Adding instant ocean to a 90 gallon tank question

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tedwagner

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Sep 28, 2009
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I removed two 5 gallon buckets of water out of a freshwater tank. Added Instant Ocean to each bucket with air pump pumping in the buckets and stirred. The question is will 10 gallons of mixed Instant Ocean in a 90 gallon tank increase the SG over .002 and kill off the bacteria in the filtration system. Should I add 5 or 10 gallons of the mix into the freshwater tank to start it off for a brackish tank. I have 2 shark catfish and 6 minnow feeders in the tank now for three weeks.:wall::wall::wall:
 
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Lycanthropic

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Unless you are adding enough salt for the whole tank, it will not kick up the salinity .002 IMO. Plus that water has to be super hot when you mix the salt and you have to usually wait 24 hours. i.e make your water 24 hours in advance. If you want, start of small like that, and then do bigger w/cs with enought salt.
 

bazil323

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What is the SG of the bucket water? I assume the tank is completely fresh at this point?

I'm terrible at figuring out what SG is needed to mix with freshwater to raise salinity, which is why I always cycle it at the SG I need and then just drip acclimate the fish. However, you need to know the SGs of both to figure out what you will get. Here's a link on how to mix water to make your tank brackish and subsequent increases. It's based on a 50% water change, though.
 

tedwagner

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Sep 28, 2009
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I will NOT put this salt water in here until its crystal clear in my brain by reading your article. I will get back to you in the next couple days or if I have any questions. Thanks for the link and input.
 

tedwagner

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Sep 28, 2009
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I put 1.5 pounds of Instant Ocean in each 5 gallon bucket that is supposed to create 5 gallons at a SG of 1.022. Like I said on my introduce yourself post (somewhere on here) my shark catfish have been in a freshwater tank, I do not believe it has finished cycleng yet? It is kind of hard to tell by my numbers, but I want to start slowly aclimating them into brackish water over the next year or so. I figured the mixing of 10 gallons of the aquarium water with 10 gallon mix of instant ocean would be a good place to start. I have to read the article bazil sent me on a 50% water change still but that seems like I am jolting them WAY more than just the ten gallons. I also did NOT mix it with hot water but I can let it sit with the air stones in it for at least 24 hours since it is already mixed what do you suggest?
 

tedwagner

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Sep 28, 2009
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mixed up 2 - 5 gallon buckets of my tank water with Instant Ocean last night. I used 1.5 pounds per 5 gallons (actually about 4.5 gallons in the bucket) that is supposed to make it a Specific Gravity of 1.022. I am trying to figure outwhat freaked the sharks out so bad when I finished dumping it in the tank. If I have a 90 gallon tank and put in 10 gallons of marine water at a SG of 1.022, and the regular tank fresh water in there should be at a SG of 1.0...............................1/9 or lets say 1/10 of the addition of .022 should be .0022 and that should be fine becasue if I go over .002 I will kill the bacteria in the filter.

I syphoned out 2 - 5 gallon buckets and mixed the salt into the bucket. I put a airstone in each bucket and left it sit overnite about 8 hours or so.

Any response on why the sharks seemed to get really really active when I fired up the filter after putting in the marine water. Like I said it was only 9 gallons of water from a 90 gallon tank. The SG of each of the 5 gallon buckets should have been 1.022. 1/10 of a added SG of .022 is .0022. Will this harm the fish and or kill off the good bio filtration? I have 6 feeder minnows in the tank that will die before the sharks if there is a problem correct.

The sharks seem to be settling down now maybe they were just riled up from dumping the water back into the aquarium.
 

Pufferpunk

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What is the SG in your tank now? Airstones won't nearly mix that much salt at all. Get a powerhead. For WC on a 90g, I suggest getting yourself a Brute garbage can for perparing water. You can pump it out of the can into your tank with the same mixing pump to fill the tank.

What are the rest of your water parameters? ammonia/nitrite/nitrate/pH
 

tedwagner

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Sep 28, 2009
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Ammonia is .50
Nitrate 10
Nitrtites .25
pH 7.6

I did not yet pick up the Specific Gravity tool but can run out and get it now if I must?

The Brute Garbage can is a must for the next WC. I can use the pump from the protein skimmer that was with the proclear 75 that I am not using because it is going to be brackish and I read both I dont need it and I do need it but the cons are the possiblity of a leak. So I am not using the protein skimmer.

How worried should I be about what I have done to them today???

I am running to the petstore for a hydrometer right now be back in 20 minutes with the reading.
 

tedwagner

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Sep 28, 2009
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1.014 SG if I am reading this Coral Life deep six correctly. It seems to start in the higher range but then drops off to 1.014. Please do not tell me this tank is going to have to recycle???
 
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