How to make large amount of saltwater?

colesjensen

colesjensen

New member
I'm setting up a 220 gallon reef tank with a 75 gallon sump. That's a lot of saltwater to make. What's the best way to make a lot in the shortest amount of time?


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An RODI unit has a gallon per day rating. If you're going to use RODI water, you're limited to the production rate of the unit. if you're not going to use RODI...stick a garden hose in the tank and run it until it's full, then mix the salt in the tank.
 
If you plan on regularly doing large water changes a lot of people buy a couple of plastic water tanks, 50-100 gallons, to act as reservoir tanks. The first is to receive the fresh water from the RODI unit, the second is for mixing and holding a ready supply of saltwater so that you're always ready to go. The saltwater reservoir usually has a pump inside or mounted to the front to stir the salt mix in (usually takes ~24 hrs to totally mix thoroughly) and then keep the salt activated. A heater is usually inserted in the saltwater reservoir tank, as well.

Dave.M
 
With a setup that large I would go and buy 2x 200g reservoirs. Make one for RODI and one for ASW. Like Dave said.

That way you will always have RODI ready and be able/ready to do water changes on the fly instead of having much headache each time. I would plumb them near a common 1/4 turn valve so that you can move water from one side to the other as needed. Normally it will be the RODI toward the ASW side.

I already have the two tanks for this purpose at my house, I have just not set them up yet. I am going to have two pumps setup to mix the water on a regular (every 2-3 hour basis.) When i am doing tank maintenance I will have one hose for RODI and one for ASW so I can use each as needed.
 
For large tanks, I would just do the first fill with a garden hose and let it sit. Within 24hrs the chlorine will dissipate on its own. Run GFO and carbon to remove any other impurities, and add some marine conditioner. After that, dump some salt in and mix well

Water quality generally isnt that important for the initial cycle and this water will eventually be replaced with RODI as you do water changes in the coming months.

Ideally though you will want to setup a full mixing station and keep enough water on hand to do a large water change or 2 when needed.
 
Kind of a generic question but it depends on the space you have. A lot of comments here are assuming that you have a fish room and all the space to set up a massive reservoir system. Lets assume you don't have a fish room, my recommendation.

get a 100-150 GPD RO unit, float switch for container, heater, and a Tall 80 Gallon water reservoirs. Attach PVC to the mixing pump using a Tee fitting with ball valves to send the water around the container for mixing, The remaining PVC that goes further up and out of the container will be active soon as you flip a 2nd ball valve so you can feed water directly to your tank. In addition use a weight scale to measure the exact amount of salt weight you need to hit the ideal salinity. Lets be honest we all make the same exact water changes per month might as well ensure you add the correct amount of salt in the 1st time. Other than that you still have to let the water heat and oxygenate so it will take sometime. Time that you will spend doing this will be no more than 5 minutes.

Hope this helps, best of luck
 
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If you're in a hurry and don't mind carrying buckets or spending a lot of money, you can buy water at you LFS. Not the cheapest or easiest option, but probably the fastest (assuming you have decent hauling capacity in your vehicle). For enough money, they might even deliver the water to you.

Otherwise, get a booster pump for your RODI unit and wait it out. Whether you send the water to a mixing station or mix it in the tank, your wait will essentially be the same. Fortunately, you should only have to do it once. Good luck with your build.

- Ivan
 
In a similar position with a 240 that I'm getting ready to set up. Picked up the BRS 6 stage for the long haul and will have it ready to go once it is in the house. However, saying long term the short term is to actually use NSW.

The way I see it is that I need at least three holding tanks. One for RI/RO, one for mixing, the other for waste water re-use. Initially I'll take two of the tanks and collect NSW outside San Fran / Point Reyes or Monterey. Once the tank is full I will set up two for stationary use (mix/ri/ro) with the 3rd being waste water and optional remove to collect again in the future.

If by some change I don't make it diving and collecting before the end of March then I'll just make the water over the course of a week or so and call it good. No rush and either will work. One just saves me a bit more money on salt ;)
 
dave.m said:
If you plan on regularly doing large water changes a lot of people buy a couple of plastic water tanks, 50-100 gallons, to act as reservoir tanks. The first is to receive the fresh water from the RODI unit, the second is for mixing and holding a ready supply of saltwater so that you're always ready to go. The saltwater reservoir usually has a pump inside or mounted to the front to stir the salt mix in (usually takes ~24 hrs to totally mix thoroughly) and then keep the salt activated. A heater is usually inserted in the saltwater reservoir tank, as well.

Dave.M
Click to expand...

Was at an event recently and talked to a particular salt manufacturer and he actually warned that holding saltwater for too long could potentially precipitate (didn't use that term but assumed that is what he meant) alkalinity out if there was some calcium dried to the side of your container (or something, sorry for lack of details). Sounded interesting if true, although he also claimed their mix can mix up in 15-30 minutes (not sure on volume)

Either way, thought it was food for thought. I know you should always test your water before putting it in the tank, but the reality is most people probably don't when doing water changes outside of salinity.
 
There's lots of stories about salt. Instant Ocean has a reputation for leaving a brown smudge on the bottom of the water reservoir. However, IO says this doesn't happen if the RODI water is heated. IO remains the salt of choice for many professional aquarists.

ESV is reputed to mix faster than any other brand. Haven't tried it. Can't afford it.

Depending on the flow rate of your RODI unit and the amount of water to be changed regularly you may have to experiment a bit as to how large a reservoir you are going to maintain and for how long. Personally, I have never kept fresh-mixed saltwater for more than 24 hours, i.e. long enough to be sure it is thoroughly mixed before use. However, I have read of others who always keep a batch of mixed saltwater on hand in case of emergency. I think it is up to everyone to try different methods out and see what works for each individual situation.

Dave.M
 
For my 210 I have a 55 gallon drum, a 40 gallon brute, and a 30 gallon brute.
I mixed salt in the 55 and 40, and use the 30 for rodi.
I ran a hose from my shed under the carport to my tank, and use a pump in the drums to pump it to the tank. About 75 feet away.
It is easier than carrying buckets.
 
dave.m said:
There's lots of stories about salt. Instant Ocean has a reputation for leaving a brown smudge on the bottom of the water reservoir. However, IO says this doesn't happen if the RODI water is heated. IO remains the salt of choice for many professional aquarists.

ESV is reputed to mix faster than any other brand. Haven't tried it. Can't afford it.

Depending on the flow rate of your RODI unit and the amount of water to be changed regularly you may have to experiment a bit as to how large a reservoir you are going to maintain and for how long. Personally, I have never kept fresh-mixed saltwater for more than 24 hours, i.e. long enough to be sure it is thoroughly mixed before use. However, I have read of others who always keep a batch of mixed saltwater on hand in case of emergency. I think it is up to everyone to try different methods out and see what works for each individual situation.

Dave.M
Click to expand...

Good answer really - it sort of comes down to storage space.
 
It is different (NSW vs ASW). I don't know what the shelf life for either is which gets back to the storage space and time to use questions. For me, being a lazy reefer and trying to keep hands out of the tank has much has possible; I do has few water changes a year has possible. Because of this I also keep corals that prefer dirtier or higher nutrient waters.
 
I can setup my water changes where I dont even tough get my hands wet. I have enough ports on the manifold or even on the skimmer to drain out water and then return it via a hose.

Once my garage setup gets there it will be on a peristaltic pump and do it automatically.
 
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