Do I need a Triple-Beam?

[Nanz]

Uh.. Last night I was begining to make some saltwater and I thought the package would come with a scoop or something for the amount of salt to add.. But NO!! It just said add 1.4 lbs to 1 gallon of water.. I guess I could add slowly and just keep testing the salinity but it would be nice if I had a scoop with a close amount to add..

 

[sage_commander]

With my Instant Ocean, it said to add about 1/2 cup per gallon of water to get an sg of 1.022. That's where I start, then let it aerate, then measure/add/aerate/measure until I hit 1.025.

HTH

 

[virginiadiver69]

A triple beam would be expensive overkill. I use an eBay purchased postal scale that I picked up for about $20.

 

[ChrisB]

Re: Do I need a Triple-Beam?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10234260#post10234260 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nanz
It just said add 1.4 lbs to 1 gallon of water..

WOW.

I am assuming you meant, one quarter lbs. to 1 gallon of water?
If not, that is a lot of salt.

As sage suggested, I just use about a 1/2 cup per gallon and then adjust using a refract after it gets close to full. No need for scales.

 

[bertoni]

I wouldn't hugely trust a weight, in any case. Salt mixes can absorb water from the air. 1/2 cup per gallon is a good starting point, and then I adjust after measuring the SG.

 

[Psychojam]

ditto

 

[virginiadiver69]

Good point about the moisture absorption but when making 40 gals of salt water a measuring cup can be a little tedious. That is why I measure out about 11-13 lbs of salt and slowly add to my 40 gal Brute until I get my desired (1.026) mix.

 

[xian]

Here's my method, take it with a grain of salt

I fill my 40gal brute with RO and dump a bunch of salt in without measuring then let it circulate. There seems to be a pretty wide margin for error but I seem to come close to 1.020 without measuring then I add slowly to tweek the SG. I keep my saltwater pre-mixed so that I can do quick water changes.

 

[marduc]

After a while of doing weekly water changes you will get a feel for your salt and how much to add if you are always using the same amount of water.

I just made water 2 days ago, filled my water change tub to the line marked in it (~10 gallons), and added 13 cups of salt (2 cup measuring cup). Tested the SG found it to be 1.025 (as expected), then added another 1/3 of a cup to get where i wanted it. Takes all of 5 minutes.

 

[ambaratur]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10239464#post10239464 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by marduc
After a while of doing weekly water changes you will get a feel for your salt and how much to add if you are always using the same amount of water.

I just made water 2 days ago, filled my water change tub to the line marked in it (~10 gallons), and added 13 cups of salt (2 cup measuring cup). Tested the SG found it to be 1.025 (as expected), then added another 1/3 of a cup to get where i wanted it. Takes all of 5 minutes.

13 1/3 cups of salt for 10 gallons? What kind of salt is that? That is more than double the IO ratio.

 

[papagimp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10239430#post10239430 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xian
Here's my method, take it with a grain of salt

I fill my 40gal brute with RO and dump a bunch of salt in without measuring then let it circulate. There seems to be a pretty wide margin for error but I seem to come close to 1.020 without measuring then I add slowly to tweek the SG. I keep my saltwater pre-mixed so that I can do quick water changes.

Perfect method right here . Been using the "xian" method for awhile now and it really does save me all the brainpower needed to count out the 1/2 cups I'm dumping in.

fwiw, when the instructions on the salt bag or bucket says to add "x" amount per gallon, I have found it's rarely going to put the salinity where you'll want it anyways and you'll have to keep adding and checking with your refractometer/hydrometer anyways.

 

[Icefire]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10240094#post10240094 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ambaratur
13 1/3 cups of salt for 10 gallons? What kind of salt is that? That is more than double the IO ratio.

+2 ?

 

[papagimp]

Icefire, are you sure your "cups" are not "1/2 cups"?

I had about 5 - 1/2 cups to a 5g bucket. so that would be 2.5cups per 5g or 5cups for a 10g container.

13 1/3 does seem a tad much for IO, what salinity are you aiming for?

 

[marduc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10240094#post10240094 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ambaratur
13 1/3 cups of salt for 10 gallons? What kind of salt is that? That is more than double the IO ratio.

That's what i get for posting before I finish my first morning cup of coffee

yeah I made 20 gallons the other day.. normally do 10 which is ~6.5 cups.. good catch all.

 

[Nanz]

1/2 cup per Gallon


Thanks for your help

 

[XSiVE]

I usually just pour it in until I think it's right.. let it circulate then stick a finger in and taste-test it.. you'd be surprised how accurate your tongue is. I've pretty much gotten 1.020 - 1.025 pretty solid by taste alone.. sure I still throw my hydrometer in to check(and very rarely need to adjust), but I only mix 5gal buckets for now because I've got a way-old 10GPD RO unit. (new 5-stage from the filter guys on order, woot!)

*shrugs his shoulders* it's how I cook too, just throw stuff together and hope.

 

[mwwhite]

We do 2.5 cups per 5 gals. AFTER 12 hours of aeration we test and 99.9% of the time (measured with a refractomer) it comes out 1.026 - then we aerate for another 12 hours before we use it.

hth

 

[MeuserReef]

Reef Crystals: 5 (slightly overfilled) 1/2 cups to ~5 gallons puts me @ 1.024 every time.