salinitiy level at 82.0

[hulklilgt]

i have had my tank up and running for about a week now, I have a 75gal tank i planned on starting the tank with demsals. I went to a new store and talked to a guy about what i was doing and what some other fish store told me to start the tank with demsals. The guy said i would be better off starting with live rock so i did. I bought 40pounds of rock, When i put them in the tank it almost over flowed so i took a lil bit of water out. Aday later i checked the salt level and i was a 1.025 at 81.0 dagrees, now two days later my salt level it almost 1.026 at 82.2 i think that is just a lil high and i dont think that much water would have evaped in two days wih covers (but then again im new to this). Ever since i have added salt to the tank it just seems to jump after two days. i wanna make sure that i an get this leveled out before i put fish in the tank. i would be very happy with a salt level of 1.023 or 1.025 at 80.0-82.0 thanks alot for the help

[Raggamuffin]

a 75g that hot could evap at least 2 gallons a day likely more, my 40b at 78 goes through at least a gallon a day.

[thebkramer]

:bounce3: WELCOME TO RC & THE ADDICTION!! :bounce3:

Don't Panic!!!
1.026 is actually where you want your salinity at.. especially if you plan on having corals later on down the road!! THANK GOD for that 2nd store!!!! Noone should start a tank with Damsels!! VERY CRUEL!!! its like pouring acid right on them during the cycle process :sad2:
so soooo glad you listened to him and went with live rock instead!!!
Where do you live?? 82 degrees is a little on the higher side.. I personally don't like to go past 80.. but thats me.. I like to keep it between 78 and 80 ;)
So glad you found us here at RC!!! Hopefully we can help you along the way with any questions and keep you on the right track for a beautiful piece of the reef!!!
in this hobby you need.. LOTS & Lots of Research, Patience.. and did I mention Research?? :lol:
here are some great link to get you started:

WaterKeepers New to RC (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074)
WaterKeepers New to RC2 (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1696795)
WaterKeepers Newbies Info (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=18934902#post18934902)
Capns Log Book (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1786183)
Sk8rs Blog (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/blog.php?u=116634)
RO/DI Unit FAQ (http://www.reefcentral.com/index.php/rodi-faq)

[hulklilgt]

how should i go about lowering? just adding purified water

[Bedroomgangsta]

1. Make sure to check for any small leaks.
2. Make sure you allow adequate time for your salt to dissolve in your mix before adding it to the DT.
3. Set up and ATO system to maintain a steady SG.
4. Depending on what you are doing with your DT whether it be FOWLR or a full blown reef it will require different SG levels.

[sophelia76]

1.026 is a fine level. You will need to add R/O (filtered freshwater) daily to make up for evaporation. It will continue to surprise you how much evaporates every day! Are you measuring your salinity with a refractometer or hydrometer? If it's a refractometer, you can buy a solution to calibrate it at 1.026. The hydrometers are not quite as accurate, so you could see small fluctuations based on that. If you want to drop the salinity add a bit of R/O water. Once you get it settled, it will stay pretty stable for you as long as you replace evaporation with R/O water (and saltwater with saltwater when you do water changes).

[thebkramer]

just want to add..
I personally would stay far away from damsels.. they get very territorial and VERY MEAN!! I have lots of scars on my hands to prove it :headwally: I hate to see you a few months down the road asking how to catch it because it just killed another fish !!!

Happy Reefing!!!

[hulklilgt]

thebkramer i live in new jersey. i am happy i went with the live rock to altho the price was high i love it i found some plants and crabs hoping to see star fish lol. I will be turning the temp down tonight to 80.0 and hope that helps a bit i need to get a RO unit to add water.

[thebkramer]

I would def get an RO unit.. you will be much happier and less stressed later!!! Tap causes a lot of headaches!!!
I ask where you live wondering how hot it gets... being I live in NY.. its about the same for us.. what heater are you using?? I like to keep my heater at 78.. it never goes below that.. but usually always goes to 80 to 80.2 especially in the summer!!! I also have central air so that helps.. I recently bought a digital heater.. which is amazing IMO...
to help with the heat.. you could use a fan and have it blow right across the top of your water.. but I think if you turn your heater down a bit.. it won't get too high ;)

you will def start seeing all kinds of critters soon!! you'll be surprised what comes in on Live Rock (LR) don't rush anything!! and def give those links I gave you a read!!! they'll help lots!!! and we're here for any questions :D

[hulklilgt]

i have the hydrometer from aqua clear. i plan on buying a better one

[sophelia76]

Until you get an R/O unit, you can buy R/O water at a fish store. In a pinch I've used R/O water from the vending machines that sell filtered water in the lobbies of grocery stores/home depot etc. You just have to trust that those sources are changing their filters when they are supposed to.

[hulklilgt]

i have i got an aquaclear 200 watt heater. where did u get ur digital heater? i already turned the heat down. what RO unit should i get n go about setting it up?i plan on taking pics and posting tonight just dont know how to post on the website.

[thebkramer]

if you trust that the lfs knows how to test water accurately.. you can always bring samples to them to compare your readings ;)

[hulklilgt]

weni bought the live rock 2 days ago i brought sample and they said it was perfect.

[thegrun]

The first thing to do if you want to lower the temperature is remove the glass covers. The trap in heat and impede air/water exchange.

[pentrix2]

before i kept my water around 80-81 degrees but my corals didn't pop. now i keep my water temp at 77 degrees they are popping like crazy. i heard keeping it around 75-77 is ideal but depending what you are keeping.

like others like, salanity at 1.026 is actually perfect. i keep mine exactly that and i add about 2 gallons a day on a 57 gallon tank. i keep constant light on my sump tank with a fan on it, then i keep another fan to skim off the top of my display tank. tons of water evaporation but my tank is doing so much better now with the lower tank and added CO2 to the tank.

Pen

[Dr Colliebreath]

Get a refractometer (about $50) and calibration fluid (calibrate weekly).

Get a ro/di unit so you are working with pure water. I use Spectrapure, but there are many other good ones. Many people buy theirs from Bulk Reef Supply. In the meantime, buy your top up water from your lfs.

Mix your saltwater in a separate container ahead of time and let it settle for 24-48 hours before putting it into your tank. This lets the salt dissolve completely and the ph to stabilize. You will need a heater in the mixing container to bring it to the same temperature as your tank and a small powerhead to keep the water moving.

Get test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph and use them during the tank's cycle and periodically (once every couple of weeks) thereafter. You can add others later (alk, calcium, trace ions) as needed.

Read up on tank cycling so you understand the process.

I run my tanks at 77-78 degrees and salinity at 1.024-25 specific gravity.

Have fun!