Saltwater Mixing Station

[skipcurl]

Hi all -

I now have a Saltwater Mixing Station that I have plumbed with a RO system and then plumbed to my tanks. It is pretty cool. One issue is that when I am done with replacing water in my tanks, I always have some mix left in the station. If I leave it there for a couple of weeks without mixing going on, I start to see a little slim on the tube. My question is for the others that have stations like this? Do you completely empty ever time and let the station air dry? Or do you leave the age water for a period of time...

 

[SuncrestReef]

I always refill and mix a new batch once I’m down to only 10 gallons, so it never gets super low. I also leave a small powerhead running 24/7 in the bottom of the mixing tank so it doesn’t get stagnant. Prior to doing this the sludge would build up within 6-8 months.

 

[skipcurl]

That is awesome station. I guess the key is just to leave that powerhead running. Heat? I will see if I can get a picture of mine.

 

[SuncrestReef]

That is awesome station. I guess the key is just to leave that powerhead running. Heat? I will see if I can get a picture of mine.

Yes, I do keep my saltwater heated because I run auto water changes and don't want temperature swings in my display tank.

In addition to the small powerhead, I think the other change I made that really helped eliminate the sludge buildup is to pre-mix the dry salt in a small bucket of water before dumping it into the mixing station. I used to just dump 30 cups of dry salt into 60 gallons of water and let the mixing pump run for several hours. I found a lot of the salt sat at the bottom of the tank for a long time before finally dissolving. Now I put about 10 cups of salt into a couple gallons of water, give it a few quick stirs with a scrap of PVC pipe, then pour the super-saturated saltwater into the mixing station for final mixing, and repeat for the remaining salt. It add about 5 minutes to the process, but it has helped tremendously.

 

[Urtoo]

@SuncrestReef I looked through your threads for a build of your (A)WC station.
Happen to have more details.
It looks amazingly well though out. I may be making this setup in the near future.

 

[Han]

Hi all -

I now have a Saltwater Mixing Station that I have plumbed with a RO system and then plumbed to my tanks. It is pretty cool. One issue is that when I am done with replacing water in my tanks, I always have some mix left in the station. If I leave it there for a couple of weeks without mixing going on, I start to see a little slim on the tube. My question is for the others that have stations like this? Do you completely empty ever time and let the station air dry? Or do you leave the age water for a period of time...

The way my station is set up, my saltwater container always has a few gallons in the bottom that I can’t get out. I just flush it with RODI water and it keeps it nice and clean.

 

[Jaebster]

Yes, I do keep my saltwater heated because I run auto water changes and don't want temperature swings in my display tank.

In addition to the small powerhead, I think the other change I made that really helped eliminate the sludge buildup is to pre-mix the dry salt in a small bucket of water before dumping it into the mixing station. I used to just dump 30 cups of dry salt into 60 gallons of water and let the mixing pump run for several hours. I found a lot of the salt sat at the bottom of the tank for a long time before finally dissolving. Now I put about 10 cups of salt into a couple gallons of water, give it a few quick stirs with a scrap of PVC pipe, then pour the super-saturated saltwater into the mixing station for final mixing, and repeat for the remaining salt. It add about 5 minutes to the process, but it has helped tremendously.

Sun Crest, do you have a lengthbof pvc tube in your mixing tank or does the water just shoot out from the top bulkhead? If you have a long pvc pipe attached to bulkhead on the inside that reaches about a foot from the bottom, you dont need to premix. The force from outlet of PVC tube will be strong enough to immediately stir up the salt.

 

[SuncrestReef]

@SuncrestReef I looked through your threads for a build of your (A)WC station.
Happen to have more details.
It looks amazingly well though out. I may be making this setup in the near future.

I wrote about the mixing station in my build thread, including a complete parts list: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/suncrestreefs-red-sea-reefer-xl-425-build.358990/post-6173194

Sun Crest, do you have a lengthbof pvc tube in your mixing tank or does the water just shoot out from the top bulkhead? If you have a long pvc pipe attached to bulkhead on the inside that reaches about a foot from the bottom, you dont need to premix. The force from outlet of PVC tube will be strong enough to immediately stir up the salt.

Yes, here's the pipe inside the mixing tank. Even with this, the salt doesn't mix quickly enough without pre-saturating it with water before pouring it in. I'm using Red Sea Coral Pro salt which has elevated levels of alkalinity and calcium. Maybe that's why. But I don't mind. It only takes me 5 minutes and it eliminated the problem for me.

 

[Urtoo]

I wrote about the mixing station in my build thread, including a complete parts list: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/suncrestreefs-red-sea-reefer-xl-425-build.358990/post-6173194

this is perfect! I was looking for a single thread.
Thank you for pointing out exactly where it is!

 

[Jaebster]

I wrote about the mixing station in my build thread, including a complete parts list: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/suncrestreefs-red-sea-reefer-xl-425-build.358990/post-6173194



Yes, here's the pipe inside the mixing tank. Even with this, the salt doesn't mix quickly enough without pre-saturating it with water before pouring it in. I'm using Red Sea Coral Pro salt which has elevated levels of alkalinity and calcium. Maybe that's why. But I don't mind. It only takes me 5 minutes and it eliminated the problem for me.

Ic.... I'm not good at tank chemistry, however I thought I heard that if you mix up (or pre-mix) a slurry (or super high concentration) of saltmix, then precipitation (of Calcium?) will occur. Is this false?

 

[SuncrestReef]

Ic.... I'm not good at tank chemistry, however I thought I heard that if you mix up (or pre-mix) a slurry (or super high concentration) of saltmix, then precipitation (of Calcium?) will occur. Is this false?

No idea. But I only mix the “slurry” for about 10 seconds and then pour it into 70 gallons of water that quickly dilutes it. All I know is that I used to get a lot of buildup in my mixing tank when I dumped dry salt straight in, but since I started pre-mixing it before pouring it in my mixing tank is much cleaner.

 

[skipcurl]

Yes, I do keep my saltwater heated because I run auto water changes and don't want temperature swings in my display tank.

In addition to the small powerhead, I think the other change I made that really helped eliminate the sludge buildup is to pre-mix the dry salt in a small bucket of water before dumping it into the mixing station. I used to just dump 30 cups of dry salt into 60 gallons of water and let the mixing pump run for several hours. I found a lot of the salt sat at the bottom of the tank for a long time before finally dissolving. Now I put about 10 cups of salt into a couple gallons of water, give it a few quick stirs with a scrap of PVC pipe, then pour the super-saturated saltwater into the mixing station for final mixing, and repeat for the remaining salt. It add about 5 minutes to the process, but it has helped tremendously.

You plans are awesome. I will definitely refer to them on my build. I was going to put a 1/2 inch pipe and pump to the tank sump. I thought the best way was to pump out 10 or so gallons of DT and then pump back in 10 gallons from the station. But now I am wondering if I should do what you are doing and use an 1/4 RO line and do auto changes. How do you handle bigger changes when you clean the sand? You might have it in your tank post (which I will read). And can the ATF handle a 10 foot head? Also, you said you went with a small powerhead inside the tank. Why a separate powerhead and not just use you bigger outide pump (less stuff in that station). Cost of running the bigger pump? Thanks again for answering. I will start a tank thread so you can follow me.

 

[skipcurl]

You plans are awesome. I will definitely refer to them on my build. I was going to put a 1/2 inch pipe and pump to the tank sump. I thought the best way was to pump out 10 or so gallons of DT and then pump back in 10 gallons from the station. But now I am wondering if I should do what you are doing and use an 1/4 RO line and do auto changes. How do you handle bigger changes when you clean the sand? You might have it in your tank post (which I will read). And can the ATF handle a 10 foot head? Also, you said you went with a small powerhead inside the tank. Why a separate powerhead and not just use you bigger outide pump (less stuff in that station). Cost of running the bigger pump? Thanks again for answering. I will start a tank thread so you can follow me.

I guess you use that hose for bigger changes on the left.

 

[SuncrestReef]

You plans are awesome. I will definitely refer to them on my build. I was going to put a 1/2 inch pipe and pump to the tank sump. I thought the best way was to pump out 10 or so gallons of DT and then pump back in 10 gallons from the station. But now I am wondering if I should do what you are doing and use an 1/4 RO line and do auto changes. How do you handle bigger changes when you clean the sand? You might have it in your tank post (which I will read). And can the ATF handle a 10 foot head? Also, you said you went with a small powerhead inside the tank. Why a separate powerhead and not just use you bigger outide pump (less stuff in that station). Cost of running the bigger pump? Thanks again for answering. I will start a tank thread so you can follow me.

Let's see if I can answer each question:

If I want to do a larger water change I can use the long detachable vinyl hose from the mixing station to first siphon out the water and vacuum the sand, then connect the hose and pump water back in.

For the auto water changes I'm using a Neptune DOS controlled by my Apex. The DOS is rated for 24 vertical feet. Mine only needs to lift water about 6 feet. The horizontal distance is nearly unlimited, and I know people using a DOS through 100 feet of horizontal RO tubing with no problems. Since the DOS is a bit loud, it's nice to have it in my garage.

I use the small powerhead simply to keep a little water motion going at all times to avoid sediment buildup. The main mixing pump does the primary work, but Red Sea recommends mixing for no more than 4 hours otherwise the water can get cloudy. It's literally just a $25 powerhead, nothing special, and not powerful enough to actually mix the water. Just to keep is moving slightly.

 

[Walleye34]

I always refill and mix a new batch once I’m down to only 10 gallons, so it never gets super low. I also leave a small powerhead running 24/7 in the bottom of the mixing tank so it doesn’t get stagnant. Prior to doing this the sludge would build up within 6-8 months.

Jesus how big is that water heater?

 

[SuncrestReef]

Jesus how big is that water heater?

The water heater is 65 gallons. I assume it must have a ton of insulation because it looks way bigger than my 75 gallon storage tanks. It was installed in 2004, so I should probably replace it soon before it fails!

 

[Jaebster]

The water heater is 65 gallons. I assume it must have a ton of insulation because it looks way bigger than my 75 gallon storage tanks. It was installed in 2004, so I should probably replace it soon before it fails!

That's gonna be expensive!

 

[SuncrestReef]

That's gonna be expensive!

Ha! After how much I've spent on my tank, Apex setup, whole house generator, LED lights, and SPS corals, the hot water heater is going to seem like a bargain!

 

[Jaebster]

Ha! After how much I've spent on my tank, Apex setup, whole house generator, LED lights, and SPS corals, the hot water heater is going to seem like a bargain!

Lol!

 

[skipcurl]

Yeah. I am learning this is not a cheap hobby. Even if you don't do all the above. It still is expensive.