saltwater mixing question?

So i am getting ready to fill my DT for the first time. Can I add the water and salt mix to the DT and use the powerheads i have set up to mix the water or should i use seprate containers to mix and then add to tank?

Thanks

 

Is there sand in the tank yet? If there is no sand then mix in the tank. If there is sand, then do it in separate containers.

 

I would mix the water in a large garbage can or two (unused of course....don't worry, they will come in handy later. Keep 'em around for aquarium use only). Let it mix overnight just for the heck of it. Not so important at this stage, but that's OK. Put a powerhead in there and let it go. No heater necessary of course.

Then I would put your sand in the tank.

Then Glad Wrap over the top of that.

Then gently introduce the water into the tank. The glad wrap will slowly rise with the water level and, if done right, will leave you will a wonderfully clear tank right off the bat.

Also, at this point, think about painting the back of the tank. Now is the time if you are going to do it.

 

Don't forget to wash off the sand first so your water won't b e cloudy.

 

If you are using live sand I WOULD NOT rinse or wash it.you would be rinsing out a lot of the good stuff you paid for.

 

Oh yeah, I guess I lucked out. When I bought my live argonite I forgot to wash it off and I thought I had made a huge mistake. But thanks for clarifying that it made me feel better, even though I forgot to clean off the coral sand in the regular bag that I mixed with the argonite..lol

 

And in my opinion, I would mis the water before putting it in your tank. Just so that you know it isn't settling and not getting mixed correctly.

You should keep us updated on your cycle and parameters, it's always interesting to see what other people's tanks go through...

 

If you are starting from absolute scratch, then sure. By that I mean the sand, water and salt will be the first and only 3 things added at first. Just don't add too much salt. As chefs say, you can always add, but it's harder to take it away.

Add sand water and salt, use powerheads to dissolve all salt, and when the salinity is right, smooth down the sand before adding your rock.

 

Thanks for the input. I will update my parameters over on my tank build thread.

 

I fully support the garbage can and saran wrap method of introducing saltwater into the tank.