IO salt

[emilbus]

ive been reading mixed thoughts on how many cups per gallon should be used. some said for every gallon you use 1/2 cup, others said for every 10 gallons you use 1 cup. what do you guys think?

[MattK]

:lol

[hobogato]

start with 1/2 cup per gallon, and adjust accordingly based on hydrometer readings.

[emilbus]

so what, im just suppose to dump a load of salt into the tank and hope im right, then measure it with the hydrometer and go from there? and this whole time i thought it would be easier just to measure the salt by cups. oh, i guess i should have mentioned that this will be a new tank that im setting up, 55g tank, 10g sump, and 10g fuge. i was thinking about just filling up the entire tank, sump, and fuge then add all the salt into the tank at once and just let the air pumps, over flow, fuge, sump, and return pump do all the mixing. it will be a month or two before i even start to add fish or coral. thanks ace i will stick with the 1/2 cup per gallon.

[JimD]

Depends on what you want your s.g. to be. Mix the saltwater in seperate containers then add to the tank.

[JeremyGlen]

IO salt and most of the others have 1/2 cup per gallon as a base. This usually gets your sg around 1.021-1.023. I would just get a hydrometer and start at 1/2 cup per gallon. Then test the sg with your hydrometer and add salt till you get to your desired sg.

[emilbus]

will do, thanks

[don-n-sa]

emilbus is miked isn't he?

[cpreefguy]

yes

[caferacermike]

mike d from the beastie boys?

You definitely need to either mix low and add salt to the tank if going to to mix it directly with no life in the tank or do it outside of the tank and get it set in a bucket. I switched over to Seachem and followed the basic instructions of 1/2 cup per gallon for a 10 g water change. Figured I'd use 5 cups right? It takes a tad over 6 cups to get me at 1.024 which is where I've been running my tank.

So yes the real answer is, hydrometer.

[emilbus]

"ya gotta fight, for ya rights, to PAAAARRRTTYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GaryP]

Salt will vary from batch to batch. This is because it soaks up moisture from the humidity in the air when it is being mixed. Some of the salts used are quite "hydroscopic," meaning that they absorb moisture readily. That's why no "recipe" is very effective other then getting you in the ball park.

Kim & Borneman mentioned this in their talk. As I recall, he found that he couldn't use a recipe to get the same SG from batch to batch.

[Willow]

GaryP hit the nail on the head...
For a fresh, brand new bag or bucket.. I can use 1/2 cup per gallon.. once it has been opened though it starts to absorb moisture from the air..
so after it has been opened for a few days... I start with a 1/2 cup and adjust as needed

[Alamo]

so what, im just suppose to dump a load of salt into the tank and hope im right, then measure it with the hydrometer and go from there? and this whole time i thought it would be easier just to measure the salt by cups. oh, i guess i should have mentioned that this will be a new tank that im setting up, 55g tank, 10g sump, and 10g fuge. i was thinking about just filling up the entire tank, sump, and fuge then add all the salt into the tank at once and just let the air pumps, over flow, fuge, sump, and return pump do all the mixing. it will be a month or two before i even start to add fish or coral. thanks ace i will stick with the 1/2 cup per gallon.


Ummmmmmm why would you mix salt this way? Safer and easier to control the salinity by Going to home depot or lowes and get a nice size (40 to 50 gal) rubbermaid trash can and fill it with RO and then follow the directions on the bucket of IO. Check it against your hydrometer, and adjust from there... :wacko

[emilbus]

i guess that could work too. i only had one 5 gallon bucket and i really didnt want to mix 5 gallons at a time. how much do those 50g tash cans cost?

[Alamo]

Try going to www.homedepot.com and use the search option with the keyword Trash Can

[GaryP]

A 50 gal. isn't really necessary, depending on the size of your tank. I do quite well with one 32 gal. std. trash can.

[Alamo]

heh I have 3.... one to make RO in, one to mix salt for my all to infrequent water changes :) and one to drain tank water into so I get the water amount the same as the water change :)
I dont know if he lives in an Apt or a house so thats why I suggested just one larger one for his use.