Tell me how you store your saltwater

[CDavmd]

I'm setting up a mixing station with two 65 gallon drums. I'm planning to do automated water changes using my Apex DOS. So the question that comes up is how do you store the salt-water?

Do you keep it heated?

Constantly mixing or an occasional run of the pump?

Do you prefer to let it just stand?

Any issues with saltwater sitting in a drum for 30-50 days?

Do you wash out the drums with each new batch or let any precipitate just stay there?

Curious as to how folks handle this?

Thanks!

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I mix Instant Ocean one 50 gallon bag at a time (makes around 42 gallons of saltwater). I store it in a Brute trashcan with the lid on. I do not heat it at any point during the mixing process, even before doing water changes. I circulate it, although I don't need to. I also use an air pump to keep air flowing in the container. I don't actually aerate the water, I just blow air into the container. I noticed I got a really foul smell if I didn't have any air circulating in the container. I don't rinse the can every time. Maybe every 2 or 3 mixings. As for how long I let it sit, I don't know exactly how long I leave it. It's probably not more than a month.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I stored my IO salt water unheated and unstirred. [emoji3]

 

[Amps Reef Life]

Nothing special here. I have two containers for water one is RO(top one in pic) and the other one is salt water (bottom one in pic). I always keep RO available and I leave it standing still no pump or anything. The saltwater container I always have a little pre-made saltwater in it and I always run one pump keeping it stirred up. When I know I am going to do a water change I fill up the saltwater container and mix my salt the night before. I also keep a chiller on the saltwater drum because in the summers its super hot in Texas and my water will reach 90 degrees at times inside the drum. I run a heater in the saltwater container during the winter time. This setup is in my garage.

 

[CDavmd]

Great! Thanks everyone. This makes it much easier. Since I am doing small daily automatic water changes, it will be easier to just let it sit without heating, stirring etc.

 

[Empress]

I stored my IO salt water unheated and unstirred. [emoji3]

Won't the water go stagnant? How long can water go unstirred for? I keep a small pump on the bottom of the brute and that also keeps it tepid.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Won't the water go stagnant? How long can water go unstirred for? I keep a small pump on the bottom of the brute and that also keeps it tepid.

When there is no organic matter in it, there’s nothing to use up O2 and it won’t generally go stagnant. That’s why I like normal IO: no vitamins or other organics.

I kept it for more than a month and it should last a very long time (decades), with the limiting issue being a drop in alk and calcium due to precipitation of calcium carbonate .