Why doesnt anyone do this?

Eb0la11 · #1 08-27-2009, 06:04 AM

Im just wondering, and maybe I just havent read anything about it yet, but it seems like no one uses a desalinator to recover the salt after doing water changes? Is this plausible or would the salt you do recover need to be heavily dosed?

I just feel like salt is pretty expensive so it'd be cool to utilize it to its maximum.

hillegom · #2 08-27-2009, 06:09 AM

Does a desalinator take out all the minerals as well? Then the nitrates will come out as well as all the other "bad" things, phosphate etc

Myka · #3 08-27-2009, 01:32 PM

The salt wouldn't be "complete" the way a reef salt mix is. For one the livestock have depleted certain elements, and the desalinator would only separate salts, not any of the elements. The salt you got out of a desalinator would eb useless for a reef.

sphelps · #4 08-27-2009, 01:53 PM

^ What they said, but also because salt isn't that expensive. For 100 gallon system changing 10% weekly can cost less than $16 per month depending on the salt you use. Now if it cost $100 a month there might be some potential for it, but otherwise not worth it.

kien · #5 08-27-2009, 04:10 PM

I think desalinating is a great idea! extract the salt, throw it into a jar and put it on your kitchen spice rack. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle right ??

Eb0la11 · #6 08-27-2009, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kien

I think desalinating is a great idea! extract the salt, throw it into a jar and put it on your kitchen spice rack. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle right ??

I think it could definitely come in handy if all you had to do was throw your water change water into a big barrel and eventually it made a pile of salt!

Only problem is, would that salt ever have fish waste at all on it? lol. Not sure if I'd want to eat it, even though it'd problem be pretty damn close to 100% salt, I mean heck I know most if not all of us have started a syphon and got some aquarium water in our mouth before lol.

Anyways, Maybe my next tank I'll dabble with desalinators and see if its realistic. This wont be for years though, so hopefully someone will beat me to the punch.

JDigital · #7 08-28-2009, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kien

I think desalinating is a great idea! extract the salt, throw it into a jar and put it on your kitchen spice rack. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle right ??

You'd still be buying the same amount of reef salt for your tank though.... and the saving on the table salt would be minimal, aka Not worth it.