”Micro diluting” the saltwater

[subarcticreef]

Whenever a drop of saltwater ends up in the skimmer cup it is replaced with RO by the ATO. If you remove algae from the display or the refugium, some 80 % of the weight corresponds to saltwater and is is replaced by RO. So over time the saltwater is diluted.
A tank is a very delicate system with little tolerance for changes I suspect this could have a negative impact. So what if one immediately would replace the saltwater from the skimmer cup with an equal volume of fresh saltwater etc?

What do you think? Could micro dilution be a problem?

 

[bertoni]

Such dilution could cause problems over the long term. There are some counterbalancing factors to dilution, though. Adding two-part supplements will increase the salinity over time, sometimes much more strongly than dilution due to skimmer losses. I measured salinity every month or so, and that should be frequently enough for most systems.

Tossing a cup or two of fresh saltwater or plain fresh water into my 29g systems from time to time seemed to be enough to keep the salinity quite stable.

 

[Timfish]

Like Bertoni pointed out over a long period of time it might be a problem, especially if an aquarist isn't checking their system. There is certainly species specific responses and prefferences but corals have to deal with changes all the time due to upwelling, rain (including cyclones and hurricanes), and evaporation (which can be substantial in lagoons especially if one has a limited access to the ocean).

 

[dz6t]

If you keep up with frequent water change and keep an eye on the salinity. You should be fine.


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[Sk8r]

It's not that complicated if you just run your weekly tests. If you need to raise salinity, do one topoff with saltwater.

 

[foxymusik]

My nano remains stable, wether topped up with 3l or 8l of RO.


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