“Salt” was born from the most natural parents in the world – the sea and the sun.”
Pythagoras
As history shows, our ancestors in ancient times used many methods of the now fashionable health complex called “thalassotherapy” (the science of treating humans with sea water, salts, mud and algae). Since ancient times, people have taken baths from warm natural sea water, which was heated by the sun's rays. Later, having mastered the technique of extracting freely evaporating salt, they began to add it to fresh water, thus making it sea water. This method was first used about three thousand years ago. Since then, valuable properties sea salt, and the method of its cultivation and collection remained unchanged. It is still collected by hand in the ecologically clean coastal areas of Italy, Spain and France. In this case, only wooden tools are used so that the iron does not interact with the salt and does not introduce foreign chemical elements into its composition. In modern practice, there are two ways to obtain “live” sea salt, depending on which it is divided into: Sel gris and Fler de Sel.
The best varieties of the simplest salt - Sel gris, or gray salt, are produced in France. The most elite is the one that is mined in the most famous salt lagoons on the border of Brittany and Vendée. The technology for preparing gray salt is not complicated. Sea water, entering lagoons and special pools, evaporates under the influence of sunlight. The concentration of salt in it increases, crystallization and precipitation gradually occur. In this case, the salt is mixed with sea clay and acquires a gray tint. The salt is then dried in the sun and transported on wooden wheelbarrows to storage.
The gray color of such salt is a sign of quality. After all, it contains an amazing microalgae - saline dunaliella, rich in carotenoids and having a special unique smell.
Another useful algae that begins its life activity in water with a high concentration of salt is kelp. This is a brown algae that actively reproduces in salt water and contains a large amount of biologically active substances and pigments. While the salt remains on the seabed, kelp penetrates into the crystal. As studies have shown in recent years, the presence of these microalgae during the crystallization process provides gray salt with a high concentration of antioxidants. It is Sel gris, obtained in sea lagoons, that is truly “living” salt.
The second type is “live” sea salt Fler de Sel or "flower of salt". She is also called the “queen”. In appearance, this salt is completely different from gray salt: its crystals are transparent white and shimmer in the sun. Fler de Sel is formed only in special weather conditions: sunny days, low humidity and a classic Atlantic breeze are needed, not strong, but constant. But rainy weather is extremely dangerous for the Queen of Salt. If it rains for two weeks in the summer, this means that the salt season is over this year. Collecting Fler de Sel is even more painstaking than collecting gray salt. “Harvest” is filmed in a fairly short period of time, from June to August. For this purpose, there are special shallow pools with sea water, located near the shore and fenced with wooden sides. As the water evaporates under the influence of the sun and wind, the concentration of salts in the pool water exceeds 270 g/l, and a fairly hard film of salt crystals forms on the surface. Using special wooden spatulas, this layer is very carefully lifted and raked.
Both coarse and fine salt is sold, ground with stone millstones. To recreate sea water as much as possible, crystals are often saturated with some algae elements. In addition, salt perfectly perceives natural aromas and can be additionally flavored with special oils.
Beware of fakes! Sel gris and Fler de Sel - natural salts in their composition can recreate sea or ocean water in our home. Naturally, such baths differ significantly in their effects from simple salt baths made from coal “dead” salt. Unfortunately, manufacturers often color and flavor salt and pass it off as “live”, telling customers that this salt is from ancient oceans. However, such salt is devoid of macro- and microelements valuable for the body, contained in real sea salt. By diluting rock salt in water, we get a simple salt bath saturated with sodium chloride.
Salt baths have a positive effect on the human body: they relieve tension, help with neurological disorders, and have a tonic effect. Salt is used for peeling - deep cleansing of the skin, as a basis for scrubs and gels. Besides sea salt promotes the removal of water and toxins from tissues, without drying out the skin. If you use anti-cellulite products in parallel with taking a salt bath, the “orange peel” effect will noticeably decrease. To effectively treat cellulite, it is enough to take a salt bath once or twice a week.
You should not be under the illusion that you will be able to recreate water identical to sea water in your bath. In order for beneficial elements to penetrate the skin barrier and provide a physiological effect, it is enough to take 100-150 grams of salt for a standard bath. The concentration of water can be changed at your discretion, since it is impossible to overdo it with natural salt. Salt can irritate your skin only if you decide to pour several kilograms into the bath.
When preparing a salt bath, you need to be guided by one important rule: you need to dissolve the salt separately, in a small volume of liquid, and only then, when filling the bath, pour the prepared solution under running water. This process is called “dynamization” and greatly enhances the effect of the bath. For greater relaxation, you can add a few drops of essential oil. The main thing in such a relaxing environment is not to fall asleep, because taking a bath should not last more than twenty minutes. A longer “water procedure” can have a bad effect on both the vascular system and the condition of the skin.
But this does not mean that summer has come to an end. No, no, because we know a great way to extend it. So that this wonderful summer does not end, start creating crafts with your own hands with your child. on the theme “Sea” will give you a sunny mood and pleasant memories even in the cold winter, and the creation of such crafts will entertain the child, give you a pleasant time with your family and a good mood.
In this selection you will find various seashells, pebbles and other marine-themed materials for children aged 3 years and older. So, you don’t need to invent anything, just get inspired and create crafts about the sea with your child so that your summer will last a little longer.
DIY crafts on the theme “Sea”: 25 photo ideas for children
For sea-themed crafts, don’t forget to use cardboard toilet paper rolls. These can be easily played with like regular toys. And it's just a lot of fun!
If you still have plenty of sea “treasures”, invite your child to make them. The shells can be strung one at a time on a long cord, or you can make an original one with a shell in the middle.
A marine theater or an aquarium out of a box - that’s what you should call something like this that will keep your child occupied for a long time. For this craft about the sea, you can use either an old shoe box or a cardboard egg box. Everything else is a matter of fantasy.
Mermaids, pirates, strange fish - you can use such dolls for the theater, clothespins or disposable spoons. Of course, to create such marine crafts you will also need colored paper, paints and decorative elements.
Cold porcelain or ? Choose materials for marine-themed crafts based on the child’s age. , for example, are durable, but you can play with salt dough longer. In any case, such DIY crafts will retain a piece of summer in them.
Very useful baby. And if you make such a bright jellyfish using only paper, glue and buttons of different sizes, you can cheer yourself up for a long time on the rainiest day.
In a craft about the sea, you can combine several techniques at the same time. For example, let the child paint any marine-themed drawing, and then make an applique from the drawing, decorating it with buttons and beads.
The great idea is that such a craft on the theme “Sea” does not require any special material other than cardboard and felt-tip pens, and at the same time it also develops imagination and teaches how to design. Benefits from all sides!
- it's not just for children. This is a whole underwater world that you can explore with your child and come up with different stories about it, no matter where you are and no matter what time of year it is outside the window.
Even an ordinary clay flower pot can be turned into a cute craft with a marine theme. True, only teenagers or schoolchildren with the help of their parents can cope with such a craft.
Seashells tied on strings to a tree branch are wonderful. You can hang this mobile in your room or in the yard so that the wind creates beautiful music and gives you joyful memories of summer.
And for kids you can make it from paper and ribbons. Such a sea craft will certainly entertain the child with its cheerful figures.
On a cool day, warm memories of summer and the sea breeze can be given by handmade items. Such sea crafts float perfectly on the water, so playing with them will be exciting and fun.
Memories of summer warm the soul in winter and set the right mood for the new year. So why not do it now with summer memories? Just imagine the delight of a child when, while decorating the Christmas tree, he takes out a toy that will once again revive his summer memories.
There will be enough ideas for various crafts on the theme “Sea” in this collection for a long time, so as not to worry about your child’s leisure time and always know what to do with his free time. Choose, get inspired and don’t forget that there are only 273 days left until summer.
Preparing sea water for an aquarium seems simple at first glance: you just need to stir the required amount of salt. However, for everything to be successful, you need to try.
If you don't want to bother yourself with additional worries, it's better to take the path of least resistance and buy a ready-made saline solution. But most aquarists prefer to prepare water themselves. It is much more convenient and economical.
Choosing sea salt for an aquarium
For a marine aquarium, purchase only special commercially produced salt. It can be purchased at pet stores specializing in aquariums. The price of sea salt may vary depending on the manufacturer, but keep in mind: such a product cannot be cheap. Never skimp on quality!
You can buy sea salt either in packages of a certain size or by weight. The variety of choices often confuses the novice aquarist. Let's look at the most common types of salt for marine aquariums.
Types of salt for a marine aquarium
Conventionally, salt for starting a home sea can be divided into two types: natural(i.e., the familiar sodium chloride, taken directly from the depths of the sea) and "artificial", "chemical"(a mixture made up of individual microelements). On sale you can find:
Red Sea salt. It is extracted from the water of the Red Sea using the evaporation method. The result is pure crystals without harmful impurities.
Red Sea Salt. The chemical parameters of this salt correspond to the salts in waters with corals. Slightly increased alkalinity level, excellent for marine aquariums with invertebrate fish.
Red Sea Coral Pro salt. Special product for active coral growth.
Tropic Marin Salt.“Artificial” or “Chemical” salt, consisting of a mixture in certain proportions of pure salts without artificial additives. Contains more than 70 microelements and is not inferior in quality to seawater salt. Tropic Marin Pro-Reef Salt. Designed specifically for reef aquariums. Promotes their rapid growth and greatly facilitates the care of sensitive corals.
Tropic Marin Bio-Actif salt. Does not contain additional components, as close as possible to seawater salt. Promotes rapid decomposition of organic substances in water.
The amount of salt purchased depends on the size of the aquarium. If you have already chosen, correlate its dimensions with the required amount of salt for water, based on the proportion of 35-37 g. per 1 liter.
Water preparation
Experienced aquarists advise not to use settled tap water for a marine aquarium, as is done for a freshwater reservoir.High-quality sea water is the key to a successful system launch. Ideal water can be achieved by using a reverse osmosis unit. It is better to purchase it in advance, even at the stage of choosing a marine aquarium. If you do not plan to use the device at home, the most budget-friendly installation is quite suitable. Water prepared using a reverse osmosis device is as close as possible to distilled water. Such a cleaning system will not allow chlorine, heavy metals and other harmful impurities to pass through.
In some cases, special aquarium conditioners are used to remove all excess from the water. They can be easily found in pet stores.
Equipment
- Plastic or glass container with a volume of 50 liters or more. Never use metal utensils? the metal will quickly react with salt water. The container must be washed without detergents.
- Aquarium thermometer.
- Pump with air suction function.
- Heater.
- Hydrometer.
- Reverse osmosis device.
- Device for measuring pH.
- Kitchen scales.
Stages of preparing sea water
1. Fill a clean container (not to the brim, leaving some space) with distilled or specially prepared water.
2. We bring the water to the required temperature using a heater. The temperature is set and selected individually. It depends on the preferences of the inhabitants of your small sea.
3. Based on the sea water recipe on the package, add salt. Usually its amount is 35-37 g per liter of water. Follow the instructions on the packaging exactly! If you bought salt by weight, use a kitchen scale to calculate.
4. First add a third of the required amount of salt to the water. Then connect the pump and mix the solution thoroughly. This can also be done manually. After about an hour, when all the crystals have dissolved, add another third and then after an hour? remainder. It is better if the salt is mixed throughout the day.
5. Check the salinity of the water using a hydrometer. The density of water should be 1.023-1024 g/l. Level - pH? not lower than 8.0 in the temperature range 23-27°. 
The final stage
After the water for the marine aquarium is prepared, do we set the desired temperature and move the first inhabitants into it? "pioneer testers". They should feel comfortable. Do not try to introduce a large number of fish at once; it is better to introduce them in stages. Do not forget to monitor the level of indicators. If you did everything correctly and do not forget to monitor the aquarium, the final biological balance in your mini-sea will be established 3-5 months after launch.Question, how to make sea water at home worries many women.
And this is understandable, because the healing properties of sea water are known to everyone. This is not only a natural medicine that treats a wide variety of diseases: it reduces adenoids, relieves allergies, sinusitis, and a simple runny nose. It is used as a gargle for all types of sore throat, because it cleanses the tonsils and kills bacteria, and it will also help get rid of the rash. And, most importantly, sea water has only one contraindication: open wounds and cuts.
Sea water is also often used for cosmetic purposes. Swimming in the sea is especially useful for women who want to lose weight, because the microelements contained in sea water help burn subcutaneous fat and cope well with cellulite. But this miraculous remedy also rejuvenates the skin, soothes, relieves fatigue - in general, an indispensable remedy for women.
Those who live on the seashore are very lucky - they have access to this source of useful minerals and trace elements all year round. And those who are less fortunate will probably be interested in the question, how to make sea water. You will be surprised, but sea water can be made even from tap water. True, if you need water for rinsing or rinsing the nasopharynx, it is better to buy distilled water or at least clean the tap water using a filter. If for a bath, wraps or baths, then such difficulties are unnecessary. As you can see, the question how to make sea water, largely depends on what you intend to use it for.
Let's start with sea water, which is used to gargle and rinse the nasopharynx. They do it this way: take a glass of warm boiled water and add a tablespoon of natural sea salt to it - and that’s it, the sea water is ready. This recipe is suitable for both gargling and nasal drops. And also, to get rid of a runny nose, you can make sea water that is not much different from natural water: in a glass of water, dilute half a tablespoon of sea salt (natural, without flavorings), half a tablespoon of soda and two drops of iodine.
Sea water also helps a lot with psoriasis. To do this, add a kilogram of sea salt to a warm, not higher than 37°C, bath. They get wet in this water for about fifteen minutes, then go out, and, most importantly, do not dry themselves, but wait for the water to dry.
And, of course, everyone knows and loves the evening sea bath, which relieves stress, fatigue, reduces pain in muscles and joints, saves from cellulite, strengthens the immune system, makes the skin elastic and successfully fights acne. This is how much benefit you can bring to the body, and at the same time without putting in almost any effort, because it is very easy to make a small sea for yourself at home. First, decide which sea you would like to soak in, and choose accordingly how to make sea water. For example, if you dream of the Black Sea, add 500g to warm water. sea salt, if you are talking about the Dead Sea, feel free to add two kilograms, Mediterranean - a kilogram. To this “sea” you can add a tablespoon of baking soda and a few drops of aromatic oil.
If you don’t have time to take a bath, make a fifteen-minute foot bath with sea water: add two tablespoons of sea salt to warm water. This bath will relieve fatigue and moisturize your feet.
Don't forget about sea water, and it will definitely help you always stay healthy and beautiful.
Marine aquariums in our country have not yet become as widespread as freshwater ones. This may be due to the problem of the availability of natural sea water, especially if there is no sea nearby. However, no matter how strange it may seem at first glance, the presence or absence of a natural salty environment does not in any way affect the (reef) aquarium. Such water can and should be prepared independently, and the preparation technology has long been proven in practice.
The word is put in quotation marks for a reason. We are talking here about a synthetic marine aquatic environment, the main principle of preparation of which is to add salt to fresh water in a certain proportion. Actually, this could be the end of our consideration of this issue, if not for a number of important conditions. We need to look at them in more detail.
What salt is needed to start an aquarium?
As you know, the chemical composition of salts varies, and they are used in different ways.
For example, there is sea salt for baths (widely used both at home and in beauty salons), rock salt, table salt (regular or with added iodine).
There are also several types of technical salt: anti-icing, as a reagent, in dishwashing detergents in dishwashers, etc.
The main condition: none of these salts can be used to prepare the aquatic environment of a marine aquarium under any circumstances!
Only special commercial salt with the inscription “For marine aquarium”, prepared synthetically on the basis of scientific developments in the field of aquariums, is suitable.
This salt can be purchased at pet stores or online stores, where it is widely available. It is enough to mention such compositions as:
- Aquarium Systems Instant Ocean;
- Elos reef special salt;
- Royal nature pro tropical salt;
- Seachem aquavitro salinity;
- RED SEA, Marine Life;
- TETRA brand salts;
- synthetic compounds from Tropic Marine and some others.
Each commercial powder has detailed instructions for use, the requirements of which are mandatory when preparing synthetic seawater.
When choosing this or that salt, you must take into account that they are for reef (coral) or fish aquariums. However, there are also universal salt mixtures. 
Water preparation
There are at least three main approaches to preparing water for its subsequent salting: using ordinary tap water, distillation and osmosis (running water through a reverse osmosis unit).
Pros and cons of tap water. Although many experts are categorically against using ordinary tap water for salting, some marine aquarium owners use it as a starting material. It is left for at least 24 hours, filtered (including using a carbon filter), and then special branded compounds called conditioners are added.
For example, German aquarium air conditioners, such as Tetra, Aqua Medic, Preis Aquaristik or hW-wiegandt, do a fairly good job of purifying tap water from nitrites, phosphates, chlorine, and heavy metal ions.
How do marine life feel in such an environment? Hardly comfortable.
Distilled water Perfect for preparing sea aqua. Purified from all harmful substances by distillation, it is immediately ready for pickling. One drawback of this method is that it is very expensive in terms of cost. Household electric distillers have low productivity, high cost and consume quite a lot of electricity.
Reverse osmosis installation. Passing tap water through a reverse osmosis unit is much cheaper than distillation and produces a nearly perfect feedstock. The essence of this method is to pass water under high pressure through a special translucent membrane. The water obtained in this way does not need to be treated with conditioners; special salt can be immediately added to it.
A household reverse osmosis installation is relatively inexpensive, small in size, easily installed inside an aquarium cabinet, and can supply osmosis water through a hose in a thin stream directly into the aquarium.
Reverse osmosis installation.
Why do you need to thoroughly purify your water?
As you know, there are a lot of different impurities dissolved in tap water. This is easy to check if you use a quality control device called a TDS meter. By the way, it would be nice for every marine aquarium owner to have such a device. It is easy to use and inexpensive.
By lowering the TDS meter into a container of water, you can measure the concentration of foreign substances in it in parts per million (they are marked with ppm divisions on the device scale).
For example, if the device shows 450 ppm, then this means that 450 mg of unknown impurities are contained in one liter of sample.
One can only imagine what would happen if concentrated commercial sea salt reacted with these contaminants!
What kind of quality of the aquarium aquatic environment can we talk about in this case?
So it turns out that the source water must first be thoroughly cleaned, and only then salted.
Preparing sea water
Only after cleaning the primary material can you begin salting.
If the aquarium is small, then it is better to prepare the marine aquatic environment in a separate container and then pour it into a jar.
- metal, galvanized, enameled basins, pots, buckets;
- plastic containers not suitable for food;
- cans, cans and other containers that once contained chemically active and toxic substances (fuels and lubricants, solvents, paints, varnishes, etc.).
But a plastic canister (or bottle) that originally contained drinking water is quite suitable.
The process of adding and dissolving salt is quite simple and is described in detail on the commercial product label. Moreover, you can pour the full weight of salted powder into 1/3 of the required volume, and then add osmotic water, bringing the volume to normal. Or you can gradually add salt to the full volume of fresh osmotic water. By the way, if the aquarium is large, then this is usually done.
However, immediately after salting, seawater is not yet ready. You need to wait until the constituent elements of the salt fully interact with each other and with the aquatic environment. As a rule, this takes no more than 24 hours. And only then can you turn on the aquarium equipment and start the aquarium.
For the first 2-3 weeks, it is advisable to monitor water parameters daily: salinity using a hydrometer, and hardness using special tests to measure general hardness.
Proper preparation of sea water is a very serious and quite labor-intensive process, on which the successful functioning of a marine or reef aquarium depends. And if the aquarium inhabitants feel good, then the synthetic sea water was made correctly.
For an example of how to properly prepare sea water for an aquarium, see the video:
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