Maritime mix master: Do you have a water mixing station?

[nano reef]

You can still sand vac, Removal of water can still be the same. This set up just allows to have storage of mixed saltwater on hand ready to go when you decide to do maintenance. You will also have a large supply of ro/di on hand to mix new saltwater, for top offs, or whatever else you may need it for. Basically, just storage.

In my old set up I did have my water station hooked directly to the sump so all I had to do was open a valve and drain a portion of the sump, close the valve, turn two valves on the mixing station to refill sump and a 20% water change was done in about 5-10 minutes. I would spend about an hour every two weeks syphoning stuff out of the tanks, but really with properly placed flow and different animals in the tanks very little stuff settled anywhere.

So where do you store all of it? Seems it would be unsightly next to a beautiful coral reef tank! You must have a lot of room next to the tank or is it hidden way in a closest or something next to the tank? I have a closet next to my tank and was considering making room for something like that untill the other day I had 1 week old mixed SW and found a ton of ammonia in it! I almost put it in my tank! I only checked it because I tested for amonia which I rarely do in my tank and got a high reading so I thought let me check this water because theres no way it could have amonia in it! I also have a hard time deciphering the api color change so I kind of wanted to see what an absolute 0 looked like! LOL. I have no Idea why that water would have amonia though! I even double checked it! Turned crazy green! Needless to say I washed all of my gear that I store in that bin to make sure! I keep my pump and my wave maker and my vacuum hose in there between water changes and I always use freshly mixed water but last change I had some xtra!
More info then you needed, right? LOL

 

[twentyleagues]

So where do you store all of it? Seems it would be unsightly next to a beautiful coral reef tank! You must have a lot of room next to the tank or is it hidden way in a closest or something next to the tank? I have a closet next to my tank and was considering making room for something like that untill the other day I had 1 week old mixed SW and found a ton of ammonia in it! I almost put it in my tank! I only checked it because I tested for amonia which I rarely do in my tank and got a high reading so I thought let me check this water because theres no way it could have amonia in it! I also have a hard time deciphering the api color change so I kind of wanted to see what an absolute 0 looked like! LOL. I have no Idea why that water would have amonia though! I even double checked it! Turned crazy green! Needless to say I washed all of my gear that I store in that bin to make sure! I keep my pump and my wave maker and my vacuum hose in there between water changes and I always use freshly mixed water but last change I had some xtra!
More info then you needed, right? LOL

Its in my basement. I have a Jebao 4000 that I use to mix the saltwater when I do a water change I just siphon out however much water I want and hook a hose to the pump and pump it to the tank.

In my old systems the 2 reef tanks were upstairs and the "sump" was in the basement. Part of the sump had a drain to the basement sump and I just opened a valve which drained about 50g system didnt even need to be shut off to drain that much. Then just close valve and go to water station turn 2 valves and wait until it hit my mark and close valve. I did have to shut the ato off but other then that it was easy. This one is a little more work but not bad.

I'm betting it is a false ammonia reading. Shouldnt be ammonia in your fresh salt at least not a lot. I have heard of some salt mixes having a bit in them. I think red sea was one? I could be wrong on that.