What do you do with the salt creep?

[fishfreek]

Ok. Im reading the book Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner

And I get to a page where it talks about salt mixing and water and all that fun stuff.

Well anyway he says that aquarist should put the salt creep back INTO the tank. just making sure it does not land on an invert. Well I found that strange because in another book that I read back when i started saltwater The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S Paletta said to NOT add this salt to the tank and to just collect it and remove it.

Paletta's justification i belive had to do with the salt having the ability to burn fish and inverts if added directly to the tank and putting salt creep back into the tank your effectivly adding salt mix into the tank.

Fenner seems to contradict himself cause he says salt shold be mixed in a seperate contaner and let to airate/mix for atleast 24hrs but better for a longer period. Yet advocates adding the salt creep (basicly salt mix that has been reconstuted) directly into the tank.

Whats everyones view on this? Peronslly I perfer Paletta's view on this aspect.

 

[Fishgirl]

I perfer to let the salt disolve in a bucket of water before adding it to the tank. I have never airrated it before but have read that you did that a long time ago.

Bucket method for me. I worried adding the salt directly cause I saw it float right down to the bottom and yes it may still dissolve but it bothered me that I couldn't stir it up!

I have a book on the chemicals and maintenace of saltwater. I wish I knew where it was to look up what this author says. Somewhere in those 100000 boxes I haven't unpacked yet.

Gina and her 2 cents

 

[fishfreek]

your method is good fishgirl. I was talking about the salt buildup that occures around power cords, filter output's and such.

I was just suprised to see this author suggesting that it be ok to just put this salt buildup back into the tank.

 

[Bang Guy]

I remove it. Reason being is that by drying out the chemical composition will never be the same. All the Ca had precipitated with the Carbonate, etc.

It is no different than adding rock salt to your tank. Sure, it contains some trace elements but during the evap/condensing proceedure it has combined into crystals or combined with another element.

Ditch it or put it in a bottle and tell your significant other that it's g e n u i n e sea salt.

 

[Fishgirl]

OH!! Sorry! Well I guess I learned something. That stuff was called saltwater creep. Live and learn that's what is great about this club. I am a blond in real like and it shows up on the computer somehow! LOL

Ok let me try this again...I throw that stuff away. Just didn't think it looked healthy to put back in the tank.

~Gina once again with her 2 cents talking about the right thing this time.

 

[steph30]

I always just throw mine away too. I've never really had a reason, it just seemed like the thing to do

Stephanie

 

[Bob Ashcraft]

I really can't imagine how it could matter one way or another, but there's one thing you need to remember, by not adding it back in, you're decreasing the salinity of the water.

If it's added back into the main tank, it won't hurt the fish, but if the salt lands on a coral, it will irritate it until it dissolves.

Personally, I just put it back in and I've never had a problem.

 

[roadster3043]

I remove the salt creep since I have seen that some of it has lint, hairs and other stuff.

 

[Guest]

by not adding it back in, you're decreasing the salinity of the water

Simply not true. The ratio of salt creep to evaporatin of pure water is about 1 to 10. How many times have you tested your salinity or salt content and noticed it drop without adding fresh water to your system. In fact, if you let the water evaporate and you have salt creep all over your canopy, your salinity is going to be greater than what you started with..that is why we use fresh water for top off water.

I remove the salt creep since I have seen that some of it has lint, hairs and other stuff.

Very sensible. Would you eat the dust off of your furniture? I am sure that your fish don't like it either. I realize some of it is going to go back into the tank as you are cleaning it, however, I don't treat the fish that way.

Some put it in, some don't, it really is up to you. To each his own.

Besides, the crystals that form are not pure salt. There are some impurities that are included in that creep. Good to get rid of. JMO

 

[Casie]

Neat topic!

This is gonna show what kinda g33k I am, but anyway... I've been "growing" this salt creep stalagtite for 4 months. It is from salt buildup on the bracing of my overflow.

I'm hoping it reaches the trim molding around the base of the tank by 2004! =P

And I'll admit to knocking other bits of saltcreep into the overflow to be redissolved. I hadn't thought of it being dirty... Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Hara]

I use a damp papertowel to remove the saltcreep every time I scrape the algae or whenever I have to remove the lighting...

what I want to know is how you get the deposits off the glass top, I know it has to cut down on light intensity. (we have to have the top due to the snowflake)

 

[Guest]

Take the tops and lay them in the bath tub, or stand them up in the shower
use white vinegar. Put vinegar in a good heavy duty spray bottle and spray generously. Let stand for 10 min and spray again. let stand for another 5 min and wipe of with a damp sponge and rinse well. If it is too bad, you can use a x fine stell wool and buff the glass. I do this and my glas stays clear and lights are brighter

 

[Guest]

Forgot to mention. Salt is a type of astringent. It is used in baths to help certain skin disorders and to soften water.. If you leave your bag of salt open for very long, it will weep and soak up a lot of moisture and in this moisture is the bad stuff we breath. I know no-one likes to admit that their house would have germs floating around in the air, however, they are everywhere. This ends u in the salt creep as it (Hangs on the back of the tank) He he...no pun intended,,, and absorbs all of this stuff. I don't think I would like it ground up in my spahgetti sauce...Anyway, I know that our aquariums arent pure oxygen fed and vaccum sealed so, in effect, you are going to get all of this stuff regardless of whether it is salt creep or air exchange in the water. In that, it is going to aquire impurities anyway no matter what we do.

What did I just say here? It is still to each his own. JMO

 

[troutman11111]

i've been putting it back in the tank for 12yrs now ,with the current in the tank it desolves fast. never had a problem. can't say the salanity has changed either. with your normal water changes its a matter of cleaning it or putting it back in the tank. 8)