adding salt
- Thread starter ragusa
- Start date
littlebuck
Active Member
well my tank is at .o25 and from seeing other people its around that i think that .021 is kinda low. Also how long have you had you tank set up? What do you have on it for lighting? And have you tested you water for other stuff like nitrates?
stingrayjs
Member
I would take it a bit slower than getting fish this weekend. You will need to make sure you cycle the tank completly first. Have you purchased a test kit yet? If not get one before buying any fish. Also what type of water are you using, and whats your filtration on the tank? If you rush adding fish to the tank they will just die. It important to build a stable and funtional environment for them before you decide to get any fish. Also what type of fish where you thinking about getting? Alot of them ahve special water and feeding needs. Also compatability requirements towards other fish.
I would not start with corals and anthing else like anenomes. With coral you need have stable and high water quality, and enough lighing for them to live.
Tell us more about your tank your plains you want to do with it. As for incressing the salt level. Get yout self a bucket, ONE THAT HAD NEVER BEEN USED!!!! Also only use hte bucket for your tank no cleaning chemicals are to be ever used it it. Add the water to the bucket and make a super salt solution. So add more salt than water to the mix in teh bucket. Then slowly add it to your tank over a few days. testing your water as you go to make sure you reach the lvl you want.
I would not start with corals and anthing else like anenomes. With coral you need have stable and high water quality, and enough lighing for them to live.
Tell us more about your tank your plains you want to do with it. As for incressing the salt level. Get yout self a bucket, ONE THAT HAD NEVER BEEN USED!!!! Also only use hte bucket for your tank no cleaning chemicals are to be ever used it it. Add the water to the bucket and make a super salt solution. So add more salt than water to the mix in teh bucket. Then slowly add it to your tank over a few days. testing your water as you go to make sure you reach the lvl you want.
leftyblite
Member
How long has the tank been up and running? What kind of lighting is in there? Are there any powerheads? Have you tested your water yet for amonia, nitritr, nitrate, etc? Being relatively new to this hobby myself these are all questions that need to be looked at before any fish or corals are bought.
merredeth
Active Member
Originally Posted by StingrayJs
... As for incressing the salt level. Get yout self a bucket, ONE THAT HAD NEVER BEEN USED!!!! Also only use hte bucket for your tank no cleaning chemicals are to be ever used it it. Add the water to the bucket and make a super salt solution. So add more salt than water to the mix in teh bucket. Then slowly add it to your tank over a few days. testing your water as you go to make sure you reach the lvl you want.
I use 5 gallon water jugs from the local water dealer and add the salt in the water jugs.
I stick an airstone in it and airate it for 24 hours. Since the air pumps have a couple of outlets each, you can do multiple bottles by each tank if you did a water change. Those bottles for water changes are labeled and filled with salt. The water for top offs (since salt does not evaporate) is in other water bottles that are labeled so no one accidentally adds salt to those bottles.
After 24 hours, I stick the water jug on a ladder and literally drip the water in my tank with tubing so my tank doesn't deal with temperature fluctuations.
Some may think this is overkill or it takes too long, but since the 5 gallon jugs are airated next to the tanks and the water is already room temp, putting up ladders and dripping the water into the tanks isn't a big deal to me since each tank has a closet next to it where a ladder is stored.
One day, if my husband ever gets his face out the garage tinkering with the vettes and his light shows I am going to make my husband put electrical outlets in the closets so the airation can be done in each of the closets and the water bottles can be prepared out of sight completely.
The fish are healthy, no one is overly stressed out and I can make sure my salinity levels don't fluctutate either for the critters.
Denise M.
... As for incressing the salt level. Get yout self a bucket, ONE THAT HAD NEVER BEEN USED!!!! Also only use hte bucket for your tank no cleaning chemicals are to be ever used it it. Add the water to the bucket and make a super salt solution. So add more salt than water to the mix in teh bucket. Then slowly add it to your tank over a few days. testing your water as you go to make sure you reach the lvl you want.
I use 5 gallon water jugs from the local water dealer and add the salt in the water jugs.
I stick an airstone in it and airate it for 24 hours. Since the air pumps have a couple of outlets each, you can do multiple bottles by each tank if you did a water change. Those bottles for water changes are labeled and filled with salt. The water for top offs (since salt does not evaporate) is in other water bottles that are labeled so no one accidentally adds salt to those bottles.
After 24 hours, I stick the water jug on a ladder and literally drip the water in my tank with tubing so my tank doesn't deal with temperature fluctuations.
Some may think this is overkill or it takes too long, but since the 5 gallon jugs are airated next to the tanks and the water is already room temp, putting up ladders and dripping the water into the tanks isn't a big deal to me since each tank has a closet next to it where a ladder is stored.
One day, if my husband ever gets his face out the garage tinkering with the vettes and his light shows I am going to make my husband put electrical outlets in the closets so the airation can be done in each of the closets and the water bottles can be prepared out of sight completely.
The fish are healthy, no one is overly stressed out and I can make sure my salinity levels don't fluctutate either for the critters.
Denise M.
stingrayjs
Member
Thats a good idea about driping the mixed water in. I ususly just weigh the salt so I know exsactly how much to add to the 5 gal jug or water. Then I add it slowly over a few days, after it is completly mixed up. I may try setting something up to test driping it into the tank. I have a few idea about automating it, but I'll have to see. So far what I do have been working fine, now if I could only find an easer way to get into my tank with out having to remove the canope off every time I want to to some work on it. :jumping:
merredeth
Active Member
Originally Posted by StingrayJs
Thats a good idea about driping the mixed water in. I ususly just weigh the salt so I know exsactly how much to add to the 5 gal jug or water. Then I add it slowly over a few days, after it is completly mixed up. I may try setting something up to test driping it into the tank. I have a few idea about automating it, but I'll have to see. So far what I do have been working fine, now if I could only find an easer way to get into my tank with out having to remove the canope off every time I want to to some work on it. :jumping:
IMO, anything to reduce stress is good. Since you have to add salt water slowly to the fish and temperature fluctuations aren't good either, this made sense to me.
I do this with water for top offs as well, since no matter what you do you still deal with slight temperature fluctuations. By dripping the water in, it has the chance to mix with the water in the tank and heat up. I've yet to see any big temp decreases by doing this and my fish don't seem to be dealing with any unnecessary stress.
Denise M.
Thats a good idea about driping the mixed water in. I ususly just weigh the salt so I know exsactly how much to add to the 5 gal jug or water. Then I add it slowly over a few days, after it is completly mixed up. I may try setting something up to test driping it into the tank. I have a few idea about automating it, but I'll have to see. So far what I do have been working fine, now if I could only find an easer way to get into my tank with out having to remove the canope off every time I want to to some work on it. :jumping:
IMO, anything to reduce stress is good. Since you have to add salt water slowly to the fish and temperature fluctuations aren't good either, this made sense to me.
I do this with water for top offs as well, since no matter what you do you still deal with slight temperature fluctuations. By dripping the water in, it has the chance to mix with the water in the tank and heat up. I've yet to see any big temp decreases by doing this and my fish don't seem to be dealing with any unnecessary stress.
Denise M.
merredeth
Active Member
Originally Posted by bunnyl99
For my top offs I use saltwater and my salinity has stayed at 1.023. I know people use plain RO water for top offs, but I never have.
When you take out the water the salt comes with it. When evaporation happens the salt stays. From what I understand - this is a scientific fact.
Are you using a refract or hydrometer?
Denise M.
For my top offs I use saltwater and my salinity has stayed at 1.023. I know people use plain RO water for top offs, but I never have.
When you take out the water the salt comes with it. When evaporation happens the salt stays. From what I understand - this is a scientific fact.
Are you using a refract or hydrometer?
Denise M.
merredeth
Active Member
Originally Posted by bunnyl99
Hydrometer
That is a big problem. Hydrometers are very unreliable and have been proven to be on this board countless times.
I'll bet you dollars to donoughts if you take a water sample to someone with a refract and compare it to the hydrometer you are using, you'll find your hydrometer is waaaayyy off.
So many people I know now have done that and made the switch.
A lot of people found the salimity was either way too low or off the charts. For the health of your aquarium, you might want to take me up on the challenge.
If you lose the challenge (and I'm betting you will), will you buy the refract?
Denise M.
Hydrometer
That is a big problem. Hydrometers are very unreliable and have been proven to be on this board countless times.
I'll bet you dollars to donoughts if you take a water sample to someone with a refract and compare it to the hydrometer you are using, you'll find your hydrometer is waaaayyy off.
So many people I know now have done that and made the switch.
A lot of people found the salimity was either way too low or off the charts. For the health of your aquarium, you might want to take me up on the challenge.
If you lose the challenge (and I'm betting you will), will you buy the refract?
Denise M.
merredeth
Active Member
Originally Posted by bunnyl99
I don't know anybody that has one, they all use hydrometers. How much do they cost?
Generally speaking, about $100.00 for one.
You can buy then through this site as they are on sale now for $49.99 plus the shipping price this site charges which is a pretty good price in my opinion, your local LFS can get order you one if they don't stock them or you can get one on the great auction if you like to play the bidding war game.
Denise M.
I don't know anybody that has one, they all use hydrometers. How much do they cost?
Generally speaking, about $100.00 for one.
You can buy then through this site as they are on sale now for $49.99 plus the shipping price this site charges which is a pretty good price in my opinion, your local LFS can get order you one if they don't stock them or you can get one on the great auction if you like to play the bidding war game.
Denise M.