NewBie!! Salinity question

[vwpilot]

So I'm new to the salt water world but I've been in the fresh water world for years.
Anyways so i decided to buy a 10gallon and start from there.

I've been able to keep the salinity at 1.022-1.023 but for some reason every few days it rises to 1.024-1.026.
so I've added freshwater to top up to level and it brings the salinity back to 1.022-1.023, but this time the water level
barely dropped and the salinity is up around 1.025?

note: I've had this setup for 3weeks now, any suggestion or ideas will be greatly appreciated.

[vwpilot]

i've tried searching this and i can't find anything!

[C-Dog]

it takes a little time for the salinity to drop....wait it out. usually once u add ur "fresh"water to top off the evaportaion it should go back to normal. if anything the salinity should continue to fall if u keep toppping it up because you lose some salt when the water evaporates. u can see it on the cords and stuff right above the water.

[Julie]

Hi, do you degass the salt water before adding to tank. (meaning aerate)
What temp is water when you add salt?

[Funkmotor]

So I'm new to the salt water world but I've been in the fresh water world for years.
Anyways so i decided to buy a 10gallon and start from there.

I've been able to keep the salinity at 1.022-1.023 but for some reason every few days it rises to 1.024-1.026.
so I've added freshwater to top up to level and it brings the salinity back to 1.022-1.023, but this time the water level
barely dropped and the salinity is up around 1.025?

The one thing I'd like to know is how you're measuring this.

Swing-arm hydrometers are notoriously inaccurate, and I'd guess that's what you have.  If you really want to know what your salinity is, get a refractometer (available all over the place locally) and some fluid to calibrate it accurately to 1.026.  (You can calibrate with distilled water, but the final read will be a pinch off...though it will be steady from one read to the next as long it you keep it calibrated.

Hope that helps.

[Hookup]

^^ This.. Refractometer is pretty important piece of equip.

[groupie02]

if anything the salinity should continue to fall if u keep toppping it up because you lose some salt when the water evaporates. u can see it on the cords and stuff right above the water.

You shouldn't notice a drop in salinity due to saltcreep.

As others have said, get a good refractometer and measure more than once.

[FishPassion]

Agreed with Groupie re: salt creep, and salt does not evaporate, as your water
evaporates your salinity will increase until you top up your water to your previous level...

[vwpilot]

Hi, do you degass the salt water before adding to tank. (meaning aerate)
What temp is water when you add salt?

I haven't done a water change yet! 1 more week for that

The one thing I'd like to know is how you're measuring this.

Swing-arm hydrometers are notoriously inaccurate, and I'd guess that's what you have.  If you really want to know what your salinity is, get a refractometer (available all over the place locally) and some fluid to calibrate it accurately to 1.026.  (You can calibrate with distilled water, but the final read will be a pinch off...though it will be steady from one read to the next as long it you keep it calibrated.

Hope that helps.

That is exactly what i have, but I've had a friend come over with a refractometer and we got the same readings 3 times in a row taking 1/2 hour each time?
So are you suggesting that i should have 1.026?

Agreed with Groupie re: salt creep, and salt does not evaporate, as your water
evaporates your salinity will increase until you top up your water to your previous level...

That's exactly what i thought, and when the water level goes down i check the salinity and it usually goes up, so when i top
up the water level the salinity goes down.This time i noticed that the salinity went up but the water barely went down.

Update: So i washed out the Hydrometer and i check the salinity and it reads between 1.022-1.023 and the water level went down abit so i guess maybe i should do a better job of rinsing it out.

any other suggestions?

[groupie02]

In one of my tanks, I notice some days that the water level hasn't gone down in the sump like it normally does. The amount of water in my total system really did drop like it does every day but my return pump, an MJ1200, is clogged up with algae and pods and can't keep up.  This is quickly fixed by cleaning the strainer on the pump.

In this case, the salinity goes up without any signs of the water level going down (in my sump).

[kennyman]

That is exactly what i have, but I've had a friend come over with a refractometer and we got the same readings 3 times in a row taking 1/2 hour each time?
So are you suggesting that i should have 1.026?


Update: So i washed out the Hydrometer and i check the salinity and it reads between 1.022-1.023 and the water level went down abit so i guess maybe i should do a better job of rinsing it out.

Instant Ocean did a lab test on hydrometers and published it in their newsletter. They found the Hydrometers tested to be completely accurate provided they were kept clean and used properly. I have been using the same one for three years now and don't feel that a refractometer would make any improvement to my tank. The level of accuracy is way beyond what is required for a home aquarium and calibration of the equipment is more likely to lead to errors than simply rinsing out a hydrometer with fresh water after use.

[byrdmeln]

So are you suggesting that i should have 1.026?

No, not necessarily, that is just the salinity most calibrating fluids come in.

[Funkmotor]

Instant Ocean did a lab test on hydrometers and published it in their newsletter. They found the Hydrometers tested to be completely accurate provided they were kept clean and used properly. I have been using the same one for three years now and don't feel that a refractometer would make any improvement to my tank. The level of accuracy is way beyond what is required for a home aquarium and calibration of the equipment is more likely to lead to errors than simply rinsing out a hydrometer with fresh water after use.

Well, to each their own, but for me a refractometer (or a good salinity meter for that matter) is a requisite piece of equipment.

The key to a stable tank is stable parameters, and I would think salinity to be the first thing you'd want stable.

Yes, hydrometers can be accurate.  And they might be accurate enough to make you happy.  But for the extra $50, I'll take the refractometer and the knowledge that I'm not being misled by a stuck bubble.  Just makes me happy, I guess.

[Funkmotor]

No, not necessarily, that is just the salinity most calibrating fluids come in.

Indeed, that is correct.  The American Marine 1.026 solution that most stores have is something like $5 a bottle, and that will go a while for a refractometer user.

I do run my tank at 1.026, but I have an ATO that keeps the tank topped-up at all times so the salinity will not rise any further.  NSW (Natural Sea Water) is 1.025-1.026 in the tropics.

[THEKINGCOBRA]

In my experience.......when your water evaporates and your salinity goes up its natural and a water top-up usually fixes the problem. With a tank this small, unless you have a massive waste / over feeding problem you may not have to do a water change for months on end...just water top ups. BUT...watch out for the salt build up on the rim of your tank, heaters, and other equipment that you clean it off and NOT knock it free into the tank. That will cause you to have a spike in your salinity

[vwpilot]

THanks Alot to all!!
any other tips or tricks that i should be aware of?