Something I've Always Wanted To Know

[corbin1234]

alright so im now getting sick of have to top off all my water manualy, so i thought i would invest in some time to make an auto top-off system. I already have plans for what I am going to do but there is always one thing i wondered about, (this may be something i should have know during my 2 years of reef keeping) are you suppose to top off with freshwater? ive always been topping off with salt and it wasnt till a little while ago when i checked my salt level and it was pretty high! Then i thought for a bit and came up with this question, does just water evaporate and leave the salt in the tank?

 

[happyhourh]

yeah def use freshwater!

 

[samiam4663]

Hi There,
Salt does NOT evaporate like water does. Just so it makes sense... You live in CA like I do. The storms that we get in the winter come in off the Pacific Ocean, but it doesn't rain saltwater. Right? They use salt on the roads in the sierras to melt snow because snow is also freshwater. The salt stays in the ocean. The properties of the elements in salt allow it to dissolve, and return to a solid, but it will not become a gas, like hydrogen does. I am relatively new to reef keeping myself, but I do know a bit about science. Hope that helps a bit!
:joy:

 

[maxalmon]

Wow, good thing you found out to stop adding salt and to top off with FW. I'm kinda neurotic about salinity levels and topping off the tank.

 

[clarki]

What exactly is the perfect measurement of salt in a reef tank?

 

[bluelagoon]

now that's a question for debate. a lot of people have a lot of different opinions about that. i myself kept it at 1.025, but now i've moved up to 1.026, so it's closer to the salinity of the saltwater i use for water changes which is 1.027.

 

[clarki]

I've always topped my tank off with fresh water and I've never had a problem but for some odd reason my salt is down to 1.020 today... probably too low... so far no one looks unhappy... but the xenias.. they're a little wilted.. probably need to add salt soon then I'm guessing.....

 

[bluelagoon]

you should always check your salinity when you top off, just to be sure you are keeping it constant. consistency is key! and the xenias will be fine, those things can bounce back from anything! lol.

 

[bonebrake]

Get a refractometer, everything else is junk unless you have a lab grade swing arm hydrometer. Keep your specific gravity (salinity) at 1.026 and make sure all water change water is 1.026. Only top off with pure fresh water.
Have fun!
:joy: