help mixing Instant Ocean Salt

I have been using Instant Ocean Sea Salt, but I have not had great results getting the salt to dissolve in the water.

This is what I do... two gallons of water, with one cup of salt, mixed in a bucket, stir it a bit every hour or so, let it sit over night, in the morning there are still salt particles, I stir it more and more, but still salt on bottom of bucket and floating in water.

Eventually, I do just add it to the tank (the hydrometer gives my tank a good reading). But, I am surprised it takes so long to mix? Is this normal? Am I doing something wrong? Could it have something to do with my local tap water (oops... yes I am using tap water that is de-choronized... I know.. I know). Any other ideas?

Typically, I try to go to the get real ocean water once a week, so really I just mix salt for emergencies (which tends to happen more than I want)

Thanks

-Adam

 

stick a powerhead in with it and let it sit overnight

 

The problem might be your tap water. But how much undissolved salt are we talking about here? Half a teaspoon or less at the bottom of the bucket? Might not be a big concern, but salt mix does have a mix of elements in it, not just (NaCl) salt. So hopefully that isn't other undissolvable trace elements that your tank needs. I don't see in your sig that you have any coral?

 

Werd! That's exactly what I did and it worked for me.

 

I use a 5 gallon bucket, 5 gallons of water 1.5 cups of salt and drop a powerhead into it overnight. Check and add salt as needed the next day and if I am using right away ok if not I leave powerhead in it till I need.

 

Gazog, if i were you I'd be using 2.5 cups for 5 gallons or 1.5 cups salt mix for 3 gallons. I mix to 1.025 SG, but maybe your SG is lower for some reason?

 

Since I am using it for my reef tanks 1.025, my adult seahorses 1.021-22 and baby seahorses 1.019 I start out on the low end and add as needed to bring it up to speed. I can always add more salt but in a 5 gallon bucket it kind of hard to add water when its already full to the top.

 

Ok, that makes sense. I can't mix a full 5 gallons though, because it would be too hard to pour it into the tank w/o spilling everywhere. I only mix up 4 gallons at a time and pour it in, b/c I don't have my extra little Rio powerhead setup to pump water back into the tank. When I get a bigger tank w/ a sump and bigger mixing bucket, then you can bet I'll be using a pump to get the water back into the tank/sump system. With only 1 system running, I really don't even measure exactly, but it always stays at 1.025. I guess you could say that I could mix my tank water in my sleep. ;D

 

That solved the problem for me.

 

I mix mine in a 50 gal drum going constaintly and it has its own pump in it. That way I can get water when I need it by just pumping it out. I just hook up my line to my RO unit when I need to add some H2O.