mixing water and salt

Hey I am bussy filling my tank with RO water and im almost half way now my question is when and how do I add salt do I first test the RO water and if so how do I do that as I dont have an TDS meter if not do i fill the tank and sump then add the salt or do I mix tthe salt when the tank is almost to the top...

How long do I wait for the salt to disolve and do I need to put the heaters and wavemakers on????

Any advice would be apreciated

I assume you'r just starting up...? Empty Tank...? You need to read the Spec's on you'r salt and mix according to the amount of salt you want...100L Tank...make 100L Salt water...you do that in a seperate container/bucket..in a Nutshell you then test the salinity of you'r salt water...to high, then dilute with RO, a little at a time...to low, then make a small strong batch and add little by little, until you get 1.025..remember all this is in a bucket...depending on the size of Tank..you do the one batch, then pour in Tank and repeat...until you have filled you'r Tank...remember you'r Temp also has an effect on you'r salinity readings...so try to have a Heater in your Bucket when mixing salt...also remember it depends on what salt you are using...I'm on Brightwell and I have to leave my salt for 24 hours before I use it...

I'm sure the guys will give more info..I am assuming that this is the first Salt Mix...I assume there are other ways off filling a Tank you'r size as I'm explaining according to my Nano..but I would say, start adding the salt according to the amount of RO water you already have and get the Salinity right..I would say pumps on as you need to disperse(spelling?) that salt through out you'r Tank..is the LR and Aragonite in already..? If not remember the water will rise when you add them, so don't fill the Tank to much...If I understood incorrectly then let me just fade away..blush...blush..hehe

you do that in a seperate container/bucket

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If you're filling the tank for the first time, then you can mix the salt in the tank - however, after that, Belinda is quite correct: the salt should be mixed in a separate container as it can be pretty harmful to your animals for a short period after mixing. Of course, if you do not know the volume of your tank, then it would be advisable to measure the RO using a bucket of known volume.

do I first test the RO water

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No. you should have checked the RO when you started filling the tank, but it is a little late with half the tank already filled... If the RO membrane is relatively new, then it should be perfectly OK (assuming it is working properly). Of course, to be 100% sure, you could just take a sample of RO water to your LFS for testing.

do i fill the tank and sump then add the salt or do I mix tthe salt when the tank is almost to the top

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It is best to mix the salt into a volume of water that will not result in the mixed concentration being too high, as otherwise it could result in certain elements precipitating out of solution. I would thus recommend that you do the following:

• Measure the tank and calculate the volume (tank length x width x height (all in cm) /1000 = litres)
• Fill with RO to about 90% of the required volume (keeping in mind that you do not fill the tank to the brim, but only to slightly above the overflow level)
• Ensure that you have all your pumps running, to assist in mixing
• Weigh off the required amount of salt for 100% of your water volume (if unsure, use 4kg of salt per 100 litres)
• Add the salt in small increments (say 500g or 1kg "scoops", depending on your tank size) and wait until most of it is dissolved before adding the next increment.
• Do the same with the sump (separately from the display tank, as the 90% RO will most likely result in the water level being too low to operate the return pump.
• Once all the salt has been mixed, add the remaining water to allow the water to drain down to the sump and be pumped back up to the display tank
• Let the system run for at least 24 hours with the heaters on, then test the salinity/SG and adjust by either removing some salt water and replacing it with RO is the SG is too high, or by simply adding some more salt if the SG is too low.

Good luck, and ENJOY - I get quite envious whenever I hear of a new tank starting up

Hennie

remember to shake the bucket or bag of salt prior to mixing it with water. Mix the salt powder nicely then add it to the water. I remember reading that on a salt manufacturer site because during transport and stuff the salt does some stuff lol but the point in the end was to mix up the dry salt before adding it to water