Adding small amounts of salt to QT

[Crashjack]

I got burned by Live Aquaria telling me fish would arrive at 1.024 s.g., but they arrived at 1.017. Therefore, I had to get my QT down to 1.017. These fish are jumpers (fire fish and lawn mower blenny) so I can't leave the lid off for evaporation. I've brought s.g. up to over 1.018 by slowly adding water from my mixing tank which is 1.026. I'm about out of room so need to raise salinity a different way. My thought was to add salt directly, a tablespoon at a time. At my current 9 gallons of water, this would raise s.g. by about .00025 every time. I know you aren't supposed to add salt directly, but this would be a very small amount, and I would space out hours apart. I want to get the salinity up within the next week so I don't have to make and try to store special water for water changes. I could add the Tsb of salt to a small quantity of RO, I just don't think it will mix. Thoughts?

 

[the_reef_keeper]

Definatly don't just add salt to the tank-it could kill the fish
This is what I would do:
1)Fill QT 3/4 of the way full of 1.018 saltwater
2) mix salt into the mixing water (1.026) so that it's a higher salinity, wait 24 hrs for the salt to dissolve
3) add it slowly to the QT tank.
Slowly as in over a period of a week

Good luck!

 

[Crashjack]

Definatly don't just add salt to the tank-it could kill the fish
This is what I would do:
1)Fill QT 3/4 of the way full of 1.018 saltwater
2) mix salt into the mixing water (1.026) so that it's a higher salinity, wait 24 hrs for the salt to dissolve
3) add it slowly to the QT tank.
Slowly as in over a period of a week

Good luck!

I understand the 24 hour rule (though I think it is way overblown), but that assumes a sizeable water change. If you do the math, 1 Tbs salt added to approx. (2) cups of water would yield around 1.026 s.g. Calculating for 9 gallons in my QT, that's about a 1.4% water change. That's way too small to worry about waiting 24 hours IMO.

 

[eatbreakfast]

No need to wait 24h. Take a cup of tank water out and mix in a Tbsp of salt to that and add in. You can do that every he until the salinity is where you want it.

 

[Crashjack]

No need to wait 24h. Take a cup of tank water out and mix in a Tbsp of salt to that and add in. You can do that every he until the salinity is where you want it.

It's these little, simple things I've forgotten after being out of the hobby so long.

 

[Luke Schnabel]

I agree. Use tank water. Add a bit of salt and then add to QT by a high flow area.

I run hypo salinity in my QT. 1.008 for three weeks and when I raise it back to 1.026 all I do is add saltwater from my tank with a little salt mixed into it.