How to raise salinity properly.

[Mr.Mulley54]

So iv had my tank running for about 2 months now and everything is going smooth, it has been cycled and have added a few fish and coral and all doing very well but my salinity is at 1.024 and id like to raise it and I do have an ato and I'm planning on using that but what do I put in the ato for salinity ? what I want the level to be or higher? So if I want the level to 1.026 should I make the solution 1.026 or higher or lower? Any thoughts ? has anyone raised there salinity level this way and have a formula? Thanks

 

[nmotz]

I'd turn off the ATO for a few days and top off with 1.026 salt water, testing regularly until your tank's salinity reaches the desired level. The important thing is that you don't raise salinity too quickly. Once you reach 1.026, reattach your ATO. I've done this a few times and it's worked pretty well. I wouldn't recommend putting salt in the ATO as you might forget about it and end up increasing salinity too much.

 

[Mr.Mulley54]

I'd turn off the ATO for a few days and top off with 1.026 salt water, testing regularly until your tank's salinity reaches the desired level. The important thing is that you don't raise salinity too quickly. Once you reach 1.026, reattach your ATO. I've done this a few times and it's worked pretty well. I wouldn't recommend putting salt in the ATO as you might forget about it and end up increasing salinity too much.

Thanks for the replay , That's a good point how do you know how much to add as far as quantity with my top off it run off a float valve, do you just keep an eye on it and fill with saltwater to hit the valve roughly?

 

[Potatohead]

I don't turn the ATO off but I do just add some salt water manually when I can see the ATO is going to kick on in the next few hours or whatever. It kicks on a few times a day and I will usually do this once a day until salinity gets where I want it. To go from 1.024 to 1.026 with livestock in the tank I would do it over the course of 5-7 days probably.

 

[scooter31707]

I just fill up my ATO reservoir with 1.026 saltwater until I reach my desire salinity. So basically, I will be topping off with saltwater instead of RO/DI water. Once done rinse out the reservoir and fill back up with RO/DI.

 

[gone fishin]

I have found these calculators to be useful. Look under the salinity tab. Good luck.

https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/

 

[jd371]

I don't turn the ATO off but I do just add some salt water manually when I can see the ATO is going to kick on in the next few hours or whatever. It kicks on a few times a day and I will usually do this once a day until salinity gets where I want it. To go from 1.024 to 1.026 with livestock in the tank I would do it over the course of 5-7 days probably.

This is exactly what I did to bring it from .023 to .025. I'd raise the level in the sump before I'd leave for work in the morning so the ATO wouldn't kick on and add water again when I got home, doing it this way raised it over a few days safely.

 

[Mr.Mulley54]

I have found these calculators to be useful. Look under the salinity tab. Good luck.

https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/

This is awesome thanks!

 

[MondoBongo]

I don't turn the ATO off but I do just add some salt water manually when I can see the ATO is going to kick on in the next few hours or whatever. It kicks on a few times a day and I will usually do this once a day until salinity gets where I want it. To go from 1.024 to 1.026 with livestock in the tank I would do it over the course of 5-7 days probably.

this is what i do if i need to adjust the salinity up as well.

add a relatively small amount of saltwater, let evaporation take some of the fresh water away, test, and then repeat if needed.

gives you a nice, gradual, controlled rise, on your own terms.