Salinity

[Guest]

Ok guys and girls I have been keeping my salinity between 1020 and 1022
I'm hearing from other members that they keep theres at 1035 like the ocean, I'm confused because all the fish stores here in Florida tell you between 1020 and 1023 unless your doing corals
This is interesting to me as it seems you always learn something new
what do you all keep yours at and why

 

[scuba_steve]

fish only .020-.023 is ok inverts and corals like .025 better .035 is not natural seawater !! ya live in florida take ya hydrometer to the ocean ! it will be .025 on the nose

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the info ,I keep mine around 021 ,some of the other members were telling me that 035 is where you should be ,all the fish stores say the same as you between 020 - 023
I don't have any corals just fish and live rock

 

[Atari]

Let's not confuse ppt with sg..

NSW = 35 ppt = 1.025 SG

 

[Guest]

so the gauges you buy from the local store reads sg ?

 

[Atari]

They could be either.. it's pretty easy to tell by the numbering.

If the numbers look like 1.020.. 1.021.. etc then it's SG.

If the numbers look like 31.. 32.. 33. etc then it's ppt.

Here's a pic of the two scales in a refractometer..

 

[Guest]

Ok I have the SG so 1.021 is ok to be?

 

[Atari]

It's your call really.. 1.025 is what the fish would be living in if they were in the wild. 1.021 may or may not have any long term effects on the physiology of the fish but other than saving a bit of salt what reason is there not to follow nature?

 

[Atari]

I just noticed that according to that refractometer, 35 ppt is actually 1.026.

 

[Guest]

I don't really worry about saving money when it comes to my fish ,I just keep it at tha level because that's what all the fish stores tell you ,what do you keep yours at

 

[Atari]

1.025.. it's a reef tank though so it doesn't do too well if it gets much lower than that.

 

[WarOrks15]

well i would go with 1.023 1.021 is a little low.

 

[Guest]

I'm not sure what I should do, mine has been at 021 for almost a year and my fish have trippled there size

 

[Guest]

Do it slow I would think right, like maybe bring it up to 022 this week then 023 by next week

 

[WarOrks15]

yes if you are going to bring it up do it slowly. but it is relly up to you what you keep it at. if you have had it at that sg for some time and every thing has been doing good then keep it at that. but my reef is at 35ppm (about 1.026 sg) but that is a reef.

 

[Atari]

I think 0.001 every couple days is fine.

 

[Guest]

Check out this artical that talks about salinity
Salinity is a measure of how much salt is in the water. The standard measure is in parts per thousand (ppt). Seawater usually has about 28 to 35 parts of salt per 1000 parts of water. As the salt content of water increases, the weight and density of the water also increase. Increased density makes an object float higher. Thus, changes in density can be easily measured as specific gravity with a hydrometer, which floats in the water. The specific gravity of pure water is 1.0000.

Most marine aquarists refer to the salinity of their water in terms of specific gravity, the direct reading on a hydrometer. The true specific gravity of seawater in the 28 to 35 ppt range is 1.0206 to 1.0260, and most marine aquarium systems fall into this range.

It is good to keep the salinity of a marine aquarium a bit lower than ''normal'' seawater. If an old-hand marine aquarist says that he keeps his systems at a salinity of 22, this is short speak for a specific gravity of 1.0220, not 22 ppt — 1.0220 is actually a salinity of 34 ppt at 80 degrees Fahrenheit when measured with a conventionally calibrated hydrometer. A little lower salinity — 1.0210 (at 80 degrees Fahrenheit) or a salinity of 32 ppt — reduces stress on the fish and keeps the tank in the proper range even when salinity increases a bit due to water evaporation. Never add saltwater to a marine aquarium to make up for water lost to evaporation. Only pure water leaves the system; the salt stays behind.

 

[Atari]

I'd like to see evidence to support the theory that it reduces stress.

 

[Guest]

Me to ,I wonder why every fish store or article you read says something different ,was thinking maybe on the web there would be a cut and dry answer but it does not seem that way, this is the first article I read that states what your salinity should be the others kind of leave an open door like they don't have an answer

 

[Guest]

check out this article, as I said they all say something different
When testing your water there are several things that you need to know about your water in order to maintain a healthy tank. First your salinity levels should be about 1.021 and 1.023 is what most people recommend. You don't want to much salt because it can speed up the breathing process which is very deadly to your fish, and you will have to clean up more salt build-up in your filters. Too little salt also can kill your fish. Also you want to keep a pH of about 8.2-8.3 is what most recommend, and is a safe level to keep it at. Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are another good thing to be keeping track of. After your cycle you would want to have your ammonia levels down as much as possible to keep your fish healthy. The levels should be 0 but if you have a little more than that it doesn't matter much because there will always be ammonia present. Your nitrite and nitrate levels also should be down to about 0 and if its at about .25 its still okay, but anything above that can be harmful. The next thing you will want to know is what temperature to be keeping your water at. It is said that most people prefer about 77 degrees F. If you have your temperatures fluctuate to much it can cause stress to your fish and they can get diseases, so make sure your heater or chiller is very stable. If you live in a hot area your water may be too hot requiring that you have a chiller.