Salt Creep??

Anyone got a good way of controlling salt creep??..I'm wiping it off everyday it seems.

[Biggen]

That is about the most fool proof method for cleaning it off. There are a few products on the market that say they eliminate salt creep. supposedly you spray them on your equipment, tank lid, etc... and the salt does not form there. I have never tried them. I think it is just as easy to wipe it off, myself.

http://www.esuweb.com/products/339Coralife_Maintenance_Products_Salt_Creep_Elimin ator_SALT_CREEP_ELIMINATOR_QUART_(PROTECTS_AGAINST _SALT_DAMAGE).htm

[fishfreek]

Where are you getting this creep. The creep does not occcur unless saltwater is ending up at or near those locations. The ensuing salt creep is from the water evaporating away and the salt and other trace elements being left behind.

If your having real big issues with it then it sounds like your having a problem with splashing water.

The salt creep is always all over my glass lids and my skimmer exit tubes..

[fishfreek]

Most of us run our tanks with out glass lids. Your skimmer exit tubes would be normal for saltcreep since that is an area of water exit.

[pipermurphy]

The salt creep I get is at my overflow where it meets the tanks side, due to one fan blowing in and across the top of the tank to the other that blows out, should I change its direction and have both fans blow out rather than across?

[louis]

Fishfreak, may I ask why you don't use a glass cover on your tank?

[Biggen]

Fishfreak, may I ask why you don't use a glass cover on your tank?

I'm not FF, but I may be able to answer your question. At the least, I can tell you why I don't use a lid either.

Lids do a couple of things to a reef tank that is undesirable. First they trap heat. Most reef tanks have extraordinary lighting used to keep corals. With all these bulbs burning, heat could easily trap underneath the lid and cause the water to heat too much. Without a lid, the heat escapes into the atmosphere causing a small impact on the temperature of the water. Some larger tanks with larger lights still have temperature increases without lids, however, the increases are smaller had there been a lid on the tank to begin with.

The second reason quite a few people run "lid-less" tanks is because it helps in gas exchange. Without a lid, the tank can vent off CO2 that builds up in the system. High levels of CO2 can contribute to a lower than wanted pH. O2 can also enter the water easier with without a lid acting as a barrier.

[louis]

Thanks for the reply. I'm setting up a new tank now. Does the moisture damage or warp your canopy? How about salt creep all up in your light fixtures and controls? not a problem or just the lesser of the evils? Do you have a ton of evaporization? I don't think I'll have a problem with gas exchange or heat because I'm going to have such a large volume of extra water in the loop in the basement.

[scuba_steve]

louis i take my light strips off ever month and wipe them down !! bulbs and all !! which is a good habit if ya ask me !! i run my water down to the basement as well and dont have any lids on tank or the fuge or sump !! it dropped the water down by like 5 degrees with the water going into the basement !! the prob i ran into was the water falling from the 1st floor to the basement would cause alot of water splash or to many large bubbles splashing !! what i did was used a 4" pvc tube about 10" taller than the 55 gallon tank and drilled 1/2 holes around the bottom of the tube then dropped it into the corner of the 55gal fuge !! then dropped the water line from the first floor right into the 4" pvc !! all the splash stays in the 4"tube and then flows out the holes in main directions !! just food for thought

[louis]

Good idea! Since I have no experience with this just yet, tell me what you think. I thought I could just have the return lines end under the water level of the tank in the basement. Is that what you had before and had the bubble problem? my 150 tank has only 2 overflows with a 1200 GPH max draining out in two 1" pvc pipes. How many GPH are you draining and what size pipes are you using? Is it loud upstairs? Loud in the basement? Any and all info is appreciated since I will be dry walling the wall downstairs and i'd like to get it right the first time.

[scuba_steve]

well my set up is on the weird side for sure but a can never leave things be always trying something new but this is what i use as of now !! 90gal reef with a 55 gal fuge and a 30 gal sump !! the 90 came with a wet dry which i left in place with out the bio balls ! the over flow runs from the display into the wet/dry and then down into the basement via a 1" 1/4 line (had made out of pvc a return nozzle which led to alot of salt creep and splashing so i came up with the 4" pvc to contain the splash and withthe holes around the bottom so if anything only little bubble come out not enough to pop and really cause a big mess ) as for my return pumps in the basement i have a mag drive 24 (2400 gph)which is split to run the skimmer i made and to push water to the main floor !! when the water reachs the main floor i have it running into a quiteone 6000 (1500 gph)pump booster pump then to my main tank !! also in the wet/dry as the water trickles thru (the loudest issue i have ) i put a mag drive 9.5 (950 gph) to return water back into the maintank ! so basically half run down stairs and half is pumped back into the main tank !! as for the returns back up stairs i used 3/4" return line !! inside the 90 i also use 3 maxijet 1200 (900 gph) which are on a timer on off every 15 min and a via aqua 4900 (1321 gph) ! when i do this again i would go with prob a mag 36 !! it takes alot of ummmmf to move water up 14 feet or so !! still not happy with the amount of water flow per say but my guess is about 800 gph dropping down stairs !! the skimmer uses about 1200 gph so that 2700 gph pumping up via two pumps @ 14' head drops it down to mabe 800 !! the reason i thinking down to 800 is the cpr over flow on the 55 gallon fuge is about maxed out and its rated for 800 gph!! take alot more than i ever thought !! hope this helps and nottttt to winded hehehe

[louis]

WOW thanks.