"Dosing" to increase salinity?

legrunt

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Messages
411
Reaction score
264
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
After my debacle with the refractometer, I've got a lot of advice about topping up with seawater, water change and replace with seawater etc.
Yes, one of my old mistakes was simply dumping salt into the tank... Which i won't repeat.

But I'm just wondering... What's the reason i shouldn't just mix up a batch of super high salinity water and "dose" a few ml each day, much the same way as dosing alk or calcium?
 

Spare time

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
12,039
Reaction score
9,674
Location
Here
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'd imagine becomes incredibly cost ineffective to use salt as a way to replace major elements. I'm sure there are other reasons but cost would be my main concern.
 
OP
OP
legrunt

legrunt

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Messages
411
Reaction score
264
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'd imagine becomes incredibly cost ineffective to use salt as a way to replace major elements. I'm sure there are other reasons but cost would be my main concern.
No no i don't mean as a way to replenish lost elements... I mean as a way to increase salinity
 

Silver14SS

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 8, 2017
Messages
2,383
Reaction score
4,364
Location
NC
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What's your current salinity and your target?

You may get precipitation trying to mix too high of a salinity. You'll also be adding alk, ca, mg, and everything else that's in the salt at a higher concentration.
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

Reef Chemist
View Badges
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
66,542
Reaction score
62,837
Location
Arlington, Massachusetts, United States
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No no i don't mean as a way to replenish lost elements... I mean as a way to increase salinity

If you try to make seawater or salt mix too concentrated, calcium carbonate will precipitate. Just use normal salinity.
 
OP
OP
legrunt

legrunt

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Messages
411
Reaction score
264
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What's your current salinity and your target?

You may get precipitation trying to mix too high of a salinity. You'll also be adding alk, ca, mg, and everything else that's in the salt at a higher concentration.
It was 1.020. target is 1.026.
After a few water changes and top ups, it's now 1.023
 

Spare time

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
12,039
Reaction score
9,674
Location
Here
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No no i don't mean as a way to replenish lost elements... I mean as a way to increase salinity


Ah I understand. Personally I think it would be easier to just raise it slowly via small water changes. That way you are cleaning the tank at the same time.
 

nkyreef

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
May 10, 2017
Messages
534
Reaction score
505
Location
Kentucky
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I had to raise my salinity a bit so I just took my ATO pump out of the RODI and placed it in mixed 35ppt saltwater. I checked the salinity often enough so that when I reached my desired level in the DT I moved my pump back to the RODI.
 
Back
Top