salt level in the water

[proverbs]

i believe i saw that the ideal salt level is around 1.2 - 1.25. currently my meter reads at 1.31. this means that i have to add fresh water to my tank, correct? TIA.

 

[lando]

Salinity and SG will range, depending on what you have in your tank. NSW has a salinity of 35ppt which represents a SG of 1.027. For most reef tanks, a salinity of 34-35ppt (SG 1.025-1.026) will sufice. FOWLR tanks can get by with lower salinity levels, 30-33ppt (SG 1.021-1.024) Keep in mind that this is also dpendant on temp, but in the home aquarium itwill not matter too much. If you are using one of those "swing arm" hydrometers I suggest you bring it to the LFS and have them test it to their water using a refractometer. The swing arm models are notorious for not being accurate.

 

[Ziggy953]

I have a reef and I personally keep my SG at 1.024 everything seems very happy with that....How do you take care of the evaporation on your tank? Could this be the reason that your SG is higher? Water will evaporate but the salt does not.

 

[lando]

Water will evaporate but the salt does not.

this is a very good point. When topping off the water level to compensate for evaporation, you should be using FW. As stated, salt does not evaporae. And, I am sure you know, when doing a PWC use aged SW.

 

[tecwzrd]

The SG levels have already been addressed but in case you are wondering about all the other "proper levels" read Reef Aquarium Water Parameters for more info.

Also your SG can vary greatly depending on what you use to measure it and if it's properly calibrated. Are you using a swing arm, floating hydrometer, or refractometer?