adding saltwater to an empty aquarium

[Reef of Eden]

alright, I have about 60 gallons of freshwater sitting in trashcans with aqurium heaters, trying to warm the water up.
its about 69ºF right now. getting them to 80º will take at least a day.
could I possibly not wait to warm the water up and just mix the salt into it right now?

I'm trying to get a move on with filling this tank. after i do the first 60 I still need to but in about 50 more gallons so whats the call?

 

[Legacy2005]

if the tank is completely empty i would fill the tank and let that get to temp with a PH and a heater in there. that way you can start making new warm FW in the trashcans.

 

[poppin_fresh]

The salt will dissolve a little slower in colder water, but it will be fine. I always add salt to my NSW mixing tub while the waters still cold. I then add the heater to warm it up before I add it to the tank.

 

[Reef of Eden]

nice; this is what i'm tryna to hear, thank you

 

[mwwhite]

You need to circulate freshly-mixed saltwater for at least 24 hours before using it. Probably not a concern for your first batch since you need/intend to heat the water anyway, but may be an issue for the second, unless you can wait for it to "cure" before using. (As I understand, it releases ammonia when mixed - takes about a day to clear).

 

[bmrescort]

If this is a brand new tank just fill it full of water and mix the salt in it. NEVER do this once the tank is up and running but for the first load this is the easist way to do it. Let it run for a day and heat up to the desired temp and check the salinity and everything else that you would normally check and that will be a good starting point for you to measure your spikes. I have a 125 with a 90 gallon sump and this is how I did it. Never had a bit of trouble.

 

[bmrescort]

Just make sure you have several powerheads blowing the entire tank bottom and surface.

 

[Reef of Eden]

see i would have mixed the salt in the tank, but the sand is already sitting at the bottom.

so I had to mix all the salt water then put it in 5 gallons at a time for a total of 19 trips back and forth form the garbage cans.

Its all full now thanks for the advice from everyone.

I'm wondering if I should let everything in the tank settle for awhile since the sand is new?

 

[Ziggy953]

Settle for a while meaing what? Before you add anything to the tank? YES you need to cycle the tank. One thing you need to do is have movement in there. Get some PHs going and get that water circulating. Also next time you have to get water from your trash can to the tank use a pump and some hose. Makes things a lot easier.

 

[Aquarist007]

Do you have any live rock to add---this is the basis for the cycling of your tank and the biological filtration for the life of your tank

 

[Reef of Eden]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11586987#post11586987 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ziggy953
Settle for a while meaing what? Before you add anything to the tank? YES you need to cycle the tank. One thing you need to do is have movement in there. Get some PHs going and get that water circulating. Also next time you have to get water from your trash can to the tank use a pump and some hose. Makes things a lot easier.

I meant like let the silt in the sand settle down. The tank is all cloudy right now, because "its brand new sand".

Once iget the ph and the temp right I'm going to add some live sandinto my sump. And I have like 20lbs of live rock I could throw in, but I think that i may just do like small rock to start out with till I get the tank cycled.