How long can I store newly made salt water?

[hsp]

I think what Randy writes about storing salt mixes with organics can be seen in this video:

- Coral Pro: make it just before use
- Red Sea Salt: store for up to 7 days
They say also: Mix not for more than 2 hours!

But when you listen to BRS-tv:
They say you need to mix for 6 to 24 hours:
The link below jumps to the right spot in the video:


Go figure!

 

[homer1475]

I keep regular purple box IO for up to 2 months before I use it all up. And RO/DI for up to 5 months. Never had an issue with either.

 

[fishkat]

Hello! I've read some of the posts about this but I'm still not clear on this topic. I have a 4-stage RODI system and make approx. 50 gallons of salt water every week with Instant Ocean salt. I've been trying to get the nitrates down in my recently purchased/moved tank and I've been doing 50% changes on my 100G tank weekly. My nitrates have gone down a lot (off the charts to the 40-50 range) and I'm trying to back off to every other week water changes.

I don't always measure how much I remove from the tank exactly with how much water I make, so I sometimes end up with a little extra. Last week I stored some of the extra salt water in a 4 gallon water jug with a cap (pic below). It was warmed to 80 at the time of the change, but has been sitting at room temp for over a week. I'm hoping to use this water for top-offs between water changes.

Questions:

-How long can I store this salt water without circulating or aerating?

- How long can you store fresh RODI water in these jugs?

Thanks for your help!

Don't use salt water for top-offs. It will raise the salinity!! RODI water or saline can be stored indefinitely
in a sealed container in a dark place (algae and mold spores are everywhere). Also, you need to find out why the nitrates went up so high- feeding too much, not cleaning your sand bed, not enough cleaning crew, etc. Do you have enough chaeto and enough light in your refugium or sump to
consume the nitrates?