C-balance increase in salinity?

[CoralBeautyII]

Has anyone noticed an increase in their salinity after using c-balance? (2 part solution)

I went from 1.026 - 1.027
top offs are done everyday and the water mark is at level

is 1.027 harmful?
i have mainly softees

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12839564#post12839564 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CoralBeautyII
Has anyone noticed an increase in their salinity after using c-balance? (2 part solution)

I went from 1.026 - 1.027
top offs are done everyday and the water mark is at level

is 1.027 harmful?
i have mainly softees

1.027 is not harmful but you are getting up there so there is not much margin for error

I would measure and hour or two after I did my top ups each day.
Depending on the evaporation rate the salinity can go up a point or two

[CoralBeautyII]

can i remove a gallon a day and replace that with freshwater until im down to 1.024?

[xJake]

2 part solution does increase your salinity marginally. This is because most 2 part solutions are made with calcium chloride and sodium carbonate. When corals calcify and grow they use the calcium and carbonate molecules to make their skeletons. This leaves the sodium and chloride molecules which bond to create sodium chloride or salt.

By using 2-part you increase your salinity, but the increase you encountered seems excessive to say the least. You could easily lower your salinity by simply removing some of the saltwater and replacing it with freshwater.

Also, if you mainly have softies you may want to look into using kalkwasser rather than 2-part. Kalkwasser equally doses the calcium and alkalinity components of reef chemistry and is extremely cheap and easy to dose. Kalkwasser won't increase your salinity and can be added to your top-off water.

You can use grocery store pickling lime as kalkwasser (Mrs. Wages Pickling Lime) found in the canning/jarring section. It costs only a few dollars a bottle and they last quite awhile. If it is food-grade pickling lime it is pure calcium hydroxide and works perfectly for kalkwasser dosing. See this article for more information: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.php

[snorvich]

You really want to be at 1.026 so I would certainly not try to get back to 1.024. 2 part may be overkill for your application; as xJake says, Kalkwasser may be a better option.

[CoralBeautyII]

I looked into the whole kalkwasser thing awhile ago and it didnt seem right for me, one because i top off with gallon jugs and i dont use a drip method. I dont have a sump
I then looked into those hanging top off systems, the ones that look like IV at the hospital, and i thats just too sloppy to have on display

To mix kalk in my top off jugs i felt was too dangerous, since id be adding it by hand quite quickly