Help!/How often do you actuallly add salt?

[Cliff Tishler]

I have not needed to add an new salt in a few months because the water is evaporating fast enough that I am doing top offs regularly. Before each top off I check the salt level using two dfferent (cheap) hydrometers and each time the salinity is in the right range or a little high. So, I have not been adding any additional salt. Is this typical or do people add salt with ewvery watewr change?

 

[this is me]

You dont add salt. only the water evaporate, the salt stays in the tank. That why we top off our system with fresh water(RO/DI).
The only time you need salt is when you do your water changes.

 

[~Flighty~]

water changes and topoff are two different things. With a water change you need to take saltwater out and replace it with new stuff. It sounds like you havn't done any water changes

EDIT: ya, what he said

 

[Triggerfish]

unless you are topping off with all the elements that are contained within the salt mixtures,,you would need to replenish them on a regular basis probably.
i think you should still adhere to a regular water change schedule regardless of how much evap water you are topping off.

 

[NateHanson]

The only way salt is lost from the system is in skimmate, salt-creep, and when bagging frags. So generally all you need to add is pure water with top-off (only pure water evaporates). It's good to occasionally remove salt water and replace with fresh mixed salt water to remove accumulated junk that you don't want in your tank, and more importantly to replace depleted trace elements that get used up in your tank (things like iodine, strontium, molibdinum, etc, that we don't test for but may be important for our creatures (did I make up that last one?).

Also, I find that my salinity drops slightly between water changes because of the skimate I remove, some salt-creep, and saltwater removed to bag frags. So when I do a water change, I mix my new water slightly higher than I want the tank, and that tends to keep the tank salinity from dropping over time.

Nate

 

[Cliff Tishler]

Thanks for the quick replys. I had been doing regular water changes, about 5-10% weekly but then found that my salt level was increasing so I just started doing topoffs with DI/RO water thinking the salt level would drop but so far it's still a bit higher than I need. I agree that water changes are the best thing. I just didn't want to keep adding salt to an already high salt level.

 

[Triggerfish]

(things like iodine, strontium, molibdinum, etc, that we don't test for but may be important for our creatures (did I make up that last one?).

spelling??,,i just tested for Molybdenum (Mo) s/b 0.010 ppm
was a bit low and just brought level back up...

 

[NateHanson]

I just started doing topoffs with DI/RO water

Previously, when your salinity was increasing were you topping off with saltwater? Just to be clear, you shouldn't ever top-off with salt-water (unless you're trying to raise your salinity).

Nate

 

[saltwaterB]

I always tend to mix my new water a bit lower than my system. I find that this helps to bring down tha salinity just a bit if it tends to "creep" up on ya (no pun intended lol )I have a ton of evaporation, and can never keep up with the top-offs on all the tanks. So this method has worked best for me.

 

[Greg Hiller]

Your salinity might be increasing if you are using a two part supplement to add calcium and alkalinity.

 

[maurod]

Thanks for the quick replys. I had been doing regular water changes, about 5-10% weekly but then found that my salt level was increasing so I just started doing topoffs with DI/RO water thinking the salt level would drop but so far it's still a bit higher than I need. I agree that water changes are the best thing. I just didn't want to keep adding salt to an already high salt level.

When you do a water change, are you taking water out first and then adding in salt water of the correct salinity back in ?

 

[this is me]

When you do a water change, are you taking water out first and then adding in salt water of the correct salinity back in ?

Please tell me no!

 

[TheUltimateNoob]

that's what sounds like is going on.