salt per gallon

[jeremy36]

Ok so Im starting to get things rolling for my eel tank and Im gonna buy some reef crystals and need advice on how much to buy. Its a 70 gal and cant find out how many pounds of salt to put in it to start, any calculations on pounds of salt per gallon would be very helpful
Thanks everyone!!!! PEACE!!!!

 

[mhollibush]

you need 1/2 cup per gallon of water ( according to the directions ) - Use warm water to help dilute the salt - test your salinity before you put any live stock in the tank.

hydrometer ( not recommended - cheap price ) are not that accurate -

take a some of your aquarium water to your LFS ( local fish store ) and have them test it.

Refractometer ( highly recommended - a little more expensive but worth the investment ) are much more accurate as long as they are calibrated.

 

[greech]

Agree with the hydrometer vs refractometer but if you do get a hydrometer and check it against a calibrated refractometer now and then, it can work just as well.

Also, 1/2 cup per gallon typically gets you to the 1.024-1.025 range and that may not be necessary if all you are keep are eels, fish, shrimp, crabs, snails etc. The higher ranges are needed with corals. You can drop it down a bit to around 1.021 (believe you might be able to go lower too but check on that) for a fish only tank and save some salt by doing so.

Most salt mixes come in 50 gallon bags so you would need 2 bags to get your 70 going and have some left over. You can also get the 150-200 gallon buckets to get a little more for your money. Don't sweat it if you add too much salt initially as you can always add some fresh water to bring the SG down and if you end up with extra mixed SW you can just save it for the next water change.

 

[mhollibush]

Follow GREECH's advice, He has given me alot of advice since I have joined this forum

I am pretty new to the salt water tanks, and I am going by how I have my tanks set up. I have corals and fish, so I follow the guidelines on the bucket.

as for the Hydrometer,
My experiences so far.... I have purchased two, calibrated as directed using ro water, both meters gave different readings compared to the refractometer. All were with in range, but the refractometer is much more reliable IMO. I seen the same water on the low end and high end of the scale using the same hydrometer, the refractometer was consistant.

this is an example of personal prefrence... with me being a newbie at this, I want to make sure I am doing it right, so the extra money is worth the piece of mind.

 

[jeremy36]

Thanks on the advice with the different meters, I was told that the animal im adopting has always been in tanks that were using reef crystal by Instant Ocean, for five years now and just wanted to know what everyone else would reccommend as far as brands or salt are concerned

 

[greech]

Follow GREECH's advice, He has given me alot of advice since I have joined this forum

I am pretty new to the salt water tanks, and I am going by how I have my tanks set up. I have corals and fish, so I follow the guidelines on the bucket.

as for the Hydrometer,
My experiences so far.... I have purchased two, calibrated as directed using ro water, both meters gave different readings compared to the refractometer. All were with in range, but the refractometer is much more reliable IMO. I seen the same water on the low end and high end of the scale using the same hydrometer, the refractometer was consistant.

this is an example of personal prefrence... with me being a newbie at this, I want to make sure I am doing it right, so the extra money is worth the piece of mind.

You definitely provided sound advice, just saying there are ways around the refractometer concerns. There is definitely variablity between hydrometers (even by the same manufacturers). One problem with the swing arms is that bubbles tend to collect on the arm making arm buyont and giving a false reading. The bubbles can be hard to see too. Once the hydrometer gets some use the bubbles tend to stick less and the meter MAY be a bit more accurate. Definitely get a calibrated refractometer if you can but you can get by in the cycling stage with just a hydrometer.

Thanks on the advice with the different meters, I was told that the animal im adopting has always been in tanks that were using reef crystal by Instant Ocean, for five years now and just wanted to know what everyone else would reccommend as far as brands or salt are concerned

Reef Crystals are used by A LOT of people. You shouldn't have any concerns about using it. You may find down that line that a different salt mix provides you with better numbers for specific elements but RCs is a good, well priced salt mix with a long history in the hobby.

 

[Slappy*McFish]

Actually, salt mix dissolves much better in cool/cold water rather than warm water. Also, always add salt to water and not the other way around to avoid precipitation and improper dissolution. Mix vigorously for several hours, heat water to proper temp and then test the salinity. Adjust if necessary.

 

[tanker]

I always mix in a brute tub (when I had a SW tank). I put in water, add salt, drop in a PH and test next day---then adjust as needed.


Greech is right. If you going reef then you need higher SG. Fish actually do better at lower SG. I would try for about 1.022 That is good for fish.

 

[Ace25]

Actually, salt mix dissolves much better in cool/cold water rather than warm water.

That may be true but that affects a salinity reading. You can mix it cold, but just make sure to re-test when you heat it up to verify the salinity before putting it in the tank.

As far as salt... in my mind it boils down to 1 thing.. do I want precipitates I have to scrub off the trash can after each batch I mix, or not. Pre-mixed salts, every one I have tried, has always left some form of buildup on the trashcan I mix in. After switching to B-Ionic, no more dirty trashcans. It is a 4 part salt you mix... not a newbie salt, and really I can't say it is that much better than RC.. all name brand aquarium salts work for our hobby, some you just have to dose a little more of the 3 majors than others (alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium). I just got tired of cleaning trashcans after doing it for so many years, I guess I am OCD like that, so to me it is worth the extra $56 for B-Ionic even if it takes more precision/measuring to mix. ($176 for 400G worth for B-Ionic vs $120 for the same amount of Reef Crystals at Marinedepot.)

 

[Slappy*McFish]

That may be true but that affects a salinity reading. You can mix it cold, but just make sure to re-test when you heat it up to verify the salinity before putting it in the tank.

Mix vigorously for several hours, heat water to proper temp and then test the salinity. Adjust if necessary.