how much IO

[plaguebeast]

The IO I have says to use 1/2 cup/gallon of water. When I use that I
only get 1.00021 after aeration and mixing for 24 hours. From what I
understand, that is not enough salinity. I think the correct mixture would
be about 25% more IO to get about 1.00025, wouldn't that be more appropriate
? Why would the IO package suggest using such a low SG ? Any other
product I have that requires mixing powder with water says to use too much,
I wonder why IO would be the opposite. Tell me if I am on the right track,
please.

pb

[PaulB]

Because they can sell a 5 gallon box of salt without having to put
enough salt in it to make 5 gallons.

You need not quite 25% more.

Get a measuring cup and measure out the exact amount you need. Then buy
salt in larger packages and save money.


plaguebeast wrote:
> The IO I have says to use 1/2 cup/gallon of water. When I use that I
> only get 1.00021 after aeration and mixing for 24 hours. From what I
> understand, that is not enough salinity. I think the correct mixture would
> be about 25% more IO to get about 1.00025, wouldn't that be more appropriate
> ? Why would the IO package suggest using such a low SG ? Any other
> product I have that requires mixing powder with water says to use too much,
> I wonder why IO would be the opposite. Tell me if I am on the right track,
> please.
>
> pb
>
>
>

[plaguebeast]

Yeah, too many zeroes, I was copying off my hydrometer.

I figured that if I get 1.021, using the correct 1/2 cup per gallon, then to
get to 1.025 would be 0.004 more, 0.004 is about 25% of 1.021 so I to add
25% more or a total of 2.5 cups in 4 gallons.


Then I had to figure out how to get my 37G tank from 1.021 to 1.025. I
guessed that I have about 32 gallons of water in the tank and the SG is
1.021. Since to get that water to 1.021 I had to put 1/2 cup of IO for each
gallon, then originally I must have used 16 whole cups of IO. Since I also
know now that I need to add about 25% more IO to get right around 1.025 or
1.026, I calculated I would need about 4 more cups of IO in the 32 gallons
of actual water. So I mixed up a batch of water with at 1.025, and added
the additional 4 cups of IO. Now, that water is really "salty." I plan to
use that water for toping off, adding maybe 1 gallon every three or four
days. By the time I have introduced the 4 gallons into the tank, my SG
should be right around 1.025 or 1.026. Of course I plan on watching the SG
every day, probably measureing it about 24 hours after adding the previous
day's gallon of hyper SG water.

Sound like a safe plan ?

pb

"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
...
> It is a guideline to get you started. You'll need to add a little bit
more, to
> get the goal range of 1.026. (You are typing in too many zero's, btw) I
also
> start off with 2.5 cups for 5g of water, then add a little more until I
reach
> the correct specific gravity. If you add to much, you need to add more
water to
> dilute it back down.
>
> Marc
>
>
> plaguebeast wrote:
>
> > The IO I have says to use 1/2 cup/gallon of water. When I use that
I
> > only get 1.00021 after aeration and mixing for 24 hours. From what I
> > understand, that is not enough salinity. I think the correct mixture
would
> > be about 25% more IO to get about 1.00025, wouldn't that be more
appropriate
> > ? Why would the IO package suggest using such a low SG ? Any other
> > product I have that requires mixing powder with water says to use too
much,
> > I wonder why IO would be the opposite. Tell me if I am on the right
track,
> > please.
> >
> > pb
>
> --
> Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
> Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
> Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com
>
>

[plaguebeast]

yeah, I did goof. I was very tired last night when I worked it out.

"Pszemol" > wrote in message
...
> "plaguebeast" > wrote in message
.. .
> > Yeah, too many zeroes, I was copying off my hydrometer.
> >
> > I figured that if I get 1.021, using the correct 1/2 cup per gallon,
then to
> > get to 1.025 would be 0.004 more, 0.004 is about 25% of 1.021
>
> I like your very original math, but 4 out of 21 is 19%. 4 out of 25 is
only 16%.
> How did you get 25%?
>
> > so I to add 25% more or a total of 2.5 cups in 4 gallons.
>
> If two cups make 1.021 you will need exactly 2.38 cups to get 1.025.

two cups don't make 1.021, 1/2 cup per gallon makes 1.021. I only need to
add 19% more salt, or .19*4oz, or .76oz more to get to 1.025. To bring 32
gallons from 1.021 to 1.025, I would need to add (.76*32) or 24.32oz or
rounded off a bit, 2 full cups of IO, added to water that was already at
1.025.

Thanks for pointing out my 19% vs 25% error, that would have put me over
quite a bit.

I still intend to add it gradually over 6 or 7 days just so that my fish
don't freak too much when the salinity changes.

> If you use 2.5 cups you will get more than 1.025...
> Use spoons and hygrometer instead of cups to fine tune salnity.

I used a cup because the IO bag says 1/2 cup per gallon of water, I had a
1/2 cup measureing device. Now since I have to use 1/2 cup + 19% of a 1/2
cup or .76oz more, I will have to figure out the weight of .76oz and use my
triple beam to weigh it out exactly ;-).

Acutally I will have to use a spoon to get that extra .76oz /gallon.

>
> > Then I had to figure out how to get my 37G tank from 1.021 to 1.025. I
> > guessed that I have about 32 gallons of water in the tank and the SG is
> > 1.021. Since to get that water to 1.021 I had to put 1/2 cup of IO for
each
> > gallon, then originally I must have used 16 whole cups of IO. Since I
also
> > know now that I need to add about 25% more IO to get right around 1.025
or
> > 1.026, I calculated I would need about 4 more cups of IO in the 32
gallons
> > of actual water. So I mixed up a batch of water with at 1.025, and
added
> > the additional 4 cups of IO. Now, that water is really "salty."
>
> :-)))
>
> > I plan to
> > use that water for toping off, adding maybe 1 gallon every three or four
> > days. By the time I have introduced the 4 gallons into the tank, my SG
> > should be right around 1.025 or 1.026. Of course I plan on watching the
SG
> > every day, probably measureing it about 24 hours after adding the
previous
> > day's gallon of hyper SG water.
> >
> > Sound like a safe plan ?
>
> Right, but you used too much of salt if my calculations are correct.

Yes, I had made a mistake. Thankfully you pointed that out but like I said,
I was going to add only a gallon every few days and then measure the
salinity. I would have noticed that the increase was a bit faster then I
expected and proabably would have recalculated, hopefully not doing the math
incorrectly the second time.

Thanks,

pb

[Marc Levenson]

Wow, that is way too much math for me. :)

Listen, you can top of with any type of saline water and still increase
salinity. If you make up a bucket of 1.021 water, and use that to top off each
day, your salinity will bounce upward pretty quickly. So do keep checking your
salinity in the tank, perhaps twice a day, and as soon as you've reached your
goal, switch to RO/DI instead.

From that point, you can simply use whatever juju-magic it takes to make the
matching salinity for water changes. :)

Marc

plaguebeast wrote:

> Yeah, too many zeroes, I was copying off my hydrometer.
>
> I figured that if I get 1.021, using the correct 1/2 cup per gallon, then to
> get to 1.025 would be 0.004 more, 0.004 is about 25% of 1.021 so I to add
> 25% more or a total of 2.5 cups in 4 gallons.
>
> Then I had to figure out how to get my 37G tank from 1.021 to 1.025. I
> guessed that I have about 32 gallons of water in the tank and the SG is
> 1.021. Since to get that water to 1.021 I had to put 1/2 cup of IO for each
> gallon, then originally I must have used 16 whole cups of IO. Since I also
> know now that I need to add about 25% more IO to get right around 1.025 or
> 1.026, I calculated I would need about 4 more cups of IO in the 32 gallons
> of actual water. So I mixed up a batch of water with at 1.025, and added
> the additional 4 cups of IO. Now, that water is really "salty." I plan to
> use that water for toping off, adding maybe 1 gallon every three or four
> days. By the time I have introduced the 4 gallons into the tank, my SG
> should be right around 1.025 or 1.026. Of course I plan on watching the SG
> every day, probably measureing it about 24 hours after adding the previous
> day's gallon of hyper SG water.
>
> Sound like a safe plan ?
>
> pb
>
> "Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
> ...
> > It is a guideline to get you started. You'll need to add a little bit
> more, to
> > get the goal range of 1.026. (You are typing in too many zero's, btw) I
> also
> > start off with 2.5 cups for 5g of water, then add a little more until I
> reach
> > the correct specific gravity. If you add to much, you need to add more
> water to
> > dilute it back down.
> >
> > Marc
> >
> >
> > plaguebeast wrote:
> >
> > > The IO I have says to use 1/2 cup/gallon of water. When I use that
> I
> > > only get 1.00021 after aeration and mixing for 24 hours. From what I
> > > understand, that is not enough salinity. I think the correct mixture
> would
> > > be about 25% more IO to get about 1.00025, wouldn't that be more
> appropriate
> > > ? Why would the IO package suggest using such a low SG ? Any other
> > > product I have that requires mixing powder with water says to use too
> much,
> > > I wonder why IO would be the opposite. Tell me if I am on the right
> track,
> > > please.
> > >
> > > pb
> >
> > --
> > Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
> > Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
> > Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com
> >
> >

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com