Water Storage

Dear Sean:

Hey, I like your method for mixing and storing saltwater in quantity very much! That’s a good way to go about it and I do much the same thing myself. It facilitates water changes and it’s always nice to have a supply of premixed saltwater ready and waiting in case it’s needed for any reason.

That fine film of slime that you have noticed on the tubing attached to your power head in your Rubbermaid mixing vat is normal and nothing to be concerned about. It’s a harmless biofilm that always builds up on certain surfaces under such circumstances. You’ll see it all the time on your equipment and tubing in sumps, for example. It’s composed largely of beneficial aerobic bacteria, so it does no harm at all, and does not ruin your newly mixed saltwater or cause any contamination or anything of that nature. It’s natural and, if anything, it may actually help to age and condition the newly mixed saltwater. So you don’t need to eliminate it or worry about it. Just ignore it and continue to prepare and store your premixed saltwater in the Rubbermaid trash can as you have been doing. That’s a very sensible arrangement and you don’t need to change a thing — you’ve worked out a very convenient way to facilitate your water changes and it should continue to work very well for you, sir.

Best wishes with all your fishes, Sean!

Happy Trails!
Pete Giwojna