One of my biggest nightmares as a marine aquarist is someday having one of the panes of my glass aquarium suddenly give out and dump 125 gallons of salt water on my living room floor. What a costly, hideous mess that would be! Frankly, I don’t even want to think about it!
但是，您的水族馆并不是您在水泄漏和其他安全问题方面应该关注的唯一船只。另一个是您用来混合和储存盐水的容器（或容纳RO/DI产品水等）。
Why am I bringing this up? Many of us like to use containers such as plastic storage bins or trash cans to mix and store salt water for use in futurewater changes或者只是为了准备任何其他可能需要干净盐水的事实。我们相信这些容器可以可靠地容纳许多加仑的水，但是，出于所有意图和目的，储水是对它们的“标签”使用，有些肯定比其他目的更适合该目的。
以下是您在选择塑料容器来混合和储存盐水时应该问的一些问题：
有风险的吗been contaminated?
Whatever container you choose must never have held any liquids or other materials that could potentially have left behind a chemical residue. Nor should it have been cleaned with any soaps or detergents. To be on the safe side, it’s generally best to purchase a brand-new container rather than repurpose an old one that might have held something toxic at some point.
Will it pose a hazard to children?
请记住，任何一个孩子都可以跌入头顶的水船都是一种潜在的淹没危险。即使是那些五加仑的海盐桶，我们也经常将盐水混合/拖盐水对可能掉入并无法释放自己的好奇的年轻人构成威胁。
Wheneversmall kids are on the scene, make sure any low containers placed at ground level—like buckets or the 20-gallon plastic storage bins I’m fond of using—are tightly covered and stored where they’re are unlikely to access them.
Is it heavy-duty or kind of flimsy?
Plastic bins and trash cans vary considerably in their strength and durability, with some being downright flimsy and not at all suitable for water-storage purposes. Whatever style of container you choose, make sure it’s heavy-duty and well reinforced. For example, many hobbyists out there favor—and we recommend—Rubbermaid Brute trash cans.
另外，请注意，在储存盐水的长时间使用后，即使是相对重型容器也会变得脆弱，容易发作。因此，最好定期将新容器更换旧容器，特别是如果您观察到塑料中的压力或分裂的任何证据。
当然，市场上有专门为储水设计的各种容器，而不是重新使用的箱子或罐子，尽管您自然可以期望为它们支付更多费用。但是，您可能会发现附加的成本值得，但是，如果选择其中一艘船只使您更加安心并更好地适合您的应用。
What do you use?
So, fellow salties, what type of container do you prefer formixing/storing salt water? Let us know in the comment section below.
