instant ocean salt

[slapshot16]

Mix your salt and water together. Add it to the tank. Check the SG and add more salt if it is low. If it is high, add more water. Once you have your SG where you want it, keep an eye on it for a few days to make sure it is stable. Salt does not evaporate. Water evaporates. When your water level drops because of evaporation, add plain water. If you add saltwater as your top off water, you are adding more salt and therefore increasing your SG.

 

[mcrbar910]

So when I do water swaps is when I would use more salt? Also is it correct that even if I put 12 gallons of water due to rock will be taking up space I still use the amount of salt for the aquarium. In this case 24 gallon. He told me to use the whole box that 25 gallon was close enough and to ignore how much water that it was based on aquarium size.

 

[snarkes]

Well aside from maintaining your SG in the tank (around 1.025), the only other time you would be mixing salt would be when you are doing your water changes. Only mix the salt as per the instructions, so 1/4 per gallon for example. Dont pour 24 gallons worth of mix into twelve gallons. Sounds like you need to get a new LFS.

 

[chocolateblnt]

If you are just topping off because of evaporation then yes only add water because salt does not evaporate but if you do a WC then you take out water and salt so you have to replace the salinity back to where it needs to be.

 

[midknight]

I always make my mix on the lighter side. I find it much easier to add more salt than to take it out.
Also mix it out side the tank in buckets. That way if you have extra water left over you can use that later on for your water changes. IMO

 

[vanmo92]

I have always used IO and never had a problem. I dont have corals or inverts though.

 

[mcrbar910]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7388402#post7388402

I officially have started my first saltwater tank tonight check it out

 

[Brooks_McClary]

Mcrbar,

Please take it slow. DONT trust your LFS (local fish store). It appears that they are worse than clueless. My frends here in OR and I often "rescue" doomed corals we find at the LFS because if we dont buy them the store will just sit by and watch them die without doing a thing.

ASK a lot of questions. My tank is over a year old and I still feel like a total noob.

Water changes are a BASIC of reef keeping. Get a good hydrometer and premix your salt water. make sure your replacing your water change water with water of the same salinity. What is your salinity at currently?

An easy way that I make sure that I keep my salinity stable is to always to a fresh water top off before my water change so that my tank is exactly at 1.025 SG. Then, I always add my water change salt water at the same SG.

BTW, our local tap water in Oregon has a ton of phosphates in it. I am paying the price!!! Use RO water.

 

[mcrbar910]

1.024 just checked the water. I did ro/di water too because of yucky local water.