How do you keep you salinity at a certain level?

Midway · #1 05-13-2011, 05:12 AM

Hi there,

I'm trying to keep my salinity at 1.024 to 1.026 but it always goes close to 1.030. I know this is due to evaporation but i keep refilling with fresh water all the time but it always goes higher.

freezetyle · #2 05-13-2011, 05:18 AM

salinity issues can be solved with two things
1) Auto top off (best investment ever)
2) refactometer(sp) instead of a hydrometer.

The ato will keep your levels constant and the refract will ensure you are actually at 1.026sg

wickedfrags · #3 05-13-2011, 12:31 PM

auto top off

chris121277 · #4 05-13-2011, 01:58 PM

+1 on the ATO

For the first few weeks that I had mine I thought I had a leak some where...lol, as you will be shocked to find out just how often the ATO pump kicks in to keep up with evaporation.

fishytime · #5 05-13-2011, 02:02 PM

Have to agree with Jon..... Probably the best addition you will ever make to your system....and if you wan the best of the best then go with the Tunze

no_bs · #6 05-13-2011, 02:08 PM

+1 on ATO.

mark · #7 05-13-2011, 02:22 PM

1.024 to 1.030, seems like quite the swing, how much fresh water you adding at a time?

asylumdown · #8 05-13-2011, 03:19 PM

before I got an auto-top off I drew a line on my sump that marked the high water level for when the sump was running. If you're always filling it back to that line, your salinity shouldn't be increasing, in fact your skimmer should slowly (in a big system, VERY slowly) decrease your salinity and it removes salt water and you replace it with fresh.

Tunze ATO systems are the best by leaps and bounds

Coleus · #9 05-13-2011, 05:05 PM

+1 to refractometer and ato. Also when you do water change, make sure the new fresh water has same salinity with the current tank and make sure you fill exact amount that you withdraw.

Tunze ato is good but if you spend a little more, may you can get apex with io breakout box then you are set. Seriously, once you have a controller, it is so easy to take care of the tank. I would never a saltwater tank running without a controller.

I found with my float switches controlled by Apex controller, i can pump fresh water or new water to my tank with the exact amount.

asylumdown · #10 05-13-2011, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coleus

+1 to refractometer and ato. Also when you do water change, make sure the new fresh water has same salinity with the current tank and make sure you fill exact amount that you withdraw.

Tunze ato is good but if you spend a little more, may you can get apex with io breakout box then you are set. Seriously, once you have a controller, it is so easy to take care of the tank. I would never a saltwater tank running without a controller.

I found with my float switches controlled by Apex controller, i can pump fresh water or new water to my tank with the exact amount.

The reason I love the tunze is because it doesn't use a float valve. I just totally destroyed my tunze ATO unit in a flood 2 days ago though (piece of plastic somehow plugged the outflow of my refugium... what a mess), so for my next tank I'll either have to buy a new one, or do something else. Can the apex work with an infrared sensor like the Tunze, or is your only option a float valve?