RODI, salt water, AVAST Top off

[Huly]

Next weekend my dad and Pez are going to put together our Mighty Mite RODI unit and the ATO I am going to order.

 

RODI

 

we plan to get two large trash cans and place them in basement tub, connect RODI to wall and run to sink. we want to take fresh and mix our own salt. What is the best salt on the market to use? Reef Crystals? Also what size pumps should be used to mix salt water?

 

Any suggestions on setting this up or the regular ATO?

[epleeds]

I like RC and I use mag 5's to mix.

[Huly]

Do you mix it for 24 hours?

[epleeds]

I normally have 35 gallons of salt at all times so I leave the mix pump running. I also have 55 gallons of rodi on hand too that does not have a pump running. I maintain two tanks so I like to have enough water at all times.

[YHSublime]

I keep mine agitated for 24 hours, and then keep 20 gallons salt water on hand, and 10 RODI, that is for my biocube, and my 57.

[Huly]

We were planning on leaving pumps running to keep water circulating and from becoming stagnant.

 

Do you keep lids on your trash cans or do you use something else? I heard it is best to put FW in 5I gallon buckets to mix salt then put in trash can.

 

Thoughts

[YHSublime]

I mix in a big 30 gallon tub, and then put a lid on it and keep it in my coat closet. I don't have a ton of space, or else I'd have a big trashcan, and I'd have my RO/DI water right into that.

[epleeds]

i dont have a lid on either. but I also dont have a lid on my 200 gallon tank, so i really dont think its a big deal. As for the pumps being on, only in the salt vat. My top off is a 15 gallon tank with no agitation, so i dont use it for the ro either.

 

As for mixing, i dump about 1/2 of a bag of rc in and then let it mix for about 20 minutes, test and add if needed.

[Huly]

Thanks! We are going to get an AVAST ATO and use a 5 gallon bucket.

[Jason Rhoads]

I use an old MJ 600 to mix (I mix in a 5g bucket). It gets everything clear in about 30 min, but I let the water stand over night to allow everything to stabilize.

[ctenophore]

I use both a water pump and an air pump to mix saltwater. I use a large aquatic ecosystems ceramic stone on an alita 60 air pump on my mixing tank. You can get smaller ceramic stones though, and use a basic $10 air pump. I've found that the aeration helps the salt dissolve and the pH to stabilize faster.

[Huly]

TY keep the ideas and thoughts coming!

 

What salt to y'all prefer?