Fresh water top off?

dawicked1

Member
ok i have a question when u do a water change do u put salt water in or freshwater? lol.. i kno a dum question buh i wana be 100 percent sure :-X
 

fishieness

Active Member
haha
you put in fresh water. salt has a higher evaporation point than water, so only water evaporates. so add fresh water.
 

houndhome1

Member
No, use fresh water only. Make sure u check the specific gravity and salinity often, readjust these levels when u do your water changes. good luck! :joy: :cheer: :jumping:
 

fogger

Member
what about a weekly 10% water change on a 10 gallon tank?
i have been adding salt
did not mean to drop in on the thread
but was curious ty
 

fishieness

Active Member
Originally Posted by fogger
what about a weekly 10% water change on a 10 gallon tank?
i have been adding salt
did not mean to drop in on the thread
but was curious ty
well then you would definatly add salt. because you are removing water AND sat. evaporation only removes water. so yes, during water changes, definatly add salt.
 

ruaround

Active Member
fresh water only...check your salinity as the water evaporates, the salinity increase the more water you loose...but you also loose some salt to the edge of your tank, filters, and whatever else it can "creep" on.
 

fishieness

Active Member
Originally Posted by ruaround
fresh water only...check your salinity as the water evaporates, the salinity increase the more water you loose...but you also loose some salt to the edge of your tank, filters, and whatever else it can "creep" on.
thats a good point. check your salinity with a refractometer if you can possibly dig up the money to get one. They are pretty cheap online. I got mine for 43, but you can find them on the world famous auction site
 

fishieness

Active Member
Originally Posted by dawicked1
soooo wait wait wait lol do i add or dont add fresh water... im confusedddddddddd
add fresh water ONLY during top offs RO fresh water.
add saltwater when doing water changes.
 

pbienkiewi

Member
Originally Posted by dawicked1
ok i have a question when u do a water change do u put salt water in or freshwater? lol.. i kno a dum question buh i wana be 100 percent sure :-X

You start by saying freshwater top off. For evaporated water you use Ro/Di water. If you are doing a 10% water change. You use saltwater. Specific Gravity of 1.025
 

three boys

Member
I've been doing my top offs w/saltwater for 1 year now with no problems--However due to the overwhelming response on this board, I'm going to switch to using freshwater for top offs only. Thanks guys!
 

hot883

Active Member
Originally Posted by dawicked1
ok i have a question when u do a water change do u put salt water in or freshwater? lol.. i kno a dum question buh i wana be 100 percent sure :-X
Since the original question was on water CHANGES, use aged salt water. Add FRESH water when doing top offs.
 

ruaround

Active Member
Originally Posted by Three boys
I've been doing my top offs w/saltwater for 1 year now with no problems--However due to the overwhelming response on this board, I'm going to switch to using freshwater for top offs only. Thanks guys!

Do what is working for you...most of what is said here is opinion...make sure your specific gravity and salinity are in the proper perameters.
 

fishieness

Active Member
Originally Posted by ruaround
Do what is working for you...most of what is said here is opinion...make sure your specific gravity and salinity are in the proper perameters.

ummmmm........ unless you have almost NO evaporation, i dont see how it is possible to maintain correct salinity.
 
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