How long can I store saltwater after mixing?

[Deleted member 336650]

I've been told to wait 24 hours to use it after mixing. I've also been told it should be used in a couple of days & not stored longterm. I use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals.

Any truth to either statement? I'd like to know others' experiences.

 

[getindavan]

I usually mix mine an hour or so before water changes. I never saw any negative side effects but i only change about 10% at a time. Waiting longer is probably better but if you have to id say 40 minutes is long enough depending on what kind of salt you use, some salts seem to devolve quicker than others.

 

[MrsReefK]

I've always went by the 24 hour rule at tank temp water. Not sure where I got this rule, but read it when I first began. In emergencies I've mixed and then used a few hours later with no ill effects.


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[sailoracu2]

I mix 55g of salt and use it over 6 to 8 weeks. There is a mag 5 for mixing and I keep it heated. if I make a fresh batch,

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[sailoracu2]

I won't use it until the next day. I want to make sure that all this all this mixed

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[sailoracu2]

Salt is mixed
I wish I knew how to edit these post

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[Dogshowgrl]

Are you asking how long you can store it after you mix it? I don't store it more than overnight in jugs at tank/room temp (not outside in Florida summer) I started mixing more at a time do to so many cultures I started, I store it in a brute trash can with a power head for up to a week in the house. If the water sits stagnant it goes bad fast. If you look at the water and it is anything but perfect, listen to your gut not you wallet or the clock. Most the time you know how you feel about it, if you are questioning it, you know the right answer.

As for how long to wait after you mix it, I use mine very quickly, less than an hour or as soon as it clears, I might wait a little longer for my Reef tank but for my cultures I will use it pretty quick.

I use red sea coral pro (reef tank) and instant ocean depending in needs (cultures, fry tank, seahorses)

Good luck, hope this answers the question you had!

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[snorvich]

Are you asking how long you can store it after you mix it? I don't store it more than overnight in jugs at tank/room temp (not outside in Florida summer) I started mixing more at a time do to so many cultures I started, I store it in a brute trash can with a power head for up to a week in the house. If the water sits stagnant it goes bad fast. If you look at the water and it is anything but perfect, listen to your gut not you wallet or the clock. Most the time you know how you feel about it, if you are questioning it, you know the right answer.

As for how long to wait after you mix it, I use mine very quickly, less than an hour or as soon as it clears, I might wait a little longer for my Reef tank but for my cultures I will use it pretty quick.

I use red sea coral pro (reef tank) and instant ocean depending in needs (cultures, fry tank, seahorses)

Good luck, hope this answers the question you had!

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Good advice. If you have a power head in the mixed saltwater, you have a longer storage time.

 

[Deleted member 336650]

I usually mix mine an hour or so before water changes. I never saw any negative side effects but i only change about 10% at a time. Waiting longer is probably better but if you have to id say 40 minutes is long enough depending on what kind of salt you use, some salts seem to devolve quicker than others.

I've always went by the 24 hour rule at tank temp water. Not sure where I got this rule, but read it when I first began. In emergencies I've mixed and then used a few hours later with no ill effects.


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I won't use it until the next day. I want to make sure that all the salt is mixed

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Thank you all. I found this from Instant Ocean

Freshly prepared synthetic seawater is very caustic (capable of burning or corroding), so it will need some time to "œcure" before it can be used
in your aquarium. Allow the newly mixed seawater
to sit in your container for a minimum of 24 hours
before use. During that time, place an airstone
or powerhead in the water to circulate and aerate
the mixture. Lastly, drop in a heater to match
the water temperature to that of your display tank.

So there is the reason for the 24 hour rule, but it sounds like it not necessary. Anyone else have a related personal experience?

 

[Deleted member 336650]

I mix 55g of salt and use it over 6 to 8 weeks. There is a mag 5 for mixing and I keep it heated. if I make a fresh batch,

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Are you asking how long you can store it after you mix it? I don't store it more than overnight in jugs at tank/room temp (not outside in Florida summer) I started mixing more at a time do to so many cultures I started, I store it in a brute trash can with a power head for up to a week in the house. If the water sits stagnant it goes bad fast. If you look at the water and it is anything but perfect, listen to your gut not you wallet or the clock. Most the time you know how you feel about it, if you are questioning it, you know the right answer.

Good luck, hope this answers the question you had!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Good advice. If you have a power head in the mixed saltwater, you have a longer storage time.

I was wondering about SW that has been stored without water movement as well. So I will NOT be mixing & storing without some type of water movement. Thank you for that info.
I've been running a powerhead in the brute can & using within 3-4 weeks. Sounds like I'll be OK. Thanks to all.

 

[Tautoga]

Thank you all. I found this from Instant Ocean

Freshly prepared synthetic seawater is very caustic (capable of burning or corroding), so it will need some time to "œcure" before it can be used
in your aquarium. Allow the newly mixed seawater
to sit in your container for a minimum of 24 hours
before use. During that time, place an airstone
or powerhead in the water to circulate and aerate
the mixture. Lastly, drop in a heater to match
the water temperature to that of your display tank.

So there is the reason for the 24 hour rule, but it sounds like it not necessary. Anyone else have a related personal experience?

Not sure how you read that and interpret it as "not necessary"?

A caustic solution can and probably will kill your fish instantly
The chemistry of the salt mix is not set when you first mix it and needs to stabilize or "cure" as they put it.

I always wait at least 24 hours before I use newly mixed salt. In fact from the time I get the barrel filled with RO/DI to the time I finally get it to the right salinity takes a couple of days then I wait 24 hours with an airstone and a powerhead helping it mix.

 

[Deleted member 336650]

Not sure how you read that and interpret it as "not necessary"?

A caustic solution can and probably will kill your fish instantly
The chemistry of the salt mix is not set when you first mix it and needs to stabilize or "cure" as they put it.

I always wait at least 24 hours before I use newly mixed salt. In fact from the time I get the barrel filled with RO/DI to the time I finally get it to the right salinity takes a couple of days then I wait 24 hours with an airstone and a powerhead helping it mix.

I read & interpret that to wait 24 hours. I say "not necessary" as 2 posters above say they have used freshly mixed SW in a pinch. Waiting would obviously be better.

I do not think I could get the correct SG very fast anyway. . By the time I wait a couple hours to recheck salinity after each addition, it normally takes me a day to make up my SW too. I was proud of myself yesterday, my first salt addition yielded 1.023 & I only had to make 1 adjustment to get to 1.025.

 

[Potatohead]

It depends on the brand. Brands like Red Sea and Aquaforest want you to use it within an hour or so, basically when it's clear its ready which is maybe 15 minutes. I've never mixed either of these brands more than about 90 minutes and I have never had an issue.

 

[Lucangiolig]

I store and mix my saltwater in a 30 gallon brute trash can. I leave it up to 4-6 weeks but it's always being circulated and always has a heater in it, but I'll add RO water and more salt anytime I use the water for water changes. I'll also completely empty it every 2 months and clean the trash can. I haven't had any problems.

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[NS Mike D]

I've never waited more than 30 minutes to add Reef Crystals into my tank. This is from their web site:

Always add the salt mix to the water, not the other way around. Adding water to the salt mix briefly creates a highly concentrated solution that can lead to precipitation of some ingredients.
Always allow newly mixed salt water to circulate with a powerhead or airstone at least overnight before use. This allows the carbon dioxide in the aquarium water to reach equilibrium with the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which normalizes pH. It also adds oxygen.


I'll start making my water a day in advance.

 

[BigEZ77]

I mix overnight...sometimes it's 12 hours until I use it, sometimes 24. The odd time that something comes up and I postpone another day I see some yellowish gunk that develops on the bottom and around the water line...nothing major and most likely harmless but because of this I try to use my mix within 24 hrs.

 

[firemountain]

I run both Reef Crystals for my DT, and the regular IO for my QT and hospital/TTM. I mix them with a Sicce HP 10 (very powerful) powerhead in my brute trash cans overnight. What's nice is that the power head also warms the water a bit and I get great surface agitation for aeration.

After that I run a small powerhead in the Reef Crystals container on a timer, cycling on and off multiple times day for a half hour a clip and have never had a problem.