Raising salinity

[anthonys51]

Just doing a 10 percent water change and water to increase my salinity a little. Currently at 1.025. If I change 5 gallons and add back 1.030 Will the change be ok.

[whosurcaddie]

Its better to just top off with saltwater.

[ryeguyy84]

Are you trying to raise to 1.030?

[anthonys51]

No just to 1.026

[tkeracer619]

Yea it would be fine, I tend to take out 5gals, mix some salt, then add it back.

Never add salt directly to a tank with livestock. The chemical reaction is harmful to your livestock.

[pyithar]

it'll be ok.

assuming total water volume is 50G with SG of 1.025. if you take out 5G of that water and replace with 5G of water with SG of 1.030, the SG of total water volume will become 1.0255.

[scooter31707]

this link might help you also.

http://www.saltyzoo.com/SaltyCalcs/SalinityAdjust.php

[Mark9]

Raising salinity does not need to be difficult.
Just toss in 1/2 - 1 gallon of freshly mixed saltwater a day until you reach your target.
When raising salinity, evaporation is your friend.

[anthonys51]

oh thanks i thought it be ok. and i did the math also thought it would be 1.0255 but i figured i never really did it before and with all the money i put into my tank. why not ask the question. oh i am doing the water change , only because i need to do one anyway thanks everyone.

yes i know not to add salt directly, thanks

[anthonys51]

When mixing my saltwater, i notice every time some salt doesnt mix up. always little milky stuff left on the bottom. I mix my water over night with a hydor 850 in a 5 gallon bucket. i also use instant ocean. this has happened every time i mix. i pump my water into the tank with a powerhead. so don't add that unmixed stuff to my tank, just wonder if anyone else has this problem

[downbeach]

Are you adding the salt mix to the water, or adding the water to the salt mix?

[anthonys51]

adding the salt to the water. why, does it matter how you do it?

[sde1500]

Yea it would be fine, I tend to take out 5gals, mix some salt, then add it back.

Never add salt directly to a tank with livestock. The chemical reaction is harmful to your livestock.

Never heard this before. Question, i just push the salt creep that gets on my HOB filter and cover back into the water. That not good to do?

And as to the topic, I am working to slowly raise salinity, just using saltwater for top offs instead.

[homer1475]

I'm going to guess here, but if you mix the water with the salt Vs. salt to water, you may leave behind some trace chemicals cause you don't get it all mixed up. Kind of like when you mix flour and water for roux, if you mix the water to the flower, you end up with lumps.

When mixing anything dry and liquid, you should always add the dry to the liquid.

[anthonys51]

thats what i do.

[downbeach]

adding the salt to the water. why, does it matter how you do it?
Always add the salt mix to the water to prevent any precipitation(this will cause a residue of calcium carbonate-sand) and/or clumping.

[tkeracer619]

Never heard this before. Question, i just push the salt creep that gets on my HOB filter and cover back into the water. That not good to do?

And as to the topic, I am working to slowly raise salinity, just using saltwater for top offs instead.

That is fine as long as the solids don't land on any coral. It is just for fresh salt and is a warning included on the salt instruction label.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/368/19538110068_01179b3f76_o.jpg

[tkeracer619]

When mixing my saltwater, i notice every time some salt doesnt mix up.

Add the salt slower and roll your bucket of salt around before opening it for the first time, different sized elements settle funny in shipping. Also, do not preheat the water, it mixes better cold.

[anthonys51]

thanks tkeracer i do add all my salt at once, sometimes even clumps of salt. my salt came in bags, hope do i stop it from clumping up. should i put it in a seal-able bucket

[tkeracer619]

You're welcome :)

Normally I would insert a long running tasteless joke about how to keep salt from getting hard but... I'll refrain this time :lol:.

A bucket is a good idea. Clumping salt has already precipitated a bit due to moisture. I would keep it in the bag (mixing it up before you dump salt out), only cut a small corner to pour out from, then use a potato chip clip on the bag and store it in the bucket. This will keep it from clumping in a non offensive way ;)

[anthonys51]

thanks is precipitation bad. does this mean the salt loses some of its elements or anything else like that

[tkeracer619]

Yup, that is exactly what it means. It is usually pretty minor and nothing you cannot correct with two part.

[anthonys51]

****** phrase deleted.

maybe that's why my 2 part is off balance . i thought maybe i mixed the 2 part incorrectly. :0 thanks for the help guys.

[Mark9]

Never heard this before. Question, i just push the salt creep that gets on my HOB filter and cover back into the water. That not good to do?
.

I do that.
Even had fish swim over and eat it, then spit it out.

[Saltliquid]

Below 1.022 and this will affect basic inverts like sps and most other calcium carb skeleton corals, they tend to come under attack more often by bacteria and above 1.024 and fishes ion pumps and kidneys sort of, have to work harder at desalinising the water they swim in that they drink a lot of to offset osmotic absorption.
More salt-less oxygen and more stress to fish!

[tmz]

A 10% change removing 1.025sg water and replacing it with 1.030 sg water will raise the sg by, 0005 A rise of as much as .001 is safe.

Add salt mix to water ;otherwise the concentration is too high when you first add the water . This results in elements particulary calcium and carbonate precipitationg out of the solution.

The average for seawater is 1.0264 sg / 35ppt. Marine fish can osmoregulate by drinking more or less and processing out concentrated urine to maintain their internal sg of around 1.008. If they loose that they loose homeostasis and may die. Freshwater fish do the opposite,btw. .
Large upward changes in the water salinity requires fish to adjust their fluid intake and processing which is best done slowly and incrementally to avoid osmotic shock when they can't adjust to a large change quickly enough.

Invertebrates are isotonic. Their internal salinity depends on the water around them. They don't have the equipment to osmo regulate like fish do and have a limited range of tolerance for sg levels lower than their natural environment.







Most marine fish and invertebrates have evolved to thrive in 1.0264 sg; some higher some lower.The Red Sea for example has much higher salinity ,around 1.029 than other areas. On the other hand ,if the invert comes from areas exposed to esturaial run off it may be more tolerant of a slightly lower salinity.