Best way to measure salt for new water?
 

Was just thinking I barely ever use my refractometer anymore ever since weighing salt instead of measuring by the cup. Picked up a digital kitchen scale from Costco a couple years ago and find it way more consistent than measuring by the cup ever was. I mix 10 gallons at a time and add 1440 grams (1.44kg) of basic instant ocean salt. Not sure if other brands require the same weight to water ratio? I get 1.025 every time. This method along with an auto top off = :peace:

Just thought I'd share that tidbit of info in case anyone had/has difficulty with consistency using cups.

If anyone else does this, what brand/type of salt do you use? How much weight and what's your salinity using this method?

been using the 1/2 cup per gallon with I/O on and off for years.

3 cups per brimming 5 gallon bucket and pretty much bang on every time.


I don't doubt that using a scale is more accurate but I also never see any ill effects from adding NSW that's not the EXACT same parameters of the tank.

3 cups = 6 gallons no?

for sure.

Which about the volume of water in a brimming 5 gallon pail.

the "rim" on the outside of a salt bucket is actually where the 5 gallon mark is, fill it up to the top, it's closer to 6.

if you put 2.5 cups in a brimming 5 gallon, it gets you around 1.22 ppm.

3 cups get's you 1.24-1.25.

Not all buckets are the same, so should say I use IO or Seachem buckets.

Quite a few salt companies use the same bucket manufacturer though.

did not know that. thank you

Keep in mind that salt will be heavier when it has absorbed some humidity out if the air. In other words, don't rely on the weight and do check with a refractometer after mixing.

Good point. I only have the lid off for 30 seconds each time and buckets are kept in the closet (lowest humidity in the house) and i always scoop the top layer of salt off if that makes any difference who knows.

About 1.5 cups of IO reef crystals to 5g bucket of RO usually works out almost perfectly every time for me

"....if that makes any difference who knows."

I LOVE THAT! Describes my day to day struggles with this wonderful hobby. We can read and read and read and then read some more, and still be not *quite* sure what we are doing is the right thing for that day's situation. And this is usually after very careful consideration and being sure not to respond in panic mode.

I apologize for the off-topic response, but just the way you wrote that made me laugh. :lol:

But hey - I guess I can in fact contribute - I use H2Ocean salt, with a level half cup of stirred-up salt taken from my big so-heavy-I-can't-move-it bucket, dumped into one gallon of room temperature RO/DI water in a two-gallon plastic former Milk Bone dog biscuit jar (clear plastic, cylindrical shape). I have three of these, and usually mix one gallon in each. Then I get my big plastic slotted spoon and stir it madly in one direction until there's a whirlpool in the middle, then abruptly stop and go the other direction (takes about 12 fast stirs), repeat, then walk away and let them all clear. Then I pour them into each other several times to aerate and mix the water further.

Measures 1.025 every time - I always check before using it. I also check the temperature before doing the water change and if it's more than 5 degrees different than the tank, I put the big jugs on the heated bathroom floor for about an hour - this always does the trick.

Well now. I didn't realize I actually had a "regimen." Huh.

I only do water changes on Wednesdays in months that have an R in them and a waxing gibbous moon! Lol :mrgreen:

:biggrin: Oh, how I aspire to that type of schedule....but I don't run a skimmer in the 29 cube, so it's 10% every 4-5 days for me.

I weigh mine. Currently using Aquavitro Salinity and 333g is perfect for 2.5 gallons. This gives you 1.025 SG

I just use a digital kitchen scale. In fact I haven't used a refractometer regularly in a looooooong time, although maybe every 10 water changes or so test it just to be sure, and it's always been 100% accurate.

Lol I'm old school I dump in salt until it tests 1.025 on the refractomoter lol

I've found success with a measuring cup using IO. Maybe my measuring cup is off a bit but meh ...

When I add 9x375ml of salt to 26g of RO I get a perfect 1.026 the next evening

Any other volumes I just adjust the #s

I always weigh all the ingredients of my SW and the results are pretty consistent.
I weigh K, Mg and Ca chloride and the salt (I.O.), Lugols solution goes by the drop.