Raising Salinity/SG

[second2n0ne]

I would like to raise my SG to the 1.025 range.  Should I just do water changes with make up water that is within the target range?  Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[Smokey Joe]

I assume you have rock/fish/corals in it?  If I was just cycling the tank with rock and no animals I would probably feel safe in just adding salt mix to the tank directly.  If I had animals I'd raise the specific gravity through water changes or even better topping off with salt water.  Maybe mixing water to 0.002 higher than the tank water with each successive change if you chose the water change route.

[HuBu]

or slowly add salt into the water thru the HOB filter. put a teaspoon at a time until you get the SG to the level you want.

[printerdown01]

I would go ahead and raise the SG with water changes... Go ahead and mix at 1.023 or 1.025 (no more than 10% change). It will send a shock to the tank for about a day... By tomorrow  everything will be ok. Do this once a week until the tank is closer to the 1.025 mark then you will obviously have to mix at 1.026 or so in order to get the tank to stabalize at 1.025.

 

Another option, to allow for a more gradual transition is to not top off! Seriously, this will slowly raise you SG over the course of the week. Then when you preform water changes just set the SG of the change at whatever you tank is at. This is one way to raise SG without shocking anything at all!

[Jefe12234]

Topping off with saltwater is probably the least stressful way to raise salinity. Just keep doing that until you get to your target value, then switch back to freshwater. It'll be a slow, constant rise.

 

-Chris

[printerdown01]

Oh Oh good idea Jefe12234!! -very nice!

[gabe3eb]

Hubu, your method would seriously mess with the gas exchange, even if done so very slowly I believe. The easiest way to raise your SG is to use salt water as top off... I was excited about posting this until I read that Jefe beat me to it hehehe. Also, there is nothing wrong with an SG of 1.025, however, that is towards the top of the acceptable level... meaning if you went with 1.023 and couldn't make it to the store to get RO water or were out of town for the weekend, evaporation wouldn't be as harmful if your SG was raised by .002 as it would if you started with 1.025... see what I mean? HTH

gaber

[second2n0ne]

Thanks for all your replies...I knew better than to add salt directly to the tank but the advice is appreciated Hubu.  I will add salt water to my EG3 (top off device) and monitor it until it reaches the correct SG.  I will take gabe3eb's advice and bring the SG to 1.023.

[Sahin]

I would either change it by wate changes or use top ups to slowly increase the salinity.

[Jefe12234]

I don't mean to disagree, but... ok I do mean to disagree. I think a SG of 1.025 would be just about perfect. Here's an article about natural reef temps and salinities.

 

http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/19...s/1/default.asp

 

It states that the average salinity of ocean reefs is 35-38ppt. For the temps that most people maintain, a SG of 1.025-1.026 falls right in the middle of that. The upper average is actually more like 1.027. And it says that higher salinities are more tolerable than lower salinities. So a SG of 1.025 with an accidental spike to 1.026 or 1.027 should be fine for most animals.

 

Just giving you another point of view.

 

-Chris

[HuBu]

sorry about the mis-information guys. now i know better.

[gabe3eb]

Hey Jefe, thanks a whole lot for that info,,, I was planning on taking my hydrometer to Honduras with me next fall. My dad just told me that my graduation present was a dive trip to Roatan, Honduras (CoCo View Resort). I am sooo excited, I haven't dove in around 2 years now and it is killing me! I am definately going to do water tests on the stuff down there haha, call me crazy... Glad to hear those numbers though Jefe, I always run a bit high and from what I have read 1.026 was a bit too high, but that is what i do sometimes run at...

gaber