Mixing station help

[sra_chipmunk]

I'm building a mixing station in my garage. One 55 gallon barrel will have fresh RO/DI water and the other 55 gallon barrel will have saltwater that will be continuously mixing with a mag 9.5. I got the platform amd barrels in place and noticed something that I over looked. The incoming sunlight. Here is a pic of what it looks like but will the sunlight hitting the barrels like that cause the water to start cycling or any other negative effects such as mold or algae buildup inside the barrels?

>http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d54/sra_chipmunk/image-20.jpg</a>

 

[rjrgroup]

RO/DI Water has nothing in it to feed algae.

 

[sra_chipmunk]

rjrgroup;913480 wrote: RO/DI Water has nothing in it to feed algae.

What about the saltwater barrel?

 

[picoreefguy]

as long as you use it within 48 hours of mixing i dont see any problems

 

[sra_chipmunk]

Picoreefguy;913500 wrote: as long as you use it within 48 hours of mixing i dont see any problems

I'm not. It's a 55 gallon barrel and I will only be doing about 10 gallon water changes a week from it so the water will be in there for about a month.

 

[jdw]

Picoreefguy;913500 wrote: as long as you use it within 48 hours of mixing i dont see any problems

Is that due to the sunlight? Reason I ask, I have a 5 gallon bucket mixing for past 3 days. Was going to do a partial WC, but have not been able to do so due to my work schedule & life. My mixing is located in the darkest, deepest, recesses of my garage I will make sure i test b4 I use though.


55 Gallon DT, 30 Gallon Sump, Dual DIY PVC Overflow, Tunze Protein Skimmer, Jier JR 400 Gph return pump, 4 bulb T5HO w/ Night LEDs, 2x 850gph Koralia

 

[rjrgroup]

Still don't see a problem with the salt water. If you want, just put a piece of wood in front of it to block the light.

 

[picoreefguy]

JDW;913503 wrote: Is that due to the sunlight? Reason I ask, I have a 5 gallon bucket mixing for past 3 days. Was going to do a partial WC, but have not been able to do so due to my work schedule & life. My mixing is located in the darkest, deepest, recesses of my garage I will make sure i test b4 I use though.


55 Gallon DT, 30 Gallon Sump, Dual DIY PVC Overflow, Tunze Protein Skimmer, Jier JR 400 Gph return pump, 4 bulb T5HO w/ Night LEDs, 2x 850gph Koralia

yea if not sealed properly than algae could potentially get in there and grow other than that theres not much to worry about from light unless you leave it for extreme amounts of time like a year or more

 

[jdw]

Picoreefguy;913510 wrote: yea if not sealed properly than algae could potentially get in there and grow other than that theres not much to worry about from light unless you leave it for extreme amounts of time like a year or more

Lol not sealed, just an open 5 gallon bucket with a few powerheads and a heater in there keeping it circulating.


55 Gallon DT, 30 Gallon Sump, Dual DIY PVC Overflow, Tunze Protein Skimmer, Jier JR 400 Gph return pump, 4 bulb T5HO w/ Night LEDs, 2x 850gph Koralia

 

[picoreefguy]

before you use it just make sure theres nothing floating on the surface and if theres not check the salinity and use it. but if youre gonna leave water for days on end try to cover it so nothing gets in it like dust or mold spores or anything

 

[containerman1]

Picoreefguy;913515 wrote: before you use it just make sure theres nothing floating on the surface and if theres not check the salinity and use it. but if youre gonna leave water for days on end try to cover it so nothing gets in it like dust or mold spores or anything

I have my RO/DI set up very similar to how your thinking and I have not had any algae issues with in since it was set up a couple of years ago. I keep my RO drum full and I fill my Salt drum with water and the day before I need I mix in the Salt. I have a Mag 7 in the drum with a hose on it ( All rubber like you would use on a return) plug in the pump and pour the salt in let it mix for 10-24 hours and ck the Salinity before I use every time. I use the hose to mix and also to fill my 5 gallon pails. I always use about 1/2 of the drum on my water change and then I unplug ( I use Salinity Seachem salt and I do not want to over mix) then when I am ready to use I plug in the pump another hour or two and ck salinity and use never noticed much difference in ( ph, alk, cal) doing it this way. 50 gallons will last 3 weeks
I do have a heater so in the Winter I heat water up to about 72 in the drum while I mix and use so I do not shock my tank with cold water.
I would get some type of cover to cover the bungs in the drum or if you cut a hole in the top to cover the holes. I would do as mentioned above always check Salinity and for floating stuff . I have found a few flying bugs and spiders that have made their way in .

 

[willie1983]

If your not leaving the door open 24hrs a day you should be fine imo

 

[jdavid]

JDW;913511 wrote: Lol not sealed, just an open 5 gallon bucket with a few powerheads and a heater in there keeping it circulating.


55 Gallon DT, 30 Gallon Sump, Dual DIY PVC Overflow, Tunze Protein Skimmer, Jier JR 400 Gph return pump, 4 bulb T5HO w/ Night LEDs, 2x 850gph Koralia

What kind of powerheads are you using that you need a few of to keep water circulating in a 5g bucket?!

I just use 1 maxijet 900 to mix in a 5g. I leave it open, without a heater. If I don't use all of one bucket for what I need in a week I just top it off to adjust the sg.

If I'm not mistaken* Reef salt mix will always be over saturated and precipitate, regardless of the volume of the container

*disclaimer

 

[jdw]

When I about to do a water change i typically mix my salt and RoDi water in a 5 gallon bucket. Once I get the initial mix done, I throw in my 2 "old" aqua 30 powerheads just to keep water moving and heater to bring up temp in bucket. I come back in an hour or so and check the salinity, make any adjustments if needed. Once my salinity is right i do the water change.

But to answer your question,

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[jdavid]

just caught me off guard because I consider my maxijet to be a pretty weak powerhead but it has no problem whirlpooling a 5g bucket!

Edit: I threw them away so I can't check to be sure but I think it was an aquaclear 30 that the seal went bad on and shocked me!

 

[jdw]

Lol I bet, yeah I have to admit i am a SW reefer on a budget... Most of my stuff is ancient My DT has more scratches than DJ Jazzy Jeff's favorite album.

 

[jdavid]

JDW;913615 wrote: i am a SW reefer on a budget

You and me both!

 

[sra_chipmunk]

Thanks for the advice and info guys

 

[jdw]

Sorry i hijacked your thread, at least it was on topic

 

[sra_chipmunk]

It happens