water change

[R.Allard]

how long should i wait till i do my water change after i mix the salt in .
i have 25 or so gallons of RO/DI water that tested .000 tds out of my new
RO/DI system and mixed the salt in to it this morning about 8am..
i have had 1 powerhead at the bottom and one about 6 in from the top
with air to it . im not used to useing ro/di water i useually wait a day or two but with out the clorine or anything else in the water i was just wondering how long i should wait .(i used instant ocean)
thanks R.

[Derek B]

FWIW, I mix mine up and let it settle and clear for about 10 minutes and in it goes. Been doing it for as long as I have had a reef and never seemed to have any ill effects. I think sometimes we can be a little extreme or anal about some of our practices.

[Derek B]

It probably is of a bit, but I don't change enough water to cause a pH shift. I change 5 gallons once a month in a 65g tank. I will dip my pH monitor in a new batch next time I do a water change since you have sparked my curiosity.

[Derek B]

It probably is off a bit, but I don't change enough water to cause a pH shift. I change 5 gallons once a month in a 65g tank. I will dip my pH monitor in a new batch next time I do a water change since you have sparked my curiosity.

[Tim Marvin]

OLD thought was to put in an airstone and let it bubble for at least 24 hours, but studies have found you lose some of your calcium to the sides of the bucket. New thought is to mix the salt and then use it shortly after. I have done it both ways and prefer to mix and use. The better grade salt will mix quick and be stable.

[Derek B]

That is what I have always done and it has worked for me. I don't have enough time in the day to mess with airstones/powerheads or waiting 24 hours to use some fresh mixed salt.

[MikeP]

Do you all compensate for temperature before adding new water? I mix my water change water in a 20 gallon trash can and let it sit overnight and add more salt as necessary and buffer PH if need be. I used to do about 5 gallons a month on my 46, on my nano I change about 2 gallons a month. My 75 is now up to 165 gallons total water volume when you add the sump and refugium in - not sure what I'm going to do about water changes on that - thinking maybe 20 gallons a month? Nitrates are already pretty low I just like doing water changes to replace trace elements.

[Derek B]

Techno, Reef Solution is a great way to replenish trace elements. You can get it at Premium Aquatics.

[Tim Marvin]

Good grade salt is all you need. No messing with adding a little of this and a little of that.