salinity level

[thefatman]

quick question on salinty.

when i set up this tank, the lfs told me that for fowler i would need 1.022 - 1.024 and for reef i would need 1.024 - 1.026

i have been keeping the tank at 1.0245

the new lfs told me today that's too high .that for fowlr it should be 1.019 and for reef it should be 1.022

is this true? and if so, what's the best way to bring it down. just siphon off a few gallons and add fresh ro with no salt..

or does it need to be done extremely slowly?

[uurt]

If you're doing water change, just go a litttle less saline. Most things do prefer the 1.020-22 range.
Lee

[Tpeck]

Hey TFM,

I have been following your tank, seeing that it is new, take a deep breath and let it stabilize. Do your research, pick the paramerters that work for your tank and equipment. For example: on my 75g I never followed my Ph that close, had salinity at about 1.022, and had chiller set to 75. My tank looked great but was not growing...if you know what I mean. I read lots of archive material on settings. Changed salinity to 1.024-1.025, temp 81 and Ph 8.3 as high as 8.6. I did all these changes very slowly so It wouldnt shock my live stock. Since these changes my tank has responded in just 3 weeks. I had them stabilized right b4 I went to Europe, came back Friday after 2 weeks gone and cant believe the growth and movement that has taken place.

These settings work in my tank with my equipment...this works for me, others will tell you diffent settings that work for them as well. Pick where you want your settings, get them to the set points and let run stabilized for 6 months. You should be able to tell the reaction by how your livestock responds.

As for lfs, they are a great source for Q & A but always verify what they tell you on your own and you will be amazed what you will find. I did the same, came across a DIY Nilsen reactor and top off. Read all about it, made it and my tank loves it. It raises Ca a little high but can see every day what it is doing for the tank and Ph stability.

Good luck

[PaintGuru]

This of course, as with everything in SW, is a hotly debated question. Many "reef"keepers keep their tanks as high as 1.026 (but the range is what you said initially, 024-026). This is because I believe some study was done that these are natural ocean parameters. So of course everyone went on a crusade to get people to change their tanks from lower salt levels to these higher levels. I personally think the more important issue is large salinity fluctuations, not necessarily the level. I keep mine around 023-024. I am sure if we did a poll, we would have people ranging from 021-028. And to be honest, if you aren't having any problems, why change because of what the LFS says .

[Doug1]

JAy LFS have went low on Salinity for years , fish tolerate it and the theory is better oxygenation,as the higher salinity the less dissolved O2 it will hold. Look at most LFS holding tanks, you can see why they might want an edge as it were, not to mention that skimping on the salt over the long run cuts expenses(I dont think so, but)
NSW ave 1.024-1.026 and some environs ie Red Sea are more. You don't need peszact but close and steady is GOOD, specially for inverts 1.022 aint gonna make em happy long term, IME

[thefatman]

cool i've kept it stabile at 1.0245 for this long , i'm jsut goign to keep it there then.

my worry was drastically changing it in a matter of minutes from 1.0245 down to 1.0220 like the lfs said!

thanks guys