Salt Won't Mix

[jenrkit84]

I've had about 4 gallons sitting in a bucket since Sunday morning with a heater and powerhead mixing, I still have salt at the bottom.
Is there something I am not doing right, or is it normal to take this long?

Also, I bought one of these: http://www.petco.com/product/12201/Inst ... gEquipment
But it doesn't seem to work right, I followed the directions to a dot, and it even reads a high amount of salt in my freshwater even after rinsing... Anyone want to come to my house and do this for me, I will pay in beer... lol

[J-P]

for mixing, get you hand in there and swirl it up

What kind of salt mix are you using?

My hydrometer came pre calibrated and I used it only for the initial "general" reading. After that I got a refractometer for more specific readings.

[jenrkit84]

Haha, I have been. Everytime I walk by and see salt at the bottom i stick my hand in a mix it for a few minutes. I used instant ocean salt.

[jenrkit84]

Here's a dumb question i should know, is a powerhead concidered the same as a circulation pump?

[J-P]

basically.

I have instant ocean also and get the same problem. Depending on how concentrated the mix is can take a while and may never mix 100%.

Usually higher concentrations take longer if at all. My first mix dissolved in 48 hours. After that I went with denser mixes every time I walked into the kitchen I dunked my hand in to stir it up. A whisk also works well if it is stainless steel. Otherwise it will rust out pretty quickly.

[RTR]

Generally powerheads are circulation pumps, or more specifically, flow pumps. Only a few are lift pumps.

[jenrkit84]

What if I was to filter the remaining salt out before adding to the tank?

[J-P]

that will happen anyway as it is on the bottom of the bucket.

What is the SG level in the bucket?

[jenrkit84]

It's at .04 right now, figuring once I add it to the 30 gallon, it will be close to the .02 range.
I'm horrible with math, so figuring this all out has been very confusing for me.

[J-P]

.04 in 15 gals will equal .02 in 30 gals.

.04 in 4 gals will equal .005 in 30 gals ... maybe... ??? (my math isn't that great either)

but at .04 you shouldn't have too much sediment. The temp should be 20 degrees C. You'll have to convert that. Most readings are taken at that temperature (calibrated to that temp).

[jenrkit84]

Yea, I am about ready to consider giving the poor thing away and going with a freshwater puffer. I just can't seem to get a handle on this conversion.

[J-P]

don't give up.

The easiest way to do it is to get a bucket 1/5 the size of the tank (or a bit more and mark the 15 gals with a marker or tape).

Then you know exactly the volume and what the SG would be. Dadof4 posted an excellent conversion table here for increasing the SG of a tank.

A (30 gals) / 2 (50% weekly) = 15 gals. To raise your SG by .002 per week, you take your current SG and multiply that by 4 (for 15 gals)

Example:
Tank SG = 1.002
1.002 x 4 = 4.008 but you ignore the 1 so it equals 1.008 in the 15 gal bucket. Once you add that to the main it will equal 1.004. That is your target .002 increase.

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[jenrkit84]

I want to get one of those Refractometers instead of the one I have, might help me out a little more than that hydrometer, just doesn't seem like it's working correctly.

What should I do about the salt left in the bottom of the bucket? Kept letting it mix, or try to filter it out. And what is the best way to add this salt water, take the puffer out, along with some of the tank water, add salt water and add it back in?

[J-P]

add it a bit at a time (use a measuring cup), to the main near the pump and take a reading after 24 hours.

[jenrkit84]

Ok great, I will try that first.

I also want to replace my biowheel filter with a canister, the powerfilter I have can't keep up with the waste of the puffer, and doesn't look like I will be able to add any mates to help clean the mess.
I did want to start getting ready for full marine, buy the live rock, cure it, etc. But at this point I think I need to concentrate on getting to brackish and learning the ins and outs of mixing salt and so on.
and outs of mixing salt and so on.