Need help with new saltwater mixing station.

[g2theram]

I got tired of driving to the LFS to get RODI and saltwater. Well going there wasn't bad but lugging around 40 gallons of water sucks. I lucked out and found a SpectraPure RODI unit with all the bells and whistles for cheap on Craigslist. Now that it is all set up I have a few questions about mixing the salt.

 

The chart on the back give you lbs of salt per gallon to add. Do people actually weigh out their salt then add it or is there a better way? I don't have a scale handy so I was thinking about tossing some in that I thought was less and coming back after it was mixed to add more till I got there. This route seems tedious and time consuming also I might toss in too much and have to drain out some water so I can dilute it with fresh RODI which is a waste of money.

 

Also the chart has a specific temperature listed. Do I need to throw a heater in the water and bring it up to the temp? How much difference does it make with the SG when the temp is different. Might also pose a problem during the summer as the water is in my garage and might heat the water up past that point.

 

 

Here's a photo of my mixing station. I'm really happy I decided to go this route. I have it plumbed directly into the plumbing with float switches and an automatic flush on the unit. So far it's all automatic which is much easier. I'm not sure why it too me so long to invest in one of these.

 

[Fisher15]

I set my water line and then using measuring cups keep adding salt until you get the right salinity.  Record the amount of salt for your next batch.  After two or three tries you will get it very close.  Do leave a little room in the mixing barrel so when your salinity is too high you have room to dilute it.  Also need a power head in the barrel to mix the water.

[The ReefBox]

With Kent salt I mix 2.5 cups per 5 gallon and am almos dead on at 1.026 every time.

[TheClark]

Sweet setup!  How did you do the auto flush?

 

 

Yes, do like Brian said,  measure how much it takes to put your SG at 1.026 or whatever you are shooting for.  Write that down and remember it for the next time you refill.  

 

 

My mixing container is 400 gallons (From Oxx!).

 

It has 50 gallon markers on it.  I just fill in increment of 50 gallons and use 50 gallon bags of salt to get in the ballpark.

[halcyonism]

Adding the heater and pump / powerhead will help dissolve the new salt as well as keep the water from going stagnant.

[g2theram]

Thanks for the replies. I'll get to work on it this evening.

 

Sweet setup! How did you do the auto flush?

 

The autoflush came with the RODI it a small electrical solenoid that senses when the system turns on and will automatically dump the first couple of gallons. It is installed right behind the RO membranes. I was reading that it helps with TDS creep. I believe that BRS sells a retrofit kit that will work with most RODI systems.

[Fisher15]

I have never worried about TDS creep.  My incoming water is at 22-24 ppm.  Zero out of the RO.  I did put in a DI, but the resin is not showing much color change. 

[TheClark]

Ah Fisher you have much better water than me!

 

I think the dump is could be a good thing for people in my situation.

 

- My TDS is 144 in

- 20+ TDS past the membrane for the first 30 seconds, slowly counts down to...

- Eventually 1 TDS after about 30 seconds

- 0 out of DI the whole time

 

In theory this should be easier on my DI anyways...

 

There is a killer three way TDS meter you can install to watch all three of these.

 

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/triple-inline-tds-meter-trm-1-hm-digital.html

 

 

Maybe we overthink all of this stuff.  

 

I tested a crazy successful tank's RODI water just for fun...

 

It was 14 TDS.  Made me rethink stress levels... Dunno...

[g2theram]

About 4 months ago I added tap water to my fresh tank only treating it with prime. Something changed for the worse in the tap because it killed 90% of my fish in the two tanks that I had within a few hours. I tested the water and couldn't find the culprit with any of my kits. After that my new theory is don't trust any water until it's been completely filters and retested with a TDS meter before hitting the tank.

 

 

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[Higher Thinking]

With Kent salt I mix 2.5 cups per 5 gallon and am almos dead on at 1.026 every time.

This is the same amount I use for IO. As far as temperature, yes it can have a noticeable affect on your salinity reading. However, with a decent refractometer, just give it a few seconds on the slide and it should reach room temp. Depending on how much water you're changing, you may not need to use a heater. Room temp shouldn't be a huge issue for a partial change. It's all relative though, I suppose (E.g. room temp, tank temp, size, etc.).

[badxgillen]

I like hearing all the variations in people water changing habits, I am an old fashioned bucket man myself as I don't mind the exercise...Although last time I had to do a water change on the 210 due to a pump blow out I was not in the same mind set. I do have all the necessary items to install a station I just have not made the next step in actually implementing them. Hoping some of these ideas will get me motivated.

 

One of these days I will filter my water but for now I am in a similar position as Fisher and my tap water has been very good to me over all these years.