Water+SALT=Good Salinity

[Saltyone]

Can anyone tell me or tell me where i can find a website what a good Salt to Water ratio is
What I mean is like how many cups of fresh salt per gallon or 5 gallons of water to make a good salinity. I was told to run my tank at 1.021 that good right???

I just need to know so when i do my 1st water change i know what to mix up thanks

[dward254]

I'm pretty new to sw myself. But, from what I've read, you should mix the water in a seperate container, i.e. 5 gal bucket, so that the salinity of the water in the bucket matches the water in your tank. You can measure the salinity of the water with a hydrometer, an essential piece of equipment for anyone who has a sw tank. Also, you should allow the water you are going to add to sit for a while to insur that all of the salt you added has dissolved, as well as, any other additives you put into your water. Depending on the size of your tank, you could also add new water several other ways. Look throughout the rest of this forum for additional advice. Hope this helps, I know that any information helps when you are just starting.

[aquaman67]

Don't depend on a recipe. If it's wrong, you can kill everything in your tank. What if that "5 gallon bucket" is really only 4.5? See where I'm going?
As stated before, you need to measure the salinity. It only takes a second to check it. A good place to start is 1/2 cup per gallon. That is with Instant Ocean salt. It depends what you are keeping, but natural sea water is closer to 1.025. If you have just fish, 1.021 won't hurt, but if you have or want corals, 1.025 would be a better goal.

[rica5tully]

I've read that a fish-only tank would be perfectly fine at about 1.020 or 1.021. It also takes less effor for them to osmoregulate (keep the balance between the salt in the water and the salt in their bodies.

I don't know about corals but the critical thing for fish isn't so much that it's a certain specific gravity, but that it's consistent.

When you mix up saltwater in a bucket you should aerate it for at least 24 hours before you use it with an airpump and airstone. It won't mix properly if you just let it sit.

[Kara]

As far as water changes go, I'm of the school that you change 20% every 2 weeks. I also do a 50% change once every other month. I keep my SG at 1.023 because I have a reef tank. If I make it any higher than that, my inverts start acting weird.


As far as a 'recipe' there isn't one, per say. I've found that different types of salt mixes (ie. instant ocean, sea crystals, kent marine salt, etc.) require different amounts of salt to bring your water up to the specific gravity(SG) you need. One brand I used- needed 3.25 cups of salt to hit 1.023 and another brand needed 2.75 cups to reach the same SG. A good general rule is to start out with 2 cups of salt per 5 gallons, then work from there.
Also, different brands of salt dissolve well...differently. Some dissolve quicky in water, while others take quite a while which will affect your SG readings.

Here's what I do when I mix my water.

1. I measure out 2 cups of salt, put it in a 2 quart pitcher. Add water to the pitcher from one of my water containers (I have 6, 5 gallon jugs I bought at my LFS that have tight fitting lids, so I can make my RODI water)

2. I use a plastic spoon to stir the water in the pitcher untill I can't feel any granules on the bottom.

3. I use a gentle stream to pour the salt mix into the bucket. GENTLE being important because if there is any undisolved salt in the pitcher I want it sitting at the bottom of the pitcher and not going into the jug. I pour most of the water into the jug.

4. I close up the jug, shake it lots, let it sit a minute, shake more then use the hygrometer to take a SG reading.

5. I add little amounts of salt to the water (using the pitcher method) until I have the SG perfect. Then I move on to the next jug and repeat the process until I have enough jugs done to replace the amount of water I am changing in the tank.

6. After siphoning off the water (if you don't have a python syphoning system.. look into it! I love it!) I shake up the jug and check the SG of each jug AGAIN before it goes into the tank. I also never pour a 'hard' stream directly into the tank, rather I use a collander to break the single stream into many gentle ones.

7. After the water change, I usually wait about 5-10 minutes then check the SG of the tank to make sure it's where it is supposed to be.

Not sure if any of this answers your question, but I hope it helps.

NOTE: any container, impliment, brush, hose whatever you use on your tank should never be used for anything else. Don't wash these items with soap or chemicals.