Initial Fill. 5 gallon increments vs running RO line directly into tank and mixing salt in tank =

[BetterJake]

Getting ready to fill my Reefer 250. Total capacity is 54 gallons + 11 in the sump.

I will not have sand or rock in the tank during the initial fill as I will be ordering live rock and sand from TBS, so I need a running tank when the sand/rock shipment arrives.

So, do I mix 5 gallon buckets of salt water until full? My RODI unit produces about 3 gallons per hour. So figure I could get it done in about 2 - 3 days. My concern with this method would be evaporation of tank water and keeping salinity in check.

Or should I just run the RODI line into the display tank and mix the salt in the display tank? Should I mix as it fills or fill it with RODI and then add all the salt at once? Any tips using this method?

 

[wculver]

You would be well-served to let the RO/DI water run directly into the tank and then when it's fully just add the salt all at one time. Nothing is going to grow in a fresh tank with just RO-DI water. It would be better though to have at least some circulation with a power head that can breeak the surface of the water to avoid stagnation (Small concern though).

 

[vetteguy53081]

Getting ready to fill my Reefer 250. Total capacity is 54 gallons + 11 in the sump.

I will not have sand or rock in the tank during the initial fill as I will be ordering live rock and sand from TBS, so I need a running tank when the sand/rock shipment arrives.

So, do I mix 5 gallon buckets of salt water until full? My RODI unit produces about 3 gallons per hour. So figure I could get it done in about 2 - 3 days. My concern with this method would be evaporation of tank water and keeping salinity in check.

Or should I just run the RODI line into the display tank and mix the salt in the display tank? Should I mix as it fills or fill it with RODI and then add all the salt at once? Any tips using this method?

Simply it. Fill the tank 3/4 Full and add a 50 gallon mix to the tank and circulate with your power head.
Then add your sand and rock once salinity is fine tuned

 

[BetterJake]

You would be well-served to let the RO/DI water run directly into the tank and then when it's fully just add the salt all at one time. Nothing is going to grow in a fresh tank with just RO-DI water. It would be better though to have at least some circulation with a power head that can breeak the surface of the water to avoid stagnation (Small concern though).

That was my thought as well, figure if I mix all the salt at the end it would also remove any evaporation concerns as well. I just wanted some confirmation. Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[Floyd-]

I filled with RODI then added salt to my tank without issues. Just dont do this with coral or fish involved.

 

[Jmp998]

I think it is better to fill with the RO water first if you have not leak tested tank, all plumbing, etc. It is much easier to clean up RO water than saltwater, and if for some reason you do have to drain the tank to fix something you have not wasted the salt.