Can mixed saltwater be stored long term and do salt mixes expire? | 52FAQ

[vetteguy53081]

I use it right away upon being dissolved

 

[David S]

I've been pre mixing Tropic Marin Pro salt, up to 7 weeks, for water changes after inquiring from the company.
They said there should be no problem. I've been doing this for the better part of a year and there have been no issues.
The only caveat is that the salt tends to settle so I shake the water up before use.
I also notice a drop of about 0.5 DKH shortly after my weekly water changes but I doubt that it is related to pre mixing as it occurs even with freshly mixed water.

 

[markstubb]

I'm just dying to know the BRS Investigates answer for if Ryan's hair is real and how often it is cut

 

[EzraZamir]

I mix Red Sea coral pro and instant ocean (not reef crystals) 50/50 and have no issues storing 30 gallons for 1 week with no circulation. My tank remains stable with normal daily alk/cal dosing, but I never tested the stored water at day 6. I think the high element Red Sea salt is possibly creating a balance.

I’d love to see a BRS study on the topic...

 

[ChrisW]

I use 5gal water cooler jugs, (easy to pour into tank and to haul out back to dump with zero spillage in the house) and I keep two of those mixed w RedSea Pro for WCs every couple wks. The only significant thing I noticed was the salt settling in the bottom, so i just roll it around on the floor for a bit like once a wk and it mixes right back up.

 

[Saintnovakai]

@randyBRS is there any way...ANY way at all - I can buy, like, a Mr. Chili mixing jug autographed by Ryan - the BRSTV man himself? Not the R.T. guy - he did OK and his effort was appreciated by myself and all the other subscribers out there I'm sure -

But the classic, warm embrace woven by the words "where every week we do our best to help you guys, members of the reefing community, find new ways to enjoy your tanks and find new ways to explore the hobby" only feels right coming from the one, and the only true host of BRSTV.

Rest assured, the autographed jug will be displayed in a place of only the highest visibility and esteem in my home (may have to move mother's ashes, because let's face it; they're not really ever exciting to look at) as to guarantee my guests asking "Why is this plastic container such a prominent feature, and why is it autographed?" I will then, 100% prepare them a drink (almost assuredly a gin and tonic - because really there is no other drink I prefer drinking in front of my reef tank) before I pull up the various video series' published by Bulk Reef Supply for their enjoyment on 43" of crisp 1080p digital delight.

I may have to go a bit out of order to really get them interested - probably hook 'em in with the Theiling Rollermat episode OR EVEN BETTER the episode, during the "52 Weeks of Reefing" series where we decided to go with LED/T5 combo lighting because - God as my witness - nothing rev's my engine quite as much as the concept of professional, expensive, dispersed, beautiful full spectrum lighting, despite the price tag slightly over my wallet's tolerance.

Anyways,

I'll be hitting the xanax a little heavier until the results are out on my AWC system and salt mix storage./QUOTE]

My tank is that hot chic that I look at every chance I get, has the word wet built in wears adjustable pumps and drinks most of my Vodka. Great girl. Only issues so far is shes got crabs and is expensive as hell to maintain. Have you seen her Night-Rates? Lol

A signed randy T-shirt would really help her out in them wet T-shirt contes

 

[Saintnovakai]

My tank is that hot chic that I look at every chance I get, has the word wet built in wears adjustable pumps and drinks most of my Vodka. Great girl. Only issues so far is shes got crabs and is expensive as hell to maintain. Have you seen her Night-Rates? Lol

A signed Ryan/Randy/Ryan T-shirt would really help her out in them wet T-shirt contests.

 

[zoso]

I premix and store in a sealed container (snap lid on 5 gal bucket) I mix it every few days and check salinity prior to use. Been doing this for past 4 weeks ( purchase ROD and fill bucket every 2 weeks) So far so good .

 

[ScottB]

I mix 40+ gallons of Instant Ocean RC in a 44G Brute every couple weeks. It is heated to 78 and stirred continuously and used in 1-5 days. Never had an issue with my SPS/LPS mixed reef.

Out of the box, Reef Crystals elements look about like this: 490Ca, 13 ALK, 1440 Mg. Pretty rich stuff. I've never measured other elements in my mix (but do occasionally on DT, fine there)

As the mix ages, this is about what I witness:
- the Brute gets a light bacterial film, but no to little odor.
- Ca and Mg don't change and I get no material precip on the pumps, heater, barrel
- IORC does leave (for me) a small amount of rusty colored residue at the bottom. I powerwash it out every couple of months.
- After a few days, my ALK does fall. I just tested at 11.2 after 4 days. That is no problem for me as I only dose to achieve 9ish anyway.

 

[Saintnovakai]

I mix 40+ gallons of Instant Ocean RC in a 44G Brute every couple weeks. It is heated to 78 and stirred continuously and used in 1-5 days. Never had an issue with my SPS/LPS mixed reef.

Out of the box, Reef Crystals elements look about like this: 490Ca, 13 ALK, 1440 Mg. Pretty rich stuff. I've never measured other elements in my mix (but do occasionally on DT, fine there)

As the mix ages, this is about what I witness:
- the Brute gets a light bacterial film, but no to little odor.
- Ca and Mg don't change and I get no material precip on the pumps, heater, barrel
- IORC does leave (for me) a small amount of rusty colored residue at the bottom. I powerwash it out every couple of months.
- After a few days, my ALK does fall. I just tested at 11.2 after 4 days. That is no problem for me as I only dose to achieve 9ish anyway.

Here in Jamaica I just drive to the Caribbean Sea and fill five gallon jugs. I have realized that alkalinity falls off but all I do is touch it up with a bit of sodium bicarbonate from my alk mix and do a water change. I store water for almost a month at times and thats the only difference ive noticed. I change 10g of 80 weekly so the swing isnt that much. I just do the water change in the late evening just before dosing 2 part.

 

[ChrisW]

Now THAT is a luxury I would love to have...

 

[Saintnovakai]

Now THAT is a luxury I would love to have...

The downside is being hit by waves and lugging jugs of water each trip. We don't have a reef scene here though. I have to have coral and fish smuggled into the country at exhorbitant prices. I bought a dime sized piece of green monticap for almost $80. We got rose corals growing on the beach and blue zoas with yellow eyes out the wazoo. Also not many reef safe fish. Queen angels, French angels, Lions etc and Butterflies. Only thing free is water. Reefing on a teachers salary, madness. I wanna get a simple jebao dc2000 return pump and after just buying that for 80, to get it in hand with Jamaica's evil customs, I'll have spent US$200 so count your blessings. I just try to live on eBay and get used stuff. Once it's under $50 on the "receipt" then customs doesn't bother me. I just ship it to Florida and fam gets it here. All for the love of reefing so regardless of alkalinity fluctuations, I just count blessings and reef.

 

[Joe Heavy]

good topic...I'm curious to know if there's a problem mixing and storing salt for @ a week or so.

I stored mixed salt with a heater and pump for two weeks and it went bad and smelled like mildew. Now i mix a day before. It was the fritz pro and when I tested it for nitrates is was bad. Lesson learned. I stored it in a brute 44 garbage can that is food safe with the lid on when this happened In a cool basement

 

[ChrisW]

Ahh the beach always sounds good until the reality of things like that are brought up. Reefing anywhere on this continent, maybe florida is an exception for livestock but not sure, is quite pricey as well, but customs and taxing and the like would probably make me think twice about such a hobby living where you are. Never thought about it really, I guess I just assumed livestock and things like that would be in more of an abundance and therefore less expensive? But after presenting it the way you did, puts it in perspective. A shame really. Applaud you for doing it anyway

 

[ReefWithCare]

This has been bugging me because I usually have SW stored in my stations for about 1-3 weeks and it gets hot in my garage. The temperature in the containers can get over 90 degrees. I’m wondering if I should even store SW now and just store RODI

 

[ChrisW]

Wouldnt it depend on the brand of salt? From what others have commented on this thread, certain brands seem to store better than others. RedSea Pro seemed to degrade the least? I was wondering the same thing though when it comes to ATO's, bc isnt that whole system based on water storage? Though I guess if that's your setup, you most like are agitating the water in some capacity to keep it from stagnation. Have you tested that water after storing it for a couple wks and see how much its degraded?

 

[Saintnovakai]

Ahh the beach always sounds good until the reality of things like that are brought up. Reefing anywhere on this continent, maybe florida is an exception for livestock but not sure, is quite pricey as well, but customs and taxing and the like would probably make me think twice about such a hobby living where you are. Never thought about it really, I guess I just assumed livestock and things like that would be in more of an abundance and therefore less expensive? But after presenting it the way you did, puts it in perspective. A shame really. Applaud you for doing it anyway

Yeah its tough but there are a few of us here that travel often and those guys hook us up. I just dive stuff up most times. Porites, Rose brain corals, carpet and condy nems (I dont keep those), sun coral and ricordea florida. If it wernt a reef tank then itd be awesome because I can walk the beach and grab butterflies, blue head wrasses and french and queen angels in 4 feet of water in some places. We talk about patience a lot in this hobby but boy am I forced to have it.lol. As for water conditions, Ive never have it smell while being stored, even after a month and its on my verandah. Maybe mixed saltwater degrades differently than NSW.

 

[Griev]

I've been mixing up 50 Gallons at a time in my garage where it often gets over 100 degrees. It usually takes me 7-8 weeks to use up the entire container. I test parameters after every water change and they're always right where they need to be. So I've noticed zero ill effects from this.

 

[ChrisW]

See now there’s a challenge for the boys and girls @BRS to tackle, does natural sea water hold up longer than man made mixed water... company road trip time

 

[ReefWithCare]

I've been mixing up 50 Gallons at a time in my garage where it often gets over 100 degrees. It usually takes me 7-8 weeks to use up the entire container. I test parameters after every water change and they're always right where they need to be. So I've noticed zero ill effects from this.

What salt are you using? I use LA salt.