Saltwater concentrate?

[Jelandusn]

I saw this at the pet store yesterday. Is this something that can be done? Add a lot of salt to a little bit of water and then add a little of that concentrate to more water for each water change? To save on mixing time?

 

[GobyWanKenobie]

When I make saltwater, I warm my rodi water, throw in a lot of salt, and when it's all mixed well with a powerhead, I start adding more water until I get the salinity I want. It sounds like the same idea you are talking about. I like this method because it's easier to reach the correct salinity by adding more water than it is salt, and by premixing the salt for a few hours, I don't have to worry that there is undissolved salt on the bottom that will change my readings. Sometimes the heavy salt concentrate mixes for a few days, and I have not had any problems. I think it cuts down on the mixing time and gives me more a more accurate salinity.

 

[phg1960]

It would be easy enough to try. Just add a half cup of salt to 16 ounces of water. Once all that dissolves, you'll have enough to make a gallon of seawater.

If that works out for you, you can make larger quantities by using 4 cups of salt per gallon.

 

[Chris A.]

my only concern would be the calcium turning solid

 

[GobyWanKenobie]

Why would the calcium turn solid? When I do it, there's enough water that after the salt dissolves, it's a clear solution, but way off the charts. Plus, the powerhead keeps it well mixed. It's just saltwater that needs to be diluted. My example: I start with about 3 gallons of concentrated saltwater that yields about 8 gallons of saltwater at the salinity I want.

I used to always mix my salt for a couple of hours before using it to make sure the salinity was stable. This just saves me having to wait and having large buckets around until I am ready to use it. Now, I just add more water and another heater, and I'm good to go.

 

[Chris A.]

I'd assume if the kh goes high enough it would solidify the calcium, but I'm just assuming here lol

 

[this is me]

Last time I pour too much salt and too little water, the mix turned cloudy.
I'm not sure how much time you save from mixing doing it this way. Don't you have to re-mix it anyway when you add more water to it?
My instant ocean mix pretty clear in about 15mins. But I usually let it mix overnight before use.

 

[GobyWanKenobie]

It does start out cloudy, but then turns clear after it mixes for a while. It's always mixing, I just add more water and another heater when I'm ready to use it. All it really does is save me from having several gallons of water mixing overnight. Instead, I just have three or four gallons, and when I'm ready to clean my tank I add more water. I'm rarely sure of my work schedule so it can take me a few days from the time I plan to clean a tank to the day I actually do clean it. I stumbled upon this plan by accident when I had a bag of clumpy salt and decided I liked doing it this way.