Red Sea Blue Bucket mixing instructions? (Crazy)
- Thread starter Trever
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Mikedawg
2500 Club Member
For those of us who aren't too smart we simply add about a cup of RSCP per gallon of ro/di and then adjust using a good refractometer. BTW, I always mix my dry salt in the bucket to make sure elements are evenly distributed.
OP
OP
Trever
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2020
- Messages
- 671
- Reaction score
- 353
@Mikedawg hahaha. Should I pretend because of you I botched my first batch of salt and killed a fish??
@PeterLL as you have now discussed... you got the special bucket, because indeed I do NOT have that more obvious chart. But it does say grams per liter for SPS and @Reef. is saying the salinity comes out the same for a mixed reef or whatever anyways, so use that figure.
So now two other significant questions:
1. I hear @Mikedawg about mixing the salt to mix elements, I guess... would it not be relatively homogeneous out of the bag though?... but it sounds like most are mixing by volume, not weight, and that's fine. I'll use a leveled off baker's cup or 1/2 cup, should be accurate. Right? I think so. I don't see myself weighing this stuff every time and I have the impression no one does that.
2. The mixing time and storage time seems like a bigger deal to me (having not done this before, "seems" is the operative word here). @Reef. I saw the BRS video, and I did note that it conflicts with the Red Sea video. Thing is, it totally conflicts: Red Sea says the most important things NOT to do are over heat, add too much salt (I guess better not to have to dilute later is what they mean?), and DO NOT OVERMIX. They say to mix with a power head/utility pump for 2 hours only. So Red Sea is saying only mix for 2 hours, BRS is saying mix and wait 24 hours. Who is right here? I've seen videos of people struggling with ugly tanks because of stuff precipitating out (specifically salt mixing problems here, not some other problem). So I care about this and care about how long I can keep salt mixed. Longer is better, because less times I have to do work! But the goal is good tank/water, so that comes first... on the other hand, if I know I can have salt water made in about 2 hours (assuming RODI already made), there something to be said for that too.
BRS or Red Sea, whose advice to take?
I can see this hobby is going to be like nutrition science. Lot's of knowledge, completely unknown what is really going on though.
@PeterLL as you have now discussed... you got the special bucket, because indeed I do NOT have that more obvious chart. But it does say grams per liter for SPS and @Reef. is saying the salinity comes out the same for a mixed reef or whatever anyways, so use that figure.
So now two other significant questions:
1. I hear @Mikedawg about mixing the salt to mix elements, I guess... would it not be relatively homogeneous out of the bag though?... but it sounds like most are mixing by volume, not weight, and that's fine. I'll use a leveled off baker's cup or 1/2 cup, should be accurate. Right? I think so. I don't see myself weighing this stuff every time and I have the impression no one does that.
2. The mixing time and storage time seems like a bigger deal to me (having not done this before, "seems" is the operative word here). @Reef. I saw the BRS video, and I did note that it conflicts with the Red Sea video. Thing is, it totally conflicts: Red Sea says the most important things NOT to do are over heat, add too much salt (I guess better not to have to dilute later is what they mean?), and DO NOT OVERMIX. They say to mix with a power head/utility pump for 2 hours only. So Red Sea is saying only mix for 2 hours, BRS is saying mix and wait 24 hours. Who is right here? I've seen videos of people struggling with ugly tanks because of stuff precipitating out (specifically salt mixing problems here, not some other problem). So I care about this and care about how long I can keep salt mixed. Longer is better, because less times I have to do work! But the goal is good tank/water, so that comes first... on the other hand, if I know I can have salt water made in about 2 hours (assuming RODI already made), there something to be said for that too.
BRS or Red Sea, whose advice to take?
I can see this hobby is going to be like nutrition science. Lot's of knowledge, completely unknown what is really going on though.
Texas Rick
Valuable Member
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2020
- Messages
- 1,121
- Reaction score
- 871
Normally it’s half a cup per gallon of water.
esther
Valuable Member
FWIW, my entire process of adding RODI, mixing, etc. before I do a water change is max 5 hours. All parameters are perfect and I've done a 32g water change (on my 220g) weekly for the past 5 months using only blue bucket.
Mikedawg
2500 Club Member
Yep, like a lot of science - trial after trial while accepting a manageable amount of error.
the mixing for a max of 2 hours makes zero sense, what do you do with the salt after you have mixed it? you put it in the tank where is mixes continually for ever more!
The heating rule makes a little more sense, you don’t want evaporation, I make my water one day, leave it to stand for 24 hours, this brings it up to room temp, I then mix for 24 hours, then store, when needed I bring to tank temp, test salinity then add salt if it is slightly out, it’s not normally out as I make sure it’s correct when mixing before storing it but if it is, a tiny bit of salt fixes the salinity, I’ll mix for maybe an hour or two, then add, if I need to add RO water, I mix for a few minutes then add.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Trever
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2020
- Messages
- 671
- Reaction score
- 353
@Reef. great point, though maybe Red Sea is finds that mixing in station is a lot more intense than in tank and stuff precipitates out if kept in "over suspension" in a mixing station, I don't know. I'm not sure that makes any sense either, since I just made it up.
I think I'm going to go back and view that BRS video over again, there was something in there about a point at which they would get precipitate and what they did that meant they never got it. Can't remember. The BRS videos are great but again... weird science.
Thanks all for the guidance. Heh- never thought I'd be this excited to make salt water. For that matter, never thought I'd be making gallons up gallons of salt water in a basement...
One nice thing, my RODI water sitting in the basement (stable year round temp down there) is at about 66 degrees after sitting covered for about a week... just right for mixing. Can mix right there, then warm in the tank during initially getting it wet, then I plan for .5 or 1 gallon water changes daily or every other day, and I don't see why I can't just put that in the sump where the heater is. Simple. (When we go out of town, no water changes, so what?)
I think I'm going to go back and view that BRS video over again, there was something in there about a point at which they would get precipitate and what they did that meant they never got it. Can't remember. The BRS videos are great but again... weird science.
Thanks all for the guidance. Heh- never thought I'd be this excited to make salt water. For that matter, never thought I'd be making gallons up gallons of salt water in a basement...
One nice thing, my RODI water sitting in the basement (stable year round temp down there) is at about 66 degrees after sitting covered for about a week... just right for mixing. Can mix right there, then warm in the tank during initially getting it wet, then I plan for .5 or 1 gallon water changes daily or every other day, and I don't see why I can't just put that in the sump where the heater is. Simple. (When we go out of town, no water changes, so what?)
Biglew11
Valuable Member
sea water is measured at 35 ppt. not million i'm sure we're all used to using ppm for our testing
and asbout a 1/2 cup per gallon get you close with most salts. i mix up about 42 gallon at a time i heat it to tank temp first then mix it to about 29 ppt. let it mix a couple hours then adjust from there.
and asbout a 1/2 cup per gallon get you close with most salts. i mix up about 42 gallon at a time i heat it to tank temp first then mix it to about 29 ppt. let it mix a couple hours then adjust from there.
Last edited:
GlassMunky
2500 Club Member
I have never once,in 15 years of keeping reed tanks, checked how much salt I’m adding to my water....
Just add a bunch of salt and check with a refractometer and adjust accordingly.
I think you're overthinking it
Just add a bunch of salt and check with a refractometer and adjust accordingly.
I think you're overthinking it
Biglew11
Valuable Member
kind of hard to know where to start if you've never mixed saltwater before, op was looking for how much salt to add to the water to mix it right, as id didn't say on his buckett. if you don't know how much salt makes 35 ppt where do you start?
GlassMunky
2500 Club Member
with a single cup and then check.
Biglew11
Valuable Member
if you were someone brand new never mixed a batch of salt in your life, and didn't know 1/2 cup per gallon mixed up at 35 ppt for most salts and no one told you. and you just start throwing salt in you're going to be chasing numbers up and down.with a single cup and then check.
Last edited:
Similar threads
