Just starting...adding the water

[mpovell]

Just a quick question regarding the initial water going into the tank. I have a 100 gallon IM with a 57 gallon sump. It's going to take me some time to fill both as I make RODI water and mix the salt in three Brute trash cans. My question is, how do I ensure salinity stays stable for the water that I have put in the tank already, while I'm making more RODI and mixing additional salt? Is it the same concept as when I have a full tank? I should top off with RODI? Should I mark off with tape the height of the water each time I add water and then top off with fresh RODI each day? Sorry if this is a really beginner question. I just want to make sure I'm setting the tank up for success. Thanks in advance for your responses!

-Marc

 

[MadReefer]

I added all my RODI water to the display tank then calculated how much salt I need, I went a little under the ratio to be safe. Added heaters and circulating pumps all mixed in a day or two and was good to go. Then I mixed the water for my sump in buckets and had to add manually. Good luck.

 

[mpovell]

I added all my RODI water to the display tank then calculated how much salt I need, I went a little under the ratio to be safe. Added heaters and circulating pumps all mixed in a day or two and was good to go. Then I mixed the water for my sump in buckets and had to add manually. Good luck.

If using live sand, wouldn't that "burn" the organisms by adding the salt directly to the tank?

 

[DEL]

I too did water first, took about 2 days, then added salt. Then once salinity was perfect, added sand. Tank will be cloudy for a few days but shouldn't matter since no livestock in it.

 

[MadReefer]

If using live sand, wouldn't that "burn" the organisms by adding the salt directly to the tank?

As Del said add sand after the salinity is correct.

 

[Haus]

And rock before sand.

 

[ericrodriguez]

And rock before sand.

 

[mpovell]

And rock before sand.

I only mentioned live sand because I was concerned about killing the good bacteria. I was planning to use dry rock so I wasn't concerned about killing anything and would put that in prior to the sand as you mentioned. I'm hesitant to use live rock because of hitchhikers but could be convinced otherwise. Thoughts?

 

[Haus]

That’s what I did. Takes longer to cycle but safer that way.

Looked back to pictures of my original setup day. I put the rock and live sand in and then straight RODI. I mixed the salt in the main tank. Though I think your approach of pre-mixing is smart.

 

[ole farny]

i did things a little differently. i had rocks cooking for several years in a can and used a moderate amount of live or active sand. i filed up two cans with rodi and mixed up some saltwater in them and kept making more rodi while i did that. got my rocks and sand in and added my salt water to that at the salinity i was targeting. i was going to add a power head or two to the partially filled tank, but the process went fast enough that it didn't seem necessary. i have a 75 gpd rodi filter and by starting with a couple cans to mix with and a full batch of water in my rodi can i'm pretty sure it took me less than half a day to fill the tank and sump, totally about 69 gallons. speaking of that, i highly recommend keeping track of how many gallons your system takes to fill. its a very useful number to know, as is taking some time to figure out your daily evaporation, thought that can change based on time of year.