Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt Mix Troubleshooting

[Camaronero]

Good afternoon,
I’m setting up my WaterBox 25 peninsula bare bottom aquarium. Please hit me with all Constructive criticism you got... here we go:
•Pumped out 25 gallons of water through my BRS 5 stage RO/DI (measured using a food safe bucket which then goes into a 32 gallon brute for mixing) at 51-52 PSI.
•Followed instructions for the power head and heater (set at 77 degrees) let them sit for one hour underwater OFF and one hour ON before adding salt.
•Followed the instructions for the salt: so 12.5 cups of salt went into the 25 gallons at 1 PM 4/4/22
•Today I calibrated my refractometer with fresh RO/ DI water, after seeing no more salt in the brute, prepared everything to test and clean after use.
•My first reading at 1:30 pm 4/5/22: 1.010
•Second reading at 3 pm 4/5/22: 1.010

Kinda nervous since it’s literally 0.010-0.015 off from desired salinity levels even though I used a whole number (25g) so I could measure precisely. Is this result normal....¿ like do y’all have to mess around with the amount of salt you add each time you mix?

!!!!! What salinity do y’all aim for and is 1.023 the sweet spot??? If so how many more cups of salt should I add¿ !!!
Hope everyone has a great rest of the day¡

 

[PeterC99]

I find that it takes more than 1/2 cup of TM Pro salt per gallon. Keep adding salt (about 1/2 cup at a time) and wait about 1/2 hour before checking salinity levels again. I shoot for 35 ppt.

We all go through this!

 

[Camaronero]

I find that it takes more than 1/2 cup of TM Pro salt per gallon. Keep adding salt (about 1/2 cup at a time) and wait about 1/2 hour before checking salinity levels again. I shoot for 35 ppt.

We all go through this!

Perfect. I was overthinking and was thinking I had messed up a step or two, so I’ll gladly add a bit more and perform new readings accordingly... Thanks¡
I almost forgot to ask, how long can I store this prepared salt mix?? Like I have the box in a dark/dry spot, specifically asking about already mixed and ready to use saltwater w/ a lid over it, the stand I got showed up literally at an angle so the replacement comes in 4-5 days... will I be fine¿