Originally Posted by
Keith Gray
http:///forum/post/3173054
OK I know Im gonna get a lot of different answers but I'm gonna ask anyway.
What does everyone think ideal salinity is for a tank with corals and fish.
I have heard from 1.023 all the way to 1.027.
thoughts anyone
Your right different opinions. Here is mine:
My book says 1.026 is the SG of the natural ocean. That is where I want my SG.
If you have an auto top off system (ATO) setting your SG at 1.026 would be fine. If you don't have an ATO...I think you should keep your SG below that.
The reason being is that water evaporates, the salt remains...when your water line drops down, the SG goes up. If you already have your SG at the highest point then your SG will be too high between evaporation and top offs.
Point is, no matter what, without an ATO that is going to happen. So you hear people having an SG reading between 1.026 and like 1.024 for example.
Now for the real most important thing...STABILITY. Ocean critters have for many thousands of years lived in an environment where nothing changes. They have not learned to adapt.
So a new marine critter may get acclimated to your tank...what it can't handle is a constant change. Bouncing around the SG, PH, and Alk will wreak havoc on a critter that has lived for generations in a constant unchanging environment.
Your tank is their world, if you want your "pet" to live, you have to duplicate its natural world. So what you want to do is create a constant reading. You want to have your SG, PH and Alk at the same reading at every test, as perfect as you possibly can.
If set your SG at 1.022 then always strive to keep it at 1.022, if you MUST raise it or lower it...do so very, very slow.
