what's your salinity at? - Aquarium Advice

thecamino · 11-05-2009, 12:56 AM

Hi guys i've been running fowlr tanks for about 4 years now and i usually keep my sg between .016 an .018 to reduce parsites. what do you guys keep yours at?

atte · 11-05-2009, 10:14 AM

I've only recently gotten into this but I keep my tank around .021 sg.

CaptainAhab · 11-05-2009, 10:18 AM

.024/.025-ish. Why do you think that .016 reduces parasites?

Edit: Is it proven or anecdotal?

austinsdad · 11-05-2009, 10:28 AM

.024 - .025 also

Jaybird · 11-05-2009, 02:04 PM

1.025....and when I'm bad it gets to 1.026....then I add a lot more RO water.

Zer0 · 11-05-2009, 02:14 PM

I keep mine in the realm of 1.023 - 1.026. What kind of livestock do you have in your tank? That low of a salinity doesn't seem all that good to me. Natural sea water is around 1.026-.027, so having it that low i don't think will bring any good. Also, there are other ways to keep parasites at bay.. assuming you do even have parasites. Keeping the salinity that low is not recommended, especially if that is the normal salinity that your tank is at.

**ccCapt** · 11-05-2009, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecamino

i usually keep my sg between .016 an .018 to reduce parsites.

I keep my salinity at 35 ppt (1.026) which is the average salinity of the reefs throughout the world.
Not sure where you heard dropping your SG to 1.016-1.018 will reduce parasites. That Specific Gravity has no affect on parasites. You need to drop it to ~1.009 SG or ~14 ppt.

abrahamavelar · 11-05-2009, 04:42 PM

i keep mine between 1.023 and 1.025 it depends on the week for some reason either goes up or goes down but it never goes higher than 1.025 or lower than 1.023

thecamino · 11-05-2009, 05:42 PM

I only stock marine (triggers,tangs,loinfish for examples)fish in my tank and they do well in the low salinity. obviously i couldn't keep it that low if i had corals or invertebrates. Fish if properly acclimated will adapt to the salinity and parasites which are an invertebrate of some sort will die in time of osmotic shock. However not as quickly as .009. I've been advised to do this from a few marine dealers since i have a Fowlr aquarium. The dealers will usually keep there most ich vunerable species in .016 to .0018 before moving them to there reef tanks sort of like quarantining. As far as i've been told there is no long term effects on the fish health either. The reason I'm asking is I'm trying to discuss a few things with people who have experence running there tanks in lower salinty.

**ccCapt** · 11-05-2009, 05:52 PM

Have you read any studies on long term exposure to lower than normal salinity levels leading to an osmotic imbalance and kidney problems in fish?

http://www.ronshimek.com/salinity_temperature.html
"The bottom line for salinities is simple. There is simply no reason at all to maintain the salinities of our systems below normal reef conditions. All reef inhabitants will suffer damage from prolonged exposure to lowered salinities. Invertebrates kept at low salinities often die within a few days to a few months. Given that corals, sea anemones, sponges and some other invertebrates have no old age or senescence (or to put it another way, they are immortal), low salinities result in a quick death. Some mollusks, crustaceans, and most fish kept at low salinities die of kidney failure; it just takes them longer. A fish which dies in a couple of years in a hyposaline aquarium may have had the potential to live more than 20 years had the salinity been appropriate."