How to make perfect saltwater?
1 |
Buy your salt. The Tropic Marin synthetic sea salt we have used here is perfect for all marine fish and, if you want elevated trace element levels for reef tanks, why not choose Tropic Marin’s Pro Reef? |
2 |
Get yourself a new, clean bucket that, importantly, you intend to use only for mixing water for your marine tank. An old aquarium could also do the job, but buckets printed with the volume measurements on inside are even better. |
3 |
Fill your bucket with RO water ( Reverse Osmosis ) using a measured amount, for example 10 l/2.2 gal. |
4 |
Place a heater in the bucket and set it to reach 25°C/77°F. Salt levels should only be measured at optimum water temperature. |
5 |
Place an air stone or powerhead in the water to circulate it. This will provide an even temperature distribution, oxygenating the water (keeping the pH high) and mixing and dissolving the salt when added. |
6 |
Place a thermometer in the water to check when it has risen to 25°C. |
7 |
Calculate how much salt you need to add to your ten liters of RO water. in this case, it will be 35 grams per liter, so 350 grams need to be added. This amount is based on the calculation that 35 grams multiplied by ten liters of water equals 350 grams. |
8 |
Pour salt onto a pair of weighing scales and weigh out 350 grams. |
9 |
Next, pour the salt into the water and let it mix and dissolve for 24 hours. The heater and powerhead must be on throughout. |
10 |
Use a hydrometer or refractometer to measure salinity. This should be at 1.025. sg (specific gravity) but, if your figure is under that, add some small amounts of salt, let the whole mix dissolve, and then retest for the correct sg. If over this amount add small amounts of pure RO water. |