Newbie needs help! Saltwater evaporating

[chibbycheezcake]

Hi everyone! Quick Question.... My saltwater has evaporated. I have been adding saltwater to the tank. I read that I should be adding fresh water. Can I add tap water from sink after I put a dechlorinator? Or should I go to the petshop and buy fresh water reverse osmosis? I have a 16 gallon tank with 1 chromis, 3 snails and 2 hermit crabs. How often should I change the filter cartridge on an innovative marine tank. Lastly, will I be needing a protein skimmer?
Thanks guys! Will await you replies.

 

[geridoc]

It is very important that you replace evaporated water with reverse osmosis deionized water (RODI). Tap water has a variety of toxins that, at drinking water concentrations, are not a problem. However, as the water evaporates from your tank it leaves these toxins behind. You then replace the lost water, adding more toxins, etc. Eventually, you will have enough bad stuff to create a health problem for your fish. Tap water is also a good way to get algae and diatoms growing (not a good thing).

 

[mr. limpid]

+ one on what GeriDoc said and never replace evaporated water with salt water then your salt levels will go up, because salt doesn't leave your tank water does.

 

[sepulatian]

I agree with the above two posts. Remember that the only thing that evaporates is the water. Everything else, irons, phosphates, silica, whatever else that might be in your tap water, salt mix, etc, all remains in the tank and WILL build up over time. It is very important to only top off with RO water. You asked about a skimmer. It is always a good idea to use a skimmer. If you are just going to keep the one fish it may not be completely necessary as long as you keep up with your water changes, but it would be beneficial. Since saltwater is very dense, many particles are lighter than the water and make their way to the surface. The skimmer will remove them. The tank isn't that large though, so you could get away with just your HOB filter if you really do not want to go with a skimmer. It is up to you.

 

[mr. limpid]

I didn't see the other two questions. Sep is correct you really don't need a skimmer with that small of a bio load. I will add, proteins will build up and stay at the top of the water so when doing water changes use a cup to skim the top water out thus removing some of the proteins. As for changing the filter cartridge once a month is a good practice. Unless you are getting a lot of debris on the pre filter fiber causing decrease flow, then I would take it out rinse in RO water and replace.

 

[jeremiah]

There's an addition that you can add to some HOB filters and canister filters. It's called a surface skimmer. I'm sure there are many different ones but the one I got was Tom's Surface Skimmer. There are also some made by Fluval. It attaches to the intake for your filter and will do both sub surface and top surface. The top portion of the skimmer has a float that has teeth similar to an over flow. I've found this helps a lot to take care of the surface junk.
Also, when you top off with water, definitely make sure you use ro/di water. BUT you will also want to make sure you monitor your salt levels. The reason why is because some salt will dissipate over time. With my tank, it does not always stay with the rest of the water. Just monitor it and add some when needed to water that you will be topping off with. If you have the budget for it, you might also look into getting an auto top off unit. This allows you to set up a container with ro/di water that will automatically top off the tank when it drops below a certain level. With a 16 gallon tank, you could have a small container and not have to worry about going to the fish store all the time.
Of course, this may be a little more than you want to spend on a 16 gallon tank since topping off will require very little water. Up to you though.

 

[prince26]

To be honest best off getting a RO filter, it will make a huge difference and be better off then using tap water. Protein skimmer is also a very very good thing to have. You be surprise the stuff it will caught, tank will be more clear also.

 

[sepulatian]

+1 on the above post. The RO filter for your tap will save you a lot of money in the long run. Again, with a smaller tank, it is up to you on what you want to spend.