First fill up of tank... mix water in the tank

[michaelp]

Is there anything wrong with filling my sump / main tank all with RO, and then turning everything on and mixing the salt in there until the SG is correct, for the first go around?

 

[Deanos]

No.

 

[michaelp]

Thanks!

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Just leave yourself some room in case the SG is to high.

 

[House of Laughter]

More like leave yourself some room for the salt that displaces the water - don't overfill

:Thinking:

House

 

[cali_reef]

Yes!!

But I would fill the tank with regular tap first to make sure all the plumbing is good, even though a pro did the plumbing. Drain the tank after you are sure there are no leak and the flow in the tank is good.

Run the RO water with the main pump and any circulation pump you may have, dump the salt in and let it mix for a few days. This is a good time to run your MH to see how much it raises the water temp at the end of the light cycle.

Take some of the water out when you are ready for the rocks and sand(if you planning on having a sand bed), use that water to rinse off the rocks and you are not wasting any water.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[nyguardian21]

nope, been there. not good:skull:

 

[pmui]

More like leave yourself some room for the salt that displaces the water - don't overfill

i don't think the salt will add volume to the tank, it turns into ions. It's not like sugar Fill away!

 

[Deanos]

i don't think the salt will add volume to the tank, it turns into ions. It's not like sugar Fill away!

You don't think adding several pounds of a solid to a liquid, will cause displacement?

 

[herman]

Follow Calireefs advice and you will be good!!!

And anything you dump in your tank will cause displacement. Things dont just dissapear!

 

[pmui]

You don't think adding several pounds of a solid to a liquid, will cause displacement?

in a simple answer...nope. It's chem. 101. unless you saturate the water with salt, at that point it would be the "dead sea"

I didn't say they dissapear, it's in there.
It's just salt breaking into ions, that "fit between" the water molecues and there is still space for them to shimmy around. So I would say if you have a 55gal. tank and added 5lb of salt there would be no change in water volume, but there is a change in mass.

one other intersting thing...water is the only liquid that floats when frozen soild and placed in the same liquid...all other liquids tend to sink when frozen under the same situation.

 

[fishguttz]

The salt will not increase the volume of water until the water has become oversaturated.


Adding a solid to a liquid increases the density not necessarily the volume.

Try a test in a cup. fill the cup with water and mark water level with a line. add salt and stir, see how much salt can be added without the water level changing. It is a common chemistry lab class excersize.

 

[jhale]

okay but before the salt disolves it will displace some of the water.

you can't just pour in a 55 gallon bag or 200 gallon bucket of salt and have no effect. or can you :scratchch

 

[pmui]

okay but before the salt disolves it will displace some of the water.

you can't just pour in a 55 gallon bag or 200 gallon bucket of salt and have no effect. or can you :scratchch

try the simple experiment above. Fill a glass to the rim with water, just barely overflowing, then add teaspoon of salt. it should not overflow...<i hope >

The Bucket resonsing is also dependant to the amount of water your pouring it into....1000gal won't budge on 200 gal bucket ofsalt. it al depends if you saturate the water with salt.

 

[jhale]

I was thinking more like a 200 gallon bucket into a 200 gallon tank :Blurp:

 

[nanoreefer22]

I was thinking more like a 200 gallon bucket into a 200 gallon tank :Blurp:

Wouldn't this just the right amount of salt? If it is, which it seems to be, according to pmui it won't change the volume at all:Up_to_som...look what you did..you made kris think:type:

 

[fishguttz]

I wouldn't mix salt in the tank because when I mix salt in a bucket there is always residue, no matter how hard I mix. I wouldn't want this residue (salt, dust, powder, whatever it is) to line the bottom of my new tank.

 

[cali_reef]

I wouldn't mix salt in the tank because when I mix salt in a bucket there is always residue, no matter how hard I mix. I wouldn't want this residue (salt, dust, powder, whatever it is) to line the bottom of my new tank.

So what do you do with this residue? You are telling me you have left over stuff(salt?) after you mixed the proper mount of salt in fresh RO water? Its time to try a different brand of salt.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

So what do you do with this residue? You are telling me you have left over stuff(salt?) after you mixed the proper mount of salt in fresh RO water? Its time to try a different brand of salt.

i agree... there should def. be no residue wit any good salt and if it was mixed properly.. i use IO and when mixed for a while there is absolutely naddaz, ziltch, nuttin but crystal clear salt water....:splitspin :bigeyes2:

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

It should all disolve. But back to my statement leaving space for error counts for displacement and just in case you make the mix too "salty". I would fill the tank 80 percent mix the salt make sure your adjustments are right on the money, this is best done with circulating the water. Then I would add the heater and or chiller and the live rock once the temp is ok. All the while mixing up top off water in some rubbermaid containers and when it's right on pump it into the tank to top off the tank.