adding salt... the right way?

[guitarstryng]

heya ll, so my tanks been set up almost a montha nd a half, and i just added some small cheap fish at first... well anyway, whens hould i add more salt... the salt is dropping, and im curious when and how to add more the right way? when i do water changes? any help or explaination on how to do it right would be appreciated!!!! PS what kind of lighting for a white neon tip anenome? should i keep the tank lighting on a specific schedule of any kind! help out the rookie!!! thanks!

 

[stusclan]

You add your salt water when you do your water changes. I do about 20% every other week. Mix your salt in a separate container with a heater and ph. Let is sit for at least 24 - 48 hours to mix properly and get the right temperature. I also make sure my ph is correct before adding. You don't have to add salt if you are just doing a top off - the salt doesn't evaporate with the water. Some people on this forum do water changes every week, I've been successful with everyother week.

I don't know anything about lighting for the anemone, since I am not at that stage of the game yet. It is recommended to have your tank mature before adding one -mine is only 5 months old.
HTH

 

[lando]

Great advice by stusclan. It is very important to premix your SW and ensure it is the same temp and SG as the tank water before adding it. It is strange that your SG is dropping. As water evaporates from your tank the salt stays behind. This should cause your SG to increase. this is why all top-offs must be done with freshwater. Are you using SW for your top-offs? As for the anenome...skip it for now. Wait until you have a handle on water parameters and everything is stabel and until you have the proper lighting. Take it slow, one thing at a time. Lando

 

[malkore]

minimum time from setup to adding an 'easy' anemone is 6 months to a year. definitely hold off on it until later, especially since you don't mention any specific tank specs like size, lighting, inhabitants, or the chemistry (which are all crucial)

 

[guitarstryng]

thanks alot guys you are alot of help.... im have been adding fresh water to the top offs. is that ok? ok so maybe i should take the anenomes out and stick to just cheap fish for a few months? id like to go reef, and inverts if possible.... let me know what you all think.... if i mix salt with the new water during water changes how much do i do for 20 gallons, 5 gallons?what should i have the salinity levels in the new water be? thanks alot guys

 

[lando]

I think taking back the anenomes for now is a great idea. I also think a future reef tank is a great idea . Give yourself lots of time to research. Also, by a good book on SW aquariums. I like "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner. It will be a great resouce for you (as are all of the great folks here at AA!) For the water changes...5 gals every two to three weeks is great. Keep topping off with fresh water in between. You should keep your SG between 1.022-1.025. Do you have test kits? You should still be keep a close eye on your water parameters, espicially since your tank is new and you are adding livestock. Good luck...Lando.

 

[guitarstryng]

yeah thanks alot... i have all the test kits, the liquid testing kits for ph amm, nitrate, nitrite, hydrometer... the hydrometer is a piece of poo sometimes... takes a bit to get a good reading, always gettin bubbles on the arm and all that.... but right now my levels seem ok, amm at .25, nitrite .25, but i dont really like the liquid testers, its hard to tell the oclors sometimes... my ph looked more like 8.2 and 7.8 then 8.0, know what i mean?? but i did decide its at 8.2.... anything else is hould get? any kind of water conditioners, or medications? just to have just in case? let me know, i really want to do it right

 

[aquafreak]

...i am wondering if the salt film on top of the surface along the glass (et. al.) would decrease the gravity of the water?

 

[SeriousDude5]

I olny add salt when I do water changes on my 65 about 15 gallons every other week and not top offs because when you do a top off the water evaporates and not the salt. When adding salt from your water changes just follow your salt beromiter and you will be all set. Mix well in the bucket though if thats what your using because if its not compleatly disolved you could be adding to much. Good Luck.

 

[Edmonton Eskimo]

just a heads up on any medications. If you ever want to go with corals and inverts don't ever use any copper based meds in your tank as you can never remove it.