Sump water evaporation

[fredflinstone]

I have an ASM G-1 skimmer in my sump. The skimmer produces micro bubbles into the sump. Wehn all those bubbles pop on the surface, I can see a mist of water flowing out of the sump. This is salt water. So when I keep adding fresh water to replace my evaporation and the mist loss, I add some salt to the replacement water. Has anyone faced this or am I the only one?

[papagimp]

have you bothered to check the salinity on the tank while doing all this? I get lot's of mist from my sump as well as quite a bit of evaporation going on, I never had to add salt to top off at all.

[Thinslis]

Yes, don't add salt to your topoff water!!!

If your salinity needs correcting do it during your weekly water change. I have seen my salinity shift maybe .01 / .02 over a month or two.

[fredflinstone]

So the misting is unavoidable is it? I dont add too much salt. I just add appropriate salt like 1 cup for 3.5G. I have noticed the salinity. It doesnt change that much.

[rustybucket145]

What are you measuring the salinity with?

Keep in mind that your skimmate will be saltwater and will need to be replaced with saltwater but the misting would be negligible. Think about this.... you're adding a cup of salt to your top off water.... Is there a cup of salt on your floor/stand/sump? When the water dries it leaves the salt behind, thus, if you 'misted' a cup of salt, there would be a cup of salt somewhere on your floor, stand...etc. I HIGHLY doubt this is the case. If you're measuring the salinity with a swing-arm chances are that you are getting incorrect readings. They are notoriously in-accurate and in my opinion shouldn't be used.

[fredflinstone]

I am using a swing arm because thats what I can afford :(
You are right on the misting thing. My walls of the stand which is covered on all 4 side is always moist(Its plywood) so I can see the walls sweating. I am planning to add a fan in there to avoid too much water clogging on the wood. I am adding too much salt. When I say a cup, I meant like 3-4 teaspoons. But still there is no stopping to this misting effect is it?

[sharko88]

is one of the outcomes you get from water being exposed to the air and the microbubbles. Since you want a lot of O2 mixing in your sump if you have a refuge, just get used to it I guess.

[Thinslis]

You shouldn't correct your salinity with top off water. If your tank reads at 1.024 then mix your next water change slightly higher then your target salinity. Mine I keep at 1.027 and when it gets low I mix at 1.028 or .029 and it brings it back into balance.

Also look online, a refractometer is like $40. You'll spend more on a fish and you'll get more use out of it.