Mixing salt initially w/o refractometer/hydrometer

Envy07 · #1 11/14/2007, 07:03 PM

I was wondering if it is possible to mix instant ocean salt mix into a tank full of RO/DI water ONLY without needing a refractometer/hydrometer at that moment. The reason why I'm asking this is that I'm trying to go by steps into buying stuff.

Right now what I have planned is filling my empty tank with freshwater, then buying salt mix and follow the instructions on the label to approximate the desired salinty w/o actually knowing what it is. I will let it mix with a powerhead and after 24hrs I will add the sand I bought into the tank. Since there is no livestock I don't see what the problem is if I bought the refractometer two or more weeks after I added the salt into the water.

Any inputs?

thanks

mikemartinez · #2 11/14/2007, 07:17 PM

IMO since you arent putting livestock in there right now I would say it's ok... Just make sure that your next purchase is a Refractometer...Forget Hydrometer just go with whats accurate...

Envy07 · #3 11/14/2007, 07:31 PM

Yeah for sure i'll buy a refractometer. Just want to know if I can postpone it after I add the salt

stingythingy45 · #4 11/14/2007, 07:41 PM

Gee,don't you want to be somewhat close on the SG?
Alot of salt mix directions give you a very low SG.
I mean,why not buy a cheap glass thermometer float type?
Are you going to heat the tank also?
I'm just thinking that you could start getting things moving with cycling.

InLimbo87 · #5 11/14/2007, 08:05 PM

Seeing as you're not adding any livestock/live rock, i see no issue with that. However, keep in mind that their guesstimate on how much to add per gallon seems to be way low.

Mavrk · #6 11/14/2007, 11:56 PM

You will be fine using 1/2 cup salt per gallon to start with. You could add an extra 1/4 cup for every 10 gallons to get it closer to 35‰, but you don't have to. Just remember to leave room for the sand and any live rock you will be adding.

Also, when you get a refractometer, also get some calibration fluid (or you can make your own, but it is cheap enough to buy). If you use distilled water to calibrate, your readings will be a little higher than actual (e.g. 1.026 on the SG scale will actually be 1.023). The best thing about refractometers is that they read salinity, so you can aim for 35 ppt easily. Make sure you get an auto temperature correcting one (ATC).

siropa · #7 11/15/2007, 01:05 AM

I'm not saying this to be an a$$, but if the cost of a refactometer is holding you back when you are starting, perhaps this isn't the time to be starting this hobby. that's barely the tip of the iceberg of costs, even for a small setup.

demonsp · #8 11/15/2007, 01:09 AM

I wouldnt. If you have LR and you mix wrong you could kill some critters. Also affect cycling .