making water

[monizb]

How long do u guys let your water sit in container before water change I usually let sit 24hr in burit garbage container is that to long? With a heater and power head

 

[Poseidon]

I usually let mine mix for a week at least with constant circulation

 

[reeffreak]

I also do 24 hours, heated and circulated 

 

[spyd]

24 hrs with heat & powerhead for circulation. I believe most salts specifically say to wait at least 24 hrs before doing your water change.

 

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

24 hrs with just a powerhead

 

[Neopimp]

Couple days due to lazy ness.  Used to keep it heated. Just check salinity now and throw the switch. 

 

[copperkills]

I mix and change after a couple hours...the longer u wait the more likely ur introducing ammonia into ur system...

 

[reeffreak]

How do you introduce ammonia to newly mixed saltwater if its just sitting in a bucket aerating and nothing is being added ?

 

[unibob]

How do you introduce ammonia to newly mixed saltwater if its just sitting in a bucket aerating and nothing is being added ?

Your dog walks over and pees in bucket.

 

[copperkills]

Test it for yourself ur container is gunna have film algae on it.....do u clean it everytime after a water change? And salt has a certain level of its own impurities...ur water will cycle!

 

[reeffreak]

Test it for yourself ur container is gunna have film algae on it.....do u clean it everytime after a water change? And salt has a certain level of its own impurities...ur water will cycle!

Interesting I never even thought twice about that, maybe I will start doing my changes roughly 6 hours after my water is made up. Not that I didn't believe what you were saying copper kills, I just never thought about there being a cycle in freshly mixed water.

 

[TORX]

Test it for yourself ur container is gunna have film algae on it.....do u clean it everytime after a water change? And salt has a certain level of its own impurities...ur water will cycle!

Of course you risk a cycle, a cycle happens on its own, just like the first set up of a tank. Especially if there is residue from the last water change, like algae that has now dried and died, then the bucket is filled with water and that matter will start a cycle IMO. I do clean my water change buckets each time and normally use it within 2-3 days at the latest.

 

[copperkills]

Nor did I until it was pointed out to me.  I used to store mixed water in the blue waterdepot containers.  Id make 4 5g at a time and change 5g per week.  So one jug didnt get used for 4 weeks.  Well didnt I test the water after being advised and sure enough small amounts of nitrate and ammonia were present.  That has ended abruptly lol...I use RC Reef crystals.

 

[BIGSHOW]

I don't see how you would have any nutrients in a water change barrel that has no contact with tank water.  If you are filling your water barrel with RO/DI water and then adding salt there should be nothing in that bucket to feed algae (unless your salt is a source of N03/P04....or you water change barrel is leaching).  You may have a residue left from your salt, but I have never seen algae in my water change barrel.

A cycle should not happen on its own.

Of course if you have a barrel directly in the sunlight and you have some tank water that went into your waterchange barrel then there is the chance for algae growth

 

[BIGSHOW]

opcorn2:

 

[Poseidon]

I have my water sitting in a 50g barrel for a 1.5 weeks because the barrel is filled by the rodi unit directly, once it's full I put the salt in and let it mix til it's water change time again, I tested it right before I changed it and it 0 nitrates and 0.00 phosphates.. So I'm safe..

But I can see if there is some sort of bio in the barrel it would create a cycle
But if it's just salt and 0 TDS water... There should be no life at all.

 

[TORX]

I think people get caught up with 0tds, 0tds = 0 parts per million (ppm). But that number is rounded to 0. A 0.4 ppm would read 0tds. But a 0.4 of anything in our water could be bad. Hence why people read po4 and such straight out of their ro/di unit sometimes.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk 2

 

[BIGSHOW]

TDS does not equal nutrients  (necessarily) .

 

[TORX]

TDS does not equal nutrients  (necessarily) .

True point, it could equal metals or many other things as well, the unknown is what makes me nervous.

But to avoid any possible nutrients causing issues, I try to always use my made up water from out of my RODI to tank in less then a week, but normally it is only 2-3 days.

 

[Neopimp]

I keep it in the dark and full of water.  Mix it a day before the change.  Change it fill it back up.  Inside of can is clean.  I don't test it though