HOW MUCH SALT DO I NEED TO START?

I HAVE BEEN READING ALL OF THE SALT FORUMS, THEY ARE FOR ESTABLISHED TANKS, I AM STILL RESEARCHING FOR MY TANK. HOW MUCH SALT DO I NEED? HOW MUCH DO YOU NORMALLY GO THROUGH? I KNOW THIS WILL VARY BASED ON SIZE OF TANK. AND FREQUENCY OF WATER CHANGES. LET'S USE 60 GALLONS AS AN EXAMPLE. WITH A TOP OF THE LINE SKIMMER.
I AM SURE THIS IS A BASIC QUESTION, I APPRECIATE EVERYONE TAKING THE TIME TO HELP, I HAVE NO LFS THAT IS CLOSE THAT I CAN HANG OUT AT ON THE WEEKEND. DO WE EVER HAVE COORDINATED TIMES WHEN A ADMINISTRATOR IS AVAILABLE IN THE CHAT ROOM? EACH TIME COULD BE A DIFFERENT TOPIC, LIKE SAY FOR NEWBIES WITH A MILLION QUESTIONS??
THANK YOU ALL

 

It takes about a half a cup of salt mix depending on brand to make a gallon of saltwater. Start with 50 gallons of water and about 20 cups of salt and start measuring the sg. Use the extra capacity to make adjustments. If you change 5% per week you'll use about another cup and a half or so.

 

Thats a good idea Marty, I talk it over with the other MODS. Like Redbeard said, it's usually around 1/2 a cup per gallon. Skimmers pull a wee bit out as does salt creep, so monitoring your tanks SG (specific gravity) is crucial IMO. I'd purchase a 200g or close to it bucket of salt so you'll have extra around. Since you have no store near by, redundancy of equipment and larger containers of stuff would be wise for you.

 

I was advised to have twice the amount you need to start out. That way, if you have an emergency and need to do immediate large water changes, you have it on hand. So I plan on keeping enough on hand to replace 100% of my tank (60 gallons worth) ;D

 

once you start adding your salt use your salinity tester you want a range of 1.021-1.025, when you do water changes mix up your change water sepratly and do this also. measure your salt till you get in the desired range. its a good idea to mix your salt and let it set for at least a day before changing the water out of the tank.