How to Raise Salinity Safely?

[RaymondL]

I did a search on the forum, but still not sure about how to raise the salinity in a safe manner - right now, it's at 1.023, and I'd like to get closer to 1.025. I have clownfish in the tank - nothing else at the moment in terms of livestock

In order to do so, I"m assuming that I need to create a bucket of saltwater at 1.025 - what's the best way to raise the existing 1.023 to 1.025?

Also, when I'm taking the readings with a refractometer why does it seem to fluctuate +/- 1ppt day to day? I"m assuming temperature has something to do with it?

 

[Saltyreef]

I did a search on the forum, but still not sure about how to raise the salinity in a safe manner - right now, it's at 1.023, and I'd like to get closer to 1.025

In order to do so, I"m assuming that I need to create a bucket of saltwater at 1.025 - what's the best way to raise the existing 1.023 to 1.025?

Also, when I'm taking the readings with a refractometer why does it seem to fluctuate +/- 1ppt day to day? I"m assuming temperature has something to do with it?

You can simply just top off with 1.025 saltwater instead of fresh water until the tank reaches target.

Also, in regards to the refracto, if you arent taking readings from the same temp sample, it will differ slightly and a chart is needed.

I like using this hydrometer i float in a bucket of 77 degree salt water before i do a water change.

High Precision Hydrometer

Ensure that your equipment is reading correctly and your aquarium is at the right salinity with Tropic Marin's High Precision Hydrometer. Many tank inhabitants are sensitive even to minor changes of the water conditions. Unfortunately as we've all experienced, salinity reading equipment as...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[RaymondL]

Thank you! I wanted to add as well here: when I picked up the Clownfish at the LFS they mentioned that their water is at 1.024, and I did the acclimation, but it never occured to me to check their water when I got home from the bag..I did after the fact, and it was 1.028!!! My water was at 1.024, so it's a 0.04 difference. I hope the clown will be ok. Anyhow, I know now for next time.

 

[RaymondL]

You can simply just top off with 1.025 saltwater instead of fresh water until the tank reaches target.

Also, in regards to the refracto, if you arent taking readings from the same temp sample, it will differ slightly and a chart is needed.

I like using this hydrometer i float in a bucket of 77 degree salt water before i do a water change.

High Precision Hydrometer

Ensure that your equipment is reading correctly and your aquarium is at the right salinity with Tropic Marin's High Precision Hydrometer. Many tank inhabitants are sensitive even to minor changes of the water conditions. Unfortunately as we've all experienced, salinity reading equipment as...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

When it comes to do a water change - ie. 20% per se, am I okay to use the 1.025 water....hoping that's not too much all at once.

 

[Saltyreef]

Thank you! I wanted to add as well here: when I picked up the Clownfish at the LFS they mentioned that their water is at 1.024, and I did the acclimation, but it never occured to me to check their water when I got home from the bag..I did after the fact, and it was 1.028!!! My water was at 1.024, so it's a 0.04 difference. I hope the clown will be ok. Anyhow, I know now for next time.

Yea in this instance, you would want to just drip acclamate the clownfish over a couple to a few hours. They sell contraptions to make it easy. I just use a couple pieces of tubing for a siphon with knots tied in them for varying levels of flow.
I would not change my salinity for one specimen though.

 

[Saltyreef]

When it comes to do a water change - ie. 20% per se, am I okay to use the 1.025 water....hoping that's not too much all at once.

Yea you should be fine here

 

[Dburr1014]

I did a search on the forum, but still not sure about how to raise the salinity in a safe manner - right now, it's at 1.023, and I'd like to get closer to 1.025. I have clownfish in the tank - nothing else at the moment in terms of livestock

In order to do so, I"m assuming that I need to create a bucket of saltwater at 1.025 - what's the best way to raise the existing 1.023 to 1.025?

Also, when I'm taking the readings with a refractometer why does it seem to fluctuate +/- 1ppt day to day? I"m assuming temperature has something to do with it?

You want to raise it 0.002 safely?
That is hardly any amount. Take a cup of water out of you sump, add salt to it, mix it up, dump back in the sump.

 

[exnisstech]

I say salt in the ATO also. As to adding fish, I have found putting them into lower salinity from higher is rarely a concern. I have a lfs that keeps their water at 1.015 and I've seen them dump fish in from 1.025 with no I'll effects. It's fish I brought in and went back to check on later. Won't buy there any longer, as the low salinity hides too many things that pop up later.

 

[Rmckoy]

Use mixed saltwater to top off .
when it’s at proper salinity switch top off water to freshwater

 

[RaymondL]

Yea in this instance, you would want to just drip acclamate the clownfish over a couple to a few hours. They sell contraptions to make it easy. I just use a couple pieces of tubing for a siphon with knots tied in them for varying levels of flow.
I would not change my salinity for one specimen though.

Well, the dumb thing on my part, I took the word of the staff saying that their salinity was 1.025, so since mine was close, I didn't drop acclimate for more than 40 mins! Had I tested and known that it was 1.028, I'd for sure do things completely different.

It's now day 2 - the clown I think is okay. He's swimming okay, but at certain times he does the clown swimming behavior, which is swimming vertically - I thought I was in trouble, but some folks said it's common among clowns to swim that way. (I hope that's true!)

 

[RaymondL]

I say salt in the ATO also. As to adding fish, I have found putting them into lower salinity from higher is rarely a concern. I have a lfs that keeps their water at 1.015 and I've seen them dump fish in from 1.025 with no I'll effects. It's fish I brought in and went back to check on later. Won't buy there any longer, as the low salinity hides too many things that pop up later.

That is an interesting: From high salinity to lower salinity is less damaging than the other way around. I'm wondering if there's any proven scientific data to support that as well. I was wondering the same this morning actually!

 

[exnisstech]

I have no data, not a science kinda guy. I also can't state for fact that going from high to low is less damaging than the other way. I've just witnessed it first hand going from high to low, more than once didn't cause any problem. But who knows, there could be long term effects from it, I have no way of knowing.

 

[Dburr1014]

I have no data, not a science kinda guy. I also can't state for fact that going from high to low is less damaging than the other way. I've just witnessed it first hand going from high to low, more than once didn't cause any problem. But who knows, there could be long term effects from it, I have no way of knowing.

Actually Jay Hemdal says high to low is okay and low to high go slow. It's in the qt process he wrote in the fish section sticky.

 

[glennf]

Use a refractometer to get the right salinity value in ppt. (part per thousand)
Check your mayority minerals i.e. magnesium and calcium
Top them up to the right values
Measure salinity again
If still lower higher than required topup with NaCl (softener salt)

Use this calculator for the minerals calculations http://dsrreefing.com/compactcalc/

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

If it’s fish only then 1.023 is fine. If u want to add nems then bump it to 1.026

 

[RaymondL]

Use a refractometer to get the right salinity value in ppt. (part per thousand)
Check your mayority minerals i.e. magnesium and calcium
Top them up to the right values
Measure salinity again
If still lower higher than required topup with NaCl (softener salt)

Use this calculator for the minerals calculations http://dsrreefing.com/compactcalc/

Yup, using a refractometer - but as I'm told, the value read on the instrument is reflective of the temperature of the water, so there's always going to be a +/- reading, and I"m wondering if I read it at 1.025 it might very well be 1.023, or even 1.027 depending on the temperature.

Oh wait.....duh! I could just calibrate the refractometer at the same temperature as the water to eliminate this issue. I have 2 buckets stored in a room - 1 is RODI and the other is saltwater - I should be calibrating the refractometer with the RODI first then measure the saltwater prior to using the saltwater at any given time - does this sound logical?

 

[Dburr1014]

Yup, using a refractometer - but as I'm told, the value read on the instrument is reflective of the temperature of the water, so there's always going to be a +/- reading, and I"m wondering if I read it at 1.025 it might very well be 1.023, or even 1.027 depending on the temperature.

Oh wait.....duh! I could just calibrate the refractometer at the same temperature as the water to eliminate this issue. I have 2 buckets stored in a room - 1 is RODI and the other is saltwater - I should be calibrating the refractometer with the RODI first then measure the saltwater prior to using the saltwater at any given time - does this sound logical?

Nope, need a standard.
Randy Holmes-Farley has an article on how to make one of you don't have one.

 

[aurora.k]

looks like you got this resolved, but FWIW if I want to raise my salinity I add extra SW at the same salinity as the tank and let it evaporate to normal tank water levels, thus the salinity slowly raises as the extra H20 evaporates. I also do continuous AWC so I just set my replacement water at the right levels since the amount changed at any time is very low, too low to really affect salinity in a meaningful way in a short period. this just happened to me because my AWC tube got clogged so new saltwater wasn't being added at the same rate the old saltwater was being removed, so the ATO filled with RODI water. (lots of acronyms...). Luckily I noticed the salinity going down on my apex.

 

[Koh23]

I newer check any water parameter that is in the bag, not for sw fish, not for fw fish.....

That fact is important as information how humidity in air was two days ago....

Only thing that is inportant is to acclimatise fish to your condition, and that makes info about water parameters in bag meaningless....

So, aclimate during some shorter amount of time, and dont worry, i heard somewhere that in sea exist something called currents, which can bring warmer/colder water, of water with different salinity...

 

[glennf]

Yup, using a refractometer - but as I'm told, the value read on the instrument is reflective of the temperature of the water, so there's always going to be a +/- reading, and I"m wondering if I read it at 1.025 it might very well be 1.023, or even 1.027 depending on the temperature.

Oh wait.....duh! I could just calibrate the refractometer at the same temperature as the water to eliminate this issue. I have 2 buckets stored in a room - 1 is RODI and the other is saltwater - I should be calibrating the refractometer with the RODI first then measure the saltwater prior to using the saltwater at any given time - does this sound logical?

Best is to use the ppt scale. Than it's much easier to apply corrections with the calculator.
no need for temperature correction because nowadays moste have ATC.
Use a reference at 33 or 35 ppt is most accurate way of calibration