mixing large amounts of water

Illusions · Jan 24, 2012

A 20 Gallon brute is $20 at Home Depot. It's worth the investment for the hassle it'll save you. Then either install a ball valve near the bottom of it, or siphon it out of the 20 gallon brute to your 5 gallon buckets.

VPBassist · Jan 24, 2012

steve wright said: ↑

+1 on those that suggested a series of smaller water changes will be just as effective as 1 larger one

doing 5 gallons in a 40 is approximately a 13% water change , thus 87% old water and 13% new
week later another 5 gallon water change will mean approx 24% water will be new and 76% old
by week 3 = 33% new water and 67% old - week 4 = 42% is new and 58% is old

if your using and have been using GFO and Carbon in your set up, you have been reducing the problem anyway ( although not as fast as the tap water has been creating it)

if you slowly improve the source water, you avoid any potential shocks to the inhabitants and save yourself some costs in the mean time

if you do want to perform larger changes with your existing equipment you could do as follows

mix 1 x 5 gallon bucket, with heater and pump
once it is mixed, fully dissolved, remove pump and heater and put a lid on it (empty large salt buckets are great for this as the lids fit air tight)
mix up the next bucket, and repeat until all buckets are mixed

once mixed , if they are sealed tight they can be stored for long periods ( just like the pre mixed saltwater we can buy , is held in storage )

keep them in a warm location until ready to use and you could have 20 gallons of saltwater pre mixed, that might need a few minutes agitation and possibly heating prior to use

Steve
Click to expand...

I haven't been using GFO or carbon. Just tap water and a skimmer, which combined with low light, are why my sps have always died. I got a MH and now trying to sort out my water.

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mixing large amounts of water

Illusions Flamingo Tongue

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mixing large amounts of water

Illusions Flamingo Tongue

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