How to properly add sea salt to the water?

[Chad]

Right now I have the following in my 24"x12"x15" saltwater tank:
4 common mollies
Freshwater sand and crushed coral as substrate
Hob filter with sponges

I have a canister filter and planned to add biological filter media inside them as I don't have live rock, don't have time to make them and don't wanna buy a sump.

I have Bio ball, ceramic rings and lava stone.
What are the best biological media for a sw tank?

@Colin_T @Chad

I have found that ceramic rings work really well. They are easier to maintain than bioballs in my experience.

 

[Barry Tetra]

Sorry for the late reply, Thanks everyone for answering the questions.

@PheonixKingZ can you send me the dimension of your Seachem tidal? I'll see if there is any space left at the back of my tank.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

@PheonixKingZ can you send me the dimension of your Seachem tidal? I'll see if there is any space left at the back of my tank.

Sure thing!

Length: 6 ⅛ in (15.5 cm)
Width: 5 ⅛ in (13 cm)
Height: 7 ⅛ in (18 cm)
Media Chamber
Length: 5 ⅜ in (13.8 cm)
Width: 2 in (5.2 cm)
Height: 4 ⅞ in (12.5 cm)
Wall Clearance
2 ¾ in (7 cm)
Tank Trim Clearance
13⁄16 in (2 cm)
Internal Tank Clearance
1 ⅜ in (3.5 cm)

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In other words, you would need at least 2 1/2 inches for it to fit behind your tank. (preferably more)

 

[Barry Tetra]

Cheers!

 

[Barry Tetra]

@Colin_T Can you identified this rock if it was a type of limestone or not. so I dont have to make my own liverock.

I still haven't done anything to saltwater tank as I am really busy and almost gave up an idea since everything is so expensive.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I still haven't done anything to saltwater tank as I am really busy and almost gave up an idea since everything is so expensive.

It is much much more expensive than freshwater tanks. Not only is there that, but it’s also a lot more time consuming.

No clue on the rocks.

 

[Barry Tetra]

I would probably go for planted reef tank since macroalgae are dang cheap here.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I would probably go for planted reef tank since macroalgae are dang cheap here.

Macro algae tanks can be cool, but surprisingly hard to keep.

 

[Chad]

@Colin_T Can you identified this rock if it was a type of limestone or not. so I dont have to make my own liverock.
View attachment 138503

I still haven't done anything to saltwater tank as I am really busy and almost gave up an idea since everything is so expensive.

That's tough because looks can be deceiving. It is hard to tell from looking if this is the remains of a coral reef or some other form of stone. The reason is that impurities can exist that are harmful to your tank in rock that was created in, say a cave. That rock will also be calcium carbonate based, but is likely to contain massive amounts of other minerals. It's a risk.

 

[Chad]

Macro algae tanks can be cool, but surprisingly hard to keep.

That is very true. Many of them require unique conditions. It is a specialty itself to keep algae of certain types. Some are easy of course, but they also tend to be invasive and so not available in many countries.

 

[Colin_T]

@Colin_T Can you identified this rock if it was a type of limestone or not. so I dont have to make my own liverock.
View attachment 138503

I still haven't done anything to saltwater tank as I am really busy and almost gave up an idea since everything is so expensive.

It looks like limestone, although the yellow stuff could be some impurity mixed in with it. Hose it off well and pour some vinegar on it to see if it bubbles and fizzes. If it does, then it's limestone.

 

[Fishiemang]

The idea is to add it to a bucket of water to dissolve it to a specific gravity, then when ready add it to the tank.

Marine is nice, but more work. Plus, it's one of them things that should be read up on before set up. Some cats like crash coursing tho, so, I can dig it.

Get you some buckets. 5 gallon prolly the easiest and fastest. Fill with water. Add salt and stir until it's at the specific gravity for the tank, then pour it in. Make sure it is all dissolved and add salt slowly to get where you need to go. Over time you'll learn how much per bucket ect, but for now, slow and steady will win the race.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Get you some buckets. 5 gallon prolly the easiest and fastest. Fill with water. Add salt and stir until it's at the specific gravity for the tank, then pour it in. Make sure it is all dissolved and add salt slowly to get where you need to go. Over time you'll learn how much per bucket ect, but for now, slow and steady will win the race.

You need to add the salt according to the instructions on the bucket/bag. You also need to mix it for at LEAST 12 hours to make sure it’s fully dissolved. You also need to heat it to the temperature of the tank water before adding it to the tank.