salinity flucuations

[hc8719]

currently im cycling my 20 tank, and noticed that the salinity is raised after a 2-3 days, when the water evaps.

while i dont have any fish yet, im curious to know, will this flucuation hurt my tank when i get fish? say my readings go from 1.022 to 1.024 over a course of say a week, will the rise in salt be slow enough that the fish wont notice? or should i stay on them daily?

 

[ellisz]

I think you already know the answer to your question Stability is the key to a successful reef. Will your fish be able to take salinity swings? Probably. They will like it better if the salinity stays the same though. I would try to do daily top offs or looking to a auto top off. Small tanks don't have the ability to absorb changes as well as a large tank. Small changes can cause huge issues in a small tank. I doubt the evaporation will be much unless you are running halides.

HTH

 

[roka64]

It's because the water evaporates and the salt stays in the tank. You should be ok just doing FW top offs, as needed.

 

[melosu58]

I agree that you should be doing FW top offs every day. Put a mark on your tank. Know what your salinity is and fill up to that mark every day. Good luck.

 

[hc8719]

course i understand that water doesnt evaporate, but say what would happen if i was gone for a week? could the fish adjust to .002 salt increase?

 

[roka64]

course i understand that water doesnt evaporate, but say what would happen if i was gone for a week? could the fish adjust to .002 salt increase?

The water does evaporate, not the salt. I believe that is what you meant.
In that case, I would get a fish sitter.

 

[hc8719]

The water does evaporate, not the salt. I believe that is what you meant

thats what i meant, thanks

 

[ellisz]

Auto top offs are nice for vacations. When I am gone for a week or more, I fill up a 40 gal trash can