- Today in the Five Minute Saltwater Aquarium Guide
we show ya how to mix up saltwater for a reef tank.
How long you can store it
getting that salt mix choice right from the beginning.
Whether this is your first time or hundredth
I guarantee you're gonna learn something new today.
All that's coming up.
(upbeat music)
Hey I'm Ryan, your at BRStv
and the Five Minute Saltwater Aquarium Guide.
This is a clear, simplified, and direct path
to setting up a first successful reef tank.
Today we're going to mix up some salt.
The cool piece here is when we're done
we're going to turn this lab-grade pure zero TDS water
into seawater ready for a reef tank
filled with thriving corals and fish.
Mixing and storing saltwater's pretty simple.
It's just some salt mix
RODI water
a bin and a small mixing pump.
We'll mix it properly first
share how long it can be stored
and after what we believe to be the right salt mix
for most reefers.
The most commonly used saltwater storage container
is a Rubbermaid Brute trash can.
The type of plastic that they're made out of has been used
by reefers for decades and readily available
at most big-box hardware stores.
In this case I'd get something about as big as a tank
just because you can.
So 40 gallons but at minimum 20 gallons
and make sure to get the lid.
Throw a float valve on it so your RO system can
feel it easily and automatically turn off when full.
Another two containers now
one for fresh water and one for saltwater.
So you'll need a push-connect-t
and a couple RO line valves or potentially
a three-way-push-connect valve
to direct water between the two
depending on which one you wanna fill.
At this point there are dozens of different brands of
salt mixes you can choose from.
The best way to put it is
all the popular ones are decent options
so don't get hung up or trapped in the great salt debate.
Just pick the one that speaks to you and move forward.
That said there are some distinct reasons why we selected
the Tropic Marin Pro-Reef for the 5 Minute Guide
all based on many months of experiments.
In the end T.M. Pro requires the least amount of effort
equipment and energy to mix.
Once mixed, stores better meaning stable parameters
and clean with no brown residue or precipitation
for many weeks to months.
We're also getting consistent results from bucket to bucket.
And even within the top to the bottom
of each individual bucket.
This is just a net result of using pharmaceutical grade
raw materials combined with advanced milling
mixing and packaging methods.
Like we shared last week
the water in your tank will never be better
than what you start with
and T.M. Pro is just pretty easy to recommend.
The typical water-change schedule in a tank like this
it does cost about three to four dollars more a month
than the cheapest options
but I believe worth it.
Particularly for newer reefers
looking for the easiest road possible.
Next step is the actual mixing of the salt mix and water.
While most salts have somewhat different mixing procedures
some require heating, limited or even continuous mixing.
I'd read the instructions on the bucket
and follow them.
In this case we're using the T.M. Pro and how we're going
to do it is based on our own experience using it.
Just throw a flow pump like Hydor Koralia
in the bottom of the bin.
Get the water moving and start adding the salt.
It's about two to two-and-a-half cups
per five gallons of water.
So in a 40 gallon container
16 to 20 cups.
This is a 80 gallon bucket so about half of it.
It's important that you add the salt to nearly the
full amount of water you wanna make.
If you add the water to the salt
or make a concentrated solution
it causes crusty precipitation
and creates an inconsistent mix.
It's also obviously important to get the right amount
of salt into the water or make the right salinity.
The two to two-and-a-half cups per five gallons of water
is a rough guideline.
The way we measure salt is with a refractometer
which measures the salt in parts per thousand.
Drop a couple drops of your saltwater in the lens
close it, give it about a minute to temperature stabilize
and then look through it.
There's an easy to read line of where you're at.
If you're under 35 PPT or parts per thousand
then add some more salt.
If you're over, add some more water and dilute it.
There are also digital refractometers
where you can drop water right on a lens
and push a button to get a digital readout.
In either case, in a couple minute process
it's easy to fine tune your salt.
T.M. Pro had the fastest mixing of any single-step salt
that we've tested here.
Even in a well-lit, controlled environment.
Fully dissolved in a matter of hours.
At this point it's ready to be used.
With larger 25 percent plus water changes
you wanna drop in a heater and get it to
the same temp as your tank.
But that's probably unnecessary
on smaller typical 10 percent water changes.
Now that it's fully mixed you have have only used some of
that saltwater you made up
so how long can you store it and how?
This particular salt stores well for many weeks to months
as long as you put the lid on to prevent most evaporation.
In fact after those first few hours
you can even pull the plug on the pump because
it's fully mixed and will stay that way.
Because of the proper mixing at the factory formulation
and pharmaceutical-grade raw materials
you won't see any of that brown crust residue
or precipitate in the bin over time
that's common with many salts.
The chemistry levels of the salt will also be stable.
So the answer is in this case
you can store it almost indefinitely.
At least in reasonable terms.
In this case with our tank size here
the 40 gallon Brute will hold enough water for 10
10 percent water changes
or two-and-a-half months worth of water.
Only mixing saltwater five times a year
is pretty attractive.
Now that we've got our water made
it's time to pour it into the tank.
If you wanna prevent the sand from blowing all over
you can pour it into a container that
overflows into the tank.
But this is a good time to go find that packet
that came with your sand.
After that add your flow pumps
and it will help remove the sandy cloud.
So that is the next logical question
how do you manage water flow in a saltwater aquarium?
This is something that has evolved so much since
my first tank 15 years ago.
And you can learn from my mistakes.
The entire Five Minute Guide playlist
is always available here
but if you wanna get flow done right on your first take
it's just a click away.