Salt Water Mixing Stations Let's See Them

[The Punisher]

I use 2 32 gallon Brutes and so far that seems to be enough for my 120 gallon tank.

 

[yardboy]

I'm curious how everyone has sized their systems. Originally I planned to have two 55g drums for RO/DI and SW, but my plans are ultimately only to have a 180g. As I'll be able to make water very quickly, I'm thinking my storage is a bit oversized. Maybe use a few 30-40g tanks (I have some spares) instead?

Sizing a storage system too small and you can't make allowances for emergency situations, when a need for water is greater, such as a leak, regenerating DI resin, water for an associates emergency etc. Plus if you have daily demands on the RO the water quality will not be quite as good on initial startup so your DI resin will not last as long. Better to have one long run to fill your tanks than more short runs.
Oh, and did I mention that your "ultimate plans" might suddeny include bigger and more tanks?!

 

[beatle]

I wouldn't physically have room for more than a 180. If I had a leak that exceeded my ability to produce water, RODI would not be my first concern.

What do you mean by "regenerating DI resin?"

My ATO would run from my RO/DI reservoir which would be turned on weekly or semi-weekly depending on my demand to make NSW. If I'm able to make 150gpd, I can fill a 30g reservoir in only a few hours.

I'm all about doing something right the first time, but that doesn't necessarily mean overdoing it.

 

[swenholz]

These cover my ATO and semi-auto water change apparatus. The lower 15 gallon drum is for SW while the upper is the RO drum attached to the ATO float valve and gate valves to fill the lower drum. The upper drum is filled automatically by the RO filter attached to an RO filter float valve. Once SW is mixed, I have matching pumps and the valves are sent to remove old water from the overflow directly to the kitchen sink and add new water to the sump from the SW drum. The whole process takes about 15 miuntes. I have also recently added (not pictured) a secondary valve off the new SW sump fill line to be able to easily get water for my QT when needed.

 

[yardboy]

I wouldn't physically have room for more than a 180. If I had a leak that exceeded my ability to produce water, RODI would not be my first concern.
True, but it would be your second concern if you needed more than a 15% water change in a hurry (30/180 - 16.67% water change)
What do you mean by "regenerating DI resin?"
DI resin is a mixture of seperate cation and anion resins. Using acid and caustic solutions, you can remove the contaminents from the resin and reuse it. It requires quite a bit of water to do the process though. It's far cheaper than purchasing fresh DI resin each time it exhausts.My ATO would run from my RO/DI reservoir which would be turned on weekly or semi-weekly depending on my demand to make NSW. If I'm able to make 150gpd, I can fill a 30g reservoir in only a few hours.

I'm all about doing something right the first time, but that doesn't necessarily mean overdoing it.
It's all about ones experience and situation. If you don't have the room, that's just it, you do what you have to. Planning for contingencies due to my own experiences is how I see it. My systems aren't much bigger than yours, (200g) and I often wish I had more water than the 55 ea. of salt and fresh.

 

[beatle]

Thanks. I didn't know about recharging resin, though I have over 40 extra lbs of the stuff from a tank purchase, so that's not really a big deal in my case.

What situations do you have where you've needed/wanted to make a larger water change?

 

[IRISSERVICE]

swenholz nice water drums...where did you get them?
Thanks
John

 

[jeff@zina.com]

Please don't tell me you expect big screen, pool table and bar to be in MY mancave?

Hey, I moved three pinball machines out of the room to make more space for fish...

Jeff

 

[swenholz]

swenholz nice water drums...where did you get them?
Thanks
John

Found them on survivaloutpost.com. They are food grade former Dr Pepper and Coca-Cola suryp drums. I think I payed $15 ea., $60 total after shipping. They had a slight suryp smell when I got them but a good vinigar soak for a day or so all but eliminated that.

BONUS: Since I run my RO top-off from the top one, it also doubles as a 15 gallon emergency water source should the big one hit and our local drinking water be contaminated.

 

[yardboy]

Thanks. I didn't know about recharging resin, though I have over 40 extra lbs of the stuff from a tank purchase, so that's not really a big deal in my case.

What situations do you have where you've needed/wanted to make a larger water change?

kalkwasser overdose, or any accidental one for that matter. skimmer fails and dumps 30 gallons on the floor. Sump crack, siphon fail on overflow or durso clogs with astrea snail. The list goes on and on. And check out swenholz post on emergency water supply. Better more than less. But as I say, if you ain't got the room, you just ain't.

 

[gambitcobra]

here is mine

the left side is the salt side and the right is fresh

 

[Orcrone]

Currently my mixing station consists of two Brute 44 gallon containers and a bunch of gas cans for moving the RO water from my LFS to my garage. After reading through this thread I'm inspired. I plan on ordering an RO/DI unit today along with a bunch of seals. But first I have a few questions.

1. What size piping does everyone use for their systems? I'm considering either 3/4" or 1"?
2. I plan on keeping both Brute cans for saltwater & purchasing a new container for RO/DI so I'll always have SW available, even if I just depleted one of the containers. Do you think this is overkill?
3. I looked at some containers from plastic mart that were pretty high priced (about $230 to $270 for a 55 - 65 gallon container). I found some that were much less from other companies. What should I look for in a plastic container to make sure it will be safe for use?
4. Which is better for mixing SW; a powerhead in the container or an external pump circulating water out the bottom and back in the top?

Thanks!!!

 

[swenholz]

Currently my mixing station consists of two Brute 44 gallon containers and a bunch of gas cans for moving the RO water from my LFS to my garage. After reading through this thread I'm inspired. I plan on ordering an RO/DI unit today along with a bunch of seals. But first I have a few questions.

1. What size piping does everyone use for their systems? I'm considering either 3/4" or 1"? Piping size is up to you. Depends on what you have room for. I used 3/4" but you can use what ever makes you happy.
2. I plan on keeping both Brute cans for saltwater & purchasing a new container for RO/DI so I'll always have SW available, even if I just depleted one of the containers. Do you think this is overkill? There is nothing wrong with having contingency water. If you have the room, go for it.
3. I looked at some containers from plastic mart that were pretty high priced (about $230 to $270 for a 55 - 65 gallon container). I found some that were much less from other companies. What should I look for in a plastic container to make sure it will be safe for use? Food grade containers would be best. You can find refurbished ones online for around $50.
4. Which is better for mixing SW; a powerhead in the container or an external pump circulating water out the bottom and back in the top? I use an internal pump that circulates from the bottom to the top, but I had to do that due to space. From a maintenance stand point, an external pump would be easier if you have the room.

Thanks!!!

 

[speedo2wet]

Question?
I noticed with everyone who has a bulkhead placed at the bottom of the drums, there placed a few inches above the bottom. Do you always keep the drum full of SW? Is there ever a point that the container is able to be completely emptied or will there always be a few inches of water in the drum? I'm trying to decided how to plumb the 55 gallon drums so they would empty completely. At first I thought about placing the bulkhead on the bottom of the drum and having a hole in the stand for it to go through. Then I was thinking how much different it would be if the bulkhead was on the side, does anyone place a 90 degree on the inside with an extender pipe to grab that last 5 gallons of water that would otherwise sit on the bottom?

I plan on having my drums, one on top of the other. I would fill the top with RODI then mix the salt, turn a valve and dump the 55 gallons down into the next drum. I can now make another batch of SW on the top while circulating the bottom drum. I would have them hard plumbed so I can circulate either the top or bottom by them self or I can circulate them at the same time.

Any opinions? Although, as it was said before, I should always have a back up batch ready to go.

Just to fill you in, this would make approx. 110 gallons for my 220 shark tank and my 112 reef. I change out about 50-80 gallons in the shark tank and only 10-15 gallons in the reef every month. I also plan on adding another drum if need be for our turtle tank that we are working on in the mean time. I also will have the pump, pump the SW from the drums to the two tanks across the house so no buckets will be needed for emptying or filling. I hate carrying and pushing buckets through out the house.

 

[beatle]

I'm also curious about being able to empty the containers completely. If you can't empty them completely, how do you measure to make the next batch?

 

[Rybren]

Question?
does anyone place a 90 degree on the inside with an extender pipe to grab that last 5 gallons of water that would otherwise sit on the bottom?

That's what I do. My bulkhead is a couple of inches above the bottom of the barrel - just high enough for the uniseal to fit. Inside the tank, I have a 90 degree elbow that ends up about 1/4" above the bottom of the tank. This allows me to drain almost all of the water.

 

[nauticac4]

I never completely empty my tank and I guess at the mixing to begin with. I then check with a refractometer and add salt as needed. The few inches on the bottom doesn't matter.

 

[jeff@zina.com]

If you can't empty them completely, how do you measure to make the next batch?

Practice.

I mix short of what it should be, then adjust after checking salinity. After a while you just know that filling your container and mixing salt takes four cups of salt or whatever and eventually you're dead on every time just by eyeballing it.

Besides, if you change 10% of your water and the new water is off by two points, the total change in salinity is two tenths of a point. Easily tolerated and less than evaporation will change it.

Jeff

 

[swenholz]

I have a submersiable pump with a 90 elbow on it about 1/4" from the bottom of the drum. I usually leave about 1/2" of water in the SW drum so I don't run the pump dry.

 

[dubes08]

Just started setting mine up should be done in a few days will post pics.