids that seal tightly. I have one that you can borrow if you need it. Heck, maybe we just hook up and make a couple of story poles at the same time.

[jnguyen4007]

James,

 

Lowes sells a 5-gallon opaque bucket that has gallon markings on the side. It's only a few bucks and they also sell lids that seal tightly. I have one that you can borrow if you need it. Heck, maybe we just hook up and make a couple of story poles at the same time.

 

really? Oh, I will have to make a visit to Lowes then. Thanks. You guys on this site have been fantastic. Everywhere I turned to for help, you guys have been there and been extremely supportive. Thank you.

 

James