How do you make a 5 gallon bucket of salt water?

[BeachVacationer]

I'm a novice and making a bucket took some time to make at the salinity I wanted. So I was wondering how you guys do it so that it's quick and accurate. While waiting for my refractometer to arrive I was thinking that it would take me even longer to make a batch.

So what I came up with is to use my TDS meter to give me a continuous reading as I slowly add salt to the bucket. Once it hits the TDS reading of my reference (700), I use the refractometer to double check salinity. I thinks this is a fast and accurate way to reach the target salinity with minimal fuss.

As long as I'm using the same salt mix, same temp and RO it should he fine right?

 

[DeepSeaReefer94]

The way I do it is fill your bucket with the amount of water you want and just add a small measured amount at a time till you get the salinity that you want. then add all of your measurements up and use that same measurement in the same amount of water every time.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk

 

[mcgyvr]

read the directions on the salt man
Its usually like 1/2 cup per gallon or whatever..
After a few buckets or so you know exactly what works and can easily repeat it..

Mine is 8 x 1/3rd cups and slightly over the 5G mark and I get perfect salinity every time..
I just start the RO drip and add the salt and shake it around a few times as its filling..

and yes always keep the salinity level consistent.

 

[gone fishin]

read the directions on the salt man
Its usually like 1/2 cup per gallon or whatever..
After a few buckets or so you know exactly what works and can easily repeat it..

Mine is 8 x 1/3rd cups and slightly over the 5G mark and I get perfect salinity every time..
I just start the RO drip and add the salt and shake it around a few times as its filling..

and yes always keep the salinity level consistent.

I was going to post something similar. After you make a few batches it gets easier. After making a few hundred batches it gets really quick.

 

[CStrickland]

I put cold rodi water that I've confirmed to be zero tds in the bucket. I put in an old powerhead. I add a heaping 2 1/2 cups of salt - half cup of salt per gallon as directed by my brand. When the water is clear (20 minutes) I test sg. If it's within .002 of my tank water I use it, if not I add rodi until it is. I usually go a little heavy on salt cause it's easier to add water than dissolve more salt.

Are you really asking whether it's possible to make saltwater with a tds meter instead of a refractometer? If so I'm not sure...

 

[CStrickland]

I just start the RO drip and add the salt and shake it around a few times as its filling...

This reads like you're putting the salt in the bucket and adding water to it as the rodi produces. You don't want to do it that way. Add salt to water, never water to salt.

 

[billdogg]

This reads like you're putting the salt in the bucket and adding water to it as the rodi produces. You don't want to do it that way. Add salt to water, never water to salt.

^^Correct^^^

I use a 50g bag of either IO or RC and then add 2 x 12oz jif jars full of salt in my 55g barrel to = 1.025. Been doing it this way so long I rarely even bother to check it anymore.

 

[Reef Frog]

Don't check your saltwater with a TDS meter! That's for fresh water & most top out at 1000 ppm which is useless. It can harm the meter. If you've don it already make sure the electrodes are rinsed well.

Wait for your refractometer
Mix as per salt bucket label
Measure
Adjust upwards

 

[heathlindner25]

Just under three cups of salt will make 1.026 salinity from most salt brands

 

[Jon0807]

Personally, I wouldn't mix a whole 5 gallons in a 5 gallon bucket. Just having 5 gallons of water in the bucket doesn't leave much room to the top and you'll be splashing water all over the place. If you're only planning on mixing small amounts, like around 5 gallons at a time, I would get a bigger rubbermaid tote or container to do it in. You'll appreciate the extra room when trying to mix the salt in.

 

[cheucklate]

I use a 20 oz blender bottle and do 1 full scoop. It's accurate every time.

 

[kmbyrnes]

The ridge below the rim om my 32 G Brute is at 26g. Fill to that line while adding 13 cups of IO gets me very close every time. Mix overnight, check in the AM and adjust as needed.
As others have said, over time you get very good at eyeballing it.

 

[BigEZ77]

As so many others have said, fill the bucket with RODI water, add powerhead and heater (supposed to help salt dissolve faster), add 2 1/2 cups of salt, mix for 24 hours...sometimes just overnight if I procrastinated.